Part 3: Timing and Early Admissions
This summer, we’ve been myth-busting the most common myths about post-secondary admissions in Canada. In case you missed it, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2. Today, we’re discussing everything students and parents need to know about timing and early admissions.
MYTH #6
I should apply for Early Admissions so I can get a decision quickly.
When students tell me they’re planning to do Early Admissions, I always appreciate the forward-thinking instinct. But the conversation quickly gets more nuanced than they anticipated. In fact, what many families call ‘Early Admissions’ works very differently across Canadian universities, and in many cases, it isn’t a formal program, or necessarily early, at all.
Early Admissions versus applying early
Most Canadian post-secondary applications open around October of your grade 12 year. From there, schools make offers anywhere from a few days to six or more months later; the timelines vary dramatically by institution and program. Here’s how a few key schools approach it:
- Acadia, University of Alberta, Bishop’s, St Mary’s, and Dalhousie use rolling admissions, meaning they can use your Grade 11 marks to make an offer and may get back to you within days or weeks of receiving your application.
- The University of Toronto has set early admissions deadlines and makes first offers between December and February.
- McGill University doesn’t technically offer early admissions, but submitting your grades early can be advantageous, with some early offers going out in January and February.
- University of Waterloo has no Early Admission program at all — decisions roll out from December through May, with more competitive programs admitting later in the cycle.
If a student doesn’t yet meet the admission average in an early round, most schools will simply hold the application and revisit it when updated grades become available at the next formal reporting period. Nothing is lost by applying, as your file stays active.
So should I apply early?
In almost every case, yes– with one important condition. You should be fully confident in any required supplemental materials before submitting. Once an application is sent, it can’t be revised, so if your Personal Profile, essay, or video interview could genuinely be stronger with a few more days or weeks of work, that time is worth taking.
UBC is a good example of how these timelines work in practice. Starting in fall 2025, UBC moved to a continual First Review Admission process for Canadian curriculum students, meaning you can apply any time after applications open in early October, and UBC will review your file as soon as they have everything they need; there is no longer a single early admissions deadline. That said, December 1st remains an important date for scholarship consideration. If you want to be in the running for entrance scholarships, your complete application, including your Personal Profile, needs to be in by December 1st. The Personal Profile (as discussed in Myth #5) is a required and meaningful part of every UBC application: it’s how they get to know who you are beyond your transcript, and it factors into both admissions decisions and scholarship consideration. My rule of thumb is, if you honestly think your profile could be 5% better on December 2nd, it’s worth weighing that against the scholarship deadline carefully, and taking more time if needed to submit your best work.
U of T’s Commerce, Computer Science, and Engineering programs are another one to watch. Students need to apply online by November 7th and submit supplemental applications by December 2nd for Early Consideration– another reason to start drafting well before the fall of grade 12.
The case for starting in Grade 11
This is exactly why I start working with students when they’re in grade 11. Understanding supplemental requirements early, reviewing activities, and outlining personal narratives before the summer means you aren’t scrambling to write meaningful application essays during the most important academic semester of your high school career.
At Options, our Application Writing and Video Interview Workshops run year-round for this reason. Your Educational Consultant will build a customized timeline for every school on your list– tracking your academic progress, advising on when to send each application, and ensuring updated marks reach each institution at the right moment. Admissions cycles can stretch from September all the way through to May or June of grade 12, and knowing how to sequence everything makes an enormous difference.
Contact us today to get started! And stay tuned for the last installment of our myth-busting series in September.
Admissions is a dynamic field and process. This post was written in June of 2026, and the information discussed was accurate at the time of writing, but that information may be different when you are reading this post. Please check each institution’s website for the most recent information.
