Quick Answer
A supplementary application is any extra form, essay, video response, or portfolio that an Ontario university asks for after your OUAC submission, and it often decides borderline admission cases more than your grade average does.
Waterloo Engineering uses the Admission Information Form (AIF), McMaster Engineering and Computer Science use Kira Talent video and written responses, Queen’s Commerce and Health Sciences use a Supplementary Application Form, and Western’s Ivey AEO uses two 2,500 word activity essays.
According to University of Waterloo’s own admissions guidance, the AIF exists because grade cutoffs above 90 percent leave academics unable to differentiate thousands of qualified applicants, so written responses carry real weight.
This guide is built for Grade 11 and Grade 12 students applying to Ontario universities for Fall 2026 or Fall 2027 entry, and for international students on OUAC 105 who face the same supplementary requirements as Ontario residents.
The one tradeoff to know upfront: supplementary deadlines often fall weeks before the general OUAC deadline, and missing one can mean automatic rejection from a program even if your grades qualify.
Key Highlights of Supplementary University Applications in Ontario
● Waterloo’s Engineering AIF deadline for Fall 2026 entry was January 30, 2026, two weeks after the OUAC application deadline of January 15.
● McMaster charges a separate $50 CAD supplementary application fee for Engineering, Computer Science, and iBioMed programs, billed through OUAC as a program fee.
● Western’s Ivey AEO application requires two essays of up to 2,500 words each describing your top two extracurricular activities from the past four years.
● Queen’s uses a written response plus a video response for Commerce, Nursing, and Health Sciences applicants, scored against a published rubric.
● McMaster’s Kira Talent format gives applicants unlimited practice questions before three graded video responses, each with one minute to prepare and two minutes to answer.
● Missing a supplementary deadline is one of the few application errors that cannot be appealed after the fact, since most portals close automatically.
If you are applying to an Ontario university for Fall 2026 entry, your OUAC application is only step one. Many of the province’s most competitive programs, including Engineering at Waterloo, Computer Science at McMaster, Commerce at Queen’s, and Business at Western’s Ivey school, require a supplementary application on top of your grades. This guide walks you through exactly what to expect, school by school, and how to write responses that actually get read.
A supplementary application is the university’s way of measuring things a transcript cannot show: how you communicate, how you handle pressure, and what you have actually done outside class. According to Waterloo’s own admissions office, grade cutoffs for programs like Engineering and Computer Science now regularly sit above 90 percent, which means thousands of applicants look identical on paper. The supplementary application is where you stop looking identical.
What Counts as a Supplementary University Applications in Ontario
Not every Ontario program has one. Most Arts, Science, and Social Science programs admit purely on your Top 6 Grade 12 U or M course average, submitted through OUAC. Supplementary requirements show up almost exclusively in high demand professional and specialized programs, where the applicant pool is large enough that grades alone cannot separate candidates fairly.
The five formats you will run into most often in Ontario are:
● Written forms such as Waterloo’s Admission Information Form (AIF), which asks about your goals, extracurriculars, employment history, and awards.
● Video interview platforms such as Kira Talent, used by McMaster for Engineering, Computer Science, and iBioMed, where you record timed responses to prompts.
● Long-form essays, such as Western Ivey’s two 2,500 word activity essays for the Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) into the HBA program.
● Standardized situational judgment tests, such as CASPer, used by several Ontario nursing, health sciences, and midwifery programs to assess professionalism and ethical reasoning.
● Portfolios, required by OCAD University for nearly every program and by some architecture and fine arts programs elsewhere in the province.
Ontario University Supplementary Requirements by School
Here is a snapshot of what the major Ontario universities ask for. Deadlines shift slightly year to year, so always confirm the live date on the university’s own admissions page before you plan around it.
| University | Programs Affected | Format | Typical Deadline |
| University of Waterloo | Engineering, Pharmacy, Optometry, Architecture (portfolio) | Admission Information Form (AIF) plus video interview for some programs | Late January |
| McMaster University | Engineering, Computer Science, iBioMed, Health Sciences, Arts and Science, Nursing | Kira Talent video and written responses; CASPer for Nursing/Midwifery | Late January to mid February |
| Queen’s University | Commerce, Nursing, Health Sciences | Written response plus video response, scored against a published rubric | Early February |
| Western University | Ivey HBA (Advanced Entry Opportunity) | Two essays up to 2,500 words each on top extracurricular activities | Mid January |
| University of Toronto | Rotman Commerce, Life Sciences (some colleges) | Program specific supplementary forms accessed after OUAC submission | Varies by program |
| OCAD University | Nearly all undergraduate programs | Digital portfolio with statement of intent | February for equal consideration |
Waterloo’s Admission Information Form (AIF): What Actually Goes In It
The AIF is required for Waterloo Engineering, Pharmacy, Optometry, and several Mathematics faculty programs. It is not optional, and if you apply to both an Engineering program and a Mathematics program, you must submit it by the earlier Engineering deadline to be considered for either.
According to Waterloo’s undergraduate admissions guidance, the AIF is broken into sections covering your educational goals, extracurricular activities with hours per week, employment history from the past two years, awards, and any circumstances that affected your academic record. The admissions committee uses these answers to calculate an AIF score that sits alongside your grade average.
The mistake most applicants make
Listing ten shallow activities instead of two or three with real depth. Admissions readers at Waterloo have said publicly that a long list of clubs you attended twice looks weaker than one robotics project you stuck with for two years. Pick your strongest two or three experiences and explain what you actually did, what problem you solved, and what you took away from it.
McMaster’s Kira Talent Video Responses
McMaster uses the Kira Talent platform for Engineering, Computer Science, iBioMed, and the Bachelor of Technology program. According to McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering, the supplementary application carries a separate $50 CAD fee, billed as a McMaster program fee through OUAC, and you only pay it once even if you apply to multiple programs in the faculty.
The format typically includes unlimited practice questions before three graded video responses. Each response gives you one minute to prepare and two minutes to answer. McMaster’s own supplementary application page confirms the Engineering, Computer Science, and iBioMed deadline falls in late January, roughly two weeks after the general OUAC deadline.
How to prepare for a timed video response
1. Read the prompt twice before your one minute of prep time starts. Most applicants waste 20 seconds rereading instead of planning.
2. Use a simple structure: state your answer, give one specific example, then explain the outcome or lesson. This fits comfortably inside two minutes.
3. Practice on camera at least three times beforehand. Applicants who have never seen themselves on video tend to freeze or ramble.
4. Do not memorize a script word for word. Kira Talent reviewers can tell the difference between a rehearsed answer and a natural one, and a memorized answer falls apart if you forget a line.
Queen’s Supplementary Application Form and Western’s Ivey AEO Essays
Queen’s requires a written response plus a video response for Commerce, Nursing, and Health Sciences applicants. Queen’s publishes its supplementary application rubric openly, which is unusual generosity, since it tells you exactly what the admissions committee is scoring: leadership, self-awareness, and community involvement, among other criteria.
Western’s Ivey Business School runs a separate Advanced Entry Opportunity (AEO) for students who want a guaranteed seat in the HBA program before their second year. It asks for two essays of up to 2,500 words each, describing your two most significant extracurricular activities from the past four years in detail. This is the longest written component of any Ontario supplementary application, and it rewards students who can write with narrative structure, not just a list of accomplishments.
How to Write Standout Supplementary Answers
Whether you are filling in Waterloo’s AIF, recording a Kira Talent response, or writing a Western Ivey essay, the same principles apply.
● Use the STAR structure. Situation, Task, Action, Result. It keeps your answer concrete instead of vague, and it fits both short video responses and long essays.
● Depth over breadth. Two experiences explained in detail beat six experiences listed without context, every time.
● Answer the actual question. Admissions committees notice when a response is a recycled personal statement that does not address the specific prompt.
● Quantify where you can. “Organized a fundraiser” is forgettable. “Organized a fundraiser that raised $3,200 for the local food bank over six weeks” is not.
● Get a second reader. A teacher, counsellor, or parent catching an unclear sentence before submission is far cheaper than a rejection.
Timeline: When to Start Your Supplementary Applications
Supplementary application deadlines routinely fall two to four weeks after the general OUAC submission deadline of January 15. That gap exists to give you time to complete them, not to give you extra breathing room to delay.
| Milestone | Typical Timing |
| OUAC application opens | Fall, roughly a year before entry |
| General OUAC deadline (equal consideration) | January 15 |
| McMaster Engineering, CS, iBioMed supplementary deadline | Late January |
| Waterloo Engineering AIF deadline | Late January |
| Queen’s Commerce, Nursing, Health Sciences supplementary deadline | Early February |
| OCAD portfolio deadline for equal consideration | February |
| Admission decisions begin | Late May onward |
Start your supplementary applications the same week you submit your OUAC form, not after. Students who plan their program list early through USCA Academy’s university fast track program typically finish supplementary drafts a full month before the deadline, which leaves time for feedback and revision.
Common Mistakes That Cost Students Their Offer
● Assuming a strong grade average makes the supplementary application optional. It does not. Missing it usually means an automatic rejection from that program, regardless of your average.
● Submitting the same essay to every school. Waterloo, McMaster, Queen’s, and Western are each looking for different things, and reused answers read as generic.
● Waiting until the deadline week to start. Video interview platforms in particular need practice runs, and a rushed first take shows.
● Ignoring the published rubric when one exists, such as Queen’s supplementary application rubric. If a school tells you what it is grading, write directly to that rubric.
● Treating the supplementary application as a formality rather than a real decision point. For programs like Waterloo Engineering, admissions data shows the AIF score meaningfully separates applicants with near identical averages.
How USCA Academy Supports Students Through This Process
Students completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma at USCA Academy work with university guidance counsellors who track supplementary deadlines for every Ontario program alongside the general OUAC calendar. Our Grade 12 students get one on one review of AIF drafts, Kira Talent practice sessions, and essay feedback before they submit, and Grade 11 students start building the extracurricular record that supplementary forms actually ask about, well before the pressure of application season hits.
If you are applying as an international student through OUAC 105, the process runs on the same timeline, but you will want to read our dedicated OUAC 101 guide first, since document and transcript requirements differ from those of Ontario residents. Our college application service also supports students weighing a college pathway alongside university supplementary deadlines.
Do Ontario Universities Actually Weigh the Supplementary Application Heavily?
Yes, for the specific programs that require one. It is worth noting that OUAC’s program ranking order does not affect how any individual university evaluates your file, a common point of confusion. If you are unsure how a specific school treats your OUAC choice order, our breakdowns on whether McMaster cares about OUAC ranking and Queen’s approach to program ranking address each school directly.
Conclusion
You now need to make three decisions. First, confirm which of your target programs actually require a supplementary application, since not all do. Second, build a calendar working backward from each school’s specific deadline, not the general OUAC date. Third, draft your responses early enough to get real feedback before you submit, because a supplementary application you rush in the final 48 hours rarely reflects what you are capable of.
USCA Academy’s university guidance team works with students on exactly this timeline every admissions cycle. If you want a second set of eyes on your AIF, Kira Talent practice, or Ivey AEO essays, read what other USCA students say about the process or reach out to our guidance counsellors before your deadline window opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Do all Ontario universities require a supplementary application?
No. Most Arts, Science, and Social Science programs admit on your Top 6 Grade 12 average alone. Supplementary applications apply mainly to competitive professional programs like Engineering, Commerce, Nursing, and Health Sciences.
2.What happens if I miss a supplementary application deadline?
In almost every case, the portal closes automatically and late submissions are not reviewed. This typically results in an automatic rejection from that specific program, even if your grades meet the admission average.
3.Is the Waterloo AIF the same as the video interview?
No. The AIF is a written form, while the video interview is a separate component required for some Waterloo Engineering applicants. Check your applicant portal to confirm which components apply to your specific program.
4.How long should Western Ivey AEO essays be?
Up to 2,500 words per essay, with two essays required, each covering a different top extracurricular activity from the past four years.
5.Does McMaster charge extra for its supplementary application?
Yes. McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering charges a $50 CAD supplementary application fee, billed through OUAC as a program fee, covering Engineering, Computer Science, iBioMed, and Bachelor of Technology applicants together.
6.Can international students on OUAC 105 skip supplementary applications?
No. OUAC 105 applicants face the exact same supplementary requirements as Ontario high school students applying through OUAC 101, for the same programs.
7.What is CASPer and which Ontario programs use it?
CASPer is a standardized online situational judgment test used by several Ontario nursing and health professional programs, including some McMaster streams, to assess professionalism, ethics, and communication under timed conditions.
8.Should I write one generic supplementary essay for every school?
No. Each Ontario university asks different questions and looks for different qualities. Reused, generic answers read as impersonal and typically score lower than tailored responses.
