Applying from Ontario high schools

The BMSc Program is a "second-entry" program.  Students are not admitted directly into the BMSc Program in Year 1 - they will apply for admission to the BMSc Program when entering Year 3. Students interested in the BMSc Program (i.e. in the modules leading to BMSc degrees) will usually register in Medical Sciences First Entry in the Faculty of Science in Years 1 (Medical Sciences 1) and 2 (Medical Sciences 2).

The OUAC Application: Medical Sciences (ESM) and Science (ES)

 There are two choices on the OUAC application when applying to first year in the Faculty of Science: ESM (Medical Sciences First Entry) and ES (Science).

  • Students admitted to Medical Sciences First Entry (ESM on the OUAC application) will register in Medical Sciences 1 in first year and Medical Sciences 2 in second year. Specific courses have to be completed (with minimum marks) in Medical Sciences 1 to progress to Medical Sciences 2. Once in Medical Sciences 2, students will be assured admission to the BMSc Program for Year 3, provided they satisfy certain conditions in Medical Sciences 2.   Students who don't satisfy these conditions may still apply to Year 3 BMSc from the "competitive pool" of students.

    This flowchart outlines the two paths (assured entry or the competitive pool) into Year 3 of the BMSc Program. See Medical Sciences First Entry for information about Medical Sciences 1 and 2, and Admission to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) Program for information about admission to Year 3 BMSc, including the conditions for assured admission for students in Medical Sciences 2.

  • Students admitted to Science (ES on the OUAC application) may apply for admission to Year 3 BMSc during their second year as long as they have completed the courses listed in Medical Sciences 1 and 2. Along with students in Medical Sciences 2 who do not satisfy the conditions for assured admission to Year 3 BMSc, these students will comprise the "competitive pool" of students. It is anticipated that there will be space in Year 3 BMSc to admit several students in the competitive pool.

    The conditions for assured admission from Medical Sciences First Entry to Year 3 BMSc have been set sufficiently high to ensure that the maximum capacity in Year 3 BMSc (~ 550 students) will not likely be reached by admitting only these students. Admission to the BMSc Program should be possible for all students who perform well at Western but this depends on the number of students admitted by the central Admissions Office to Medical Sciences 1.

    This flowchart outlines the two paths (assured entry or the competitive pool) into Year 3 of the BMSc Program. See Medical Sciences First Entry for the courses in that should be taken in first and second year, and Admission to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) Program for information about admission to Year 3 BMSc, including the minimum conditions for admission consideration from the competitive pool of students.

  • Check out an Overview of Admission and Progression to the BMSc Program.

Subject of Major Interest

When applying through the OUAC process, students are asked to specify their Subject of Major Interest

Students should not stress about the Subject of Major Interest that they specify during the OUAC application process. This information is collected for Western's interest and is not taken into consideration when students are admitted to Western and subsequently to Year 3 of the BMSc Program.

Is a supplmental application required?

Applications to Medical Sciences First Entry (ESM) or Science (ES) do not require special supplemental applications. Admission to these programs is based solely on students' admission averages, determined by the Grade 12 courses as outlined below. Applications for the Scholar's Electives program, the Advanced Entrance Opportunity (AEO) for Ivey or other major scholarships offered through Western do require additional information/supplemental applications. Be sure to review these websites thoroughly when submitting your application.

Grade 12 U/M courses required and recommended

To be admitted to Medical Sciences First Entry in the Faculty of Science (ESM on the OUAC application), Ontario high school students must have Grade 12U Biology, Grade 12U Calculus and Vectors, Grade 12U Chemistry, and Grade 12U English. Although Grade 12U Physics is not required for admission to Medical Sciences First Entry, students are encouraged to include this course in Grade 12. Students must complete 1.0 university-level physics course prior to registering in Year 3 BMSc and having a credit in Grade 12U Physics would likely be beneficial.

To be admitted to Science in the Faculty of Science (ES on the OUAC application), Ontario high school students must have Grade 12U Calculus and Vectors and Grade 12U English, and two of the following Grade 12U courses:  Advanced Functions, Biology, Chemistry, Computer and Information Science, Earth and Space Science, Math of Data Management, and Physics.

Offer of Admission - minimum average required

The information below pertains to the final round of Offers of Admission that will be extended to Ontario high school students in May each year.

To receive an Offer of Admission in May to Medical Sciences First Entry, students will generally require a higher average on the required six Grade 12U and M courses than to receive an Offer of Admission to Science.  Although the minimum average required to receive an Offer of Admission in the last round of admission offers to either Medical Sciences First Entry or Science will not be known until May each year, it is anticipated that students will need an average in the low 90s for admission to Medical Sciences First Entry on the required six Grade 12 U and M courses (Grade 12U Biology, Grade 12U Calculus and Vectors, Grade 12U Chemistry, Grade 12U English and the best remaining two Grade 12 U and/or M courses). These are the only six courses that are used in calculating the average for admission to Medical Sciences in first year and determining eligibility for admission scholarships.

Western does not offer students admission to an alternative program if they are not eligible for the program requested. If a student applies to Medical Sciences First Entry and does not have a sufficiently high average, then the student will not be admitted to Medical Sciences and will not be offered admission to an alternative program (e.g., Science) for which they had not applied.

Students may wish to apply to both Medical Sciences First Entry and Science to increase their chances of being admitted to Western.  Students must carefully consider the average they anticipate having in May (a combination of final marks from first semester and mid-year marks from second semester) when submitting their OUAC application.  Students whose averages are below the minimum required to receive an Offer of Admission to Medical Sciences First Entry will not automatically be extended an alternative offer to Science. Only students who have also selected Science (ES) on the OUAC site will be considered for this "second" offer. As we are unsure of the minimum admission average each year, it may make sense for some students, whose averages are close to 90%, to apply to both ESM and ES on the OUAC application!

Common Questions about Admissions

If I apply to both Science and Medical Sciences, is my eligibility for Medical Sciences negatively impacted?

No, each application is treated separately and you are not "penalized" in any way for applying to more than one program at Western.

I didn't receive an offer of admission to Medical Sciences but I want to get into the BMSc Program -- should I accept an offer of admission to Science?

Yes, accept the offer of admission to Science. You can apply to Year 3 BMSc via the competitive pool of students.  See Admission to the BMSc Program more details.

Will I receive a later offer of admission to Medical Sciences if I achieve a higher final average (end of term)?

No, it is very unlikely that a later offer of admission will be extended, even if your final average is higher than your mid-year average.  The ~ 750 spaces in Medical Sciences will likely be filled with students who have already received offers of admission.  Hopefully, you have received (and will accept) an offer of admission to Science (or another program at Western).  You can apply to Year 3 BMSc even if you aren't admitted to Medical Sciences First Entry, via the competitive pool of students.  See Admission to the BMSc Program for more details.

Is there someone I can contact about my offer of admission (or lack, thereof)?

The central Admissions Office admits students to first year at Western (Medical Sciences, Science, etc.).  You can contact the Admissions Office by email.  The following individuals/offices are not responsible for admitting students to Western and we ask that you do not contact them: the Dean of Science, the Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, the BMSUE Office, and the Academic Counselling Team (Science/Basic Medical Sciences).

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