The McGill University acceptance rate is approximately 38%. McGill University receives approximately 45,000 applications for just over 6,000 spaces in direct-entry, first-year undergraduate programs across all faculties and schools. However, the university tends to send out 3x more acceptances than it has space for since many high school students apply to various programs and universities.
Comparing McGill University Acceptance Rates to Canadian Schools:
This data is fairly consistent among all universities in Canada. The average acceptance rate of Canadian Universities will hover around 45-55%, depending on the year and institution. In comparison to other Universities in Canada, McGill University has a relatively low acceptance rate.
Chart of Biggest Canadian Universities and Their Acceptance Rates
Full List of Canadian Universities and Their Acceptance Rates
American Ivy League University Acceptance Rates:
| UNIVERSITY NAME | ACCEPTANCE RATE |
|---|---|
| Brown University | 9.00% |
| Columbia University | 6.00% |
| Cornell University | 14.10% |
| Dartmouth College | 10.50% |
| Harvard University | 5.20% |
| Princeton University | 6.50% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 9.40% |
| Yale University | 6.30% |
The difference in the acceptance rates between Canadian universities and American schools is huge. The average rate for top-tier universities across Canada is approximately 5x higher than their counterparts down south!
Why is the McGill University Acceptance Rate so High?
We believe there are two main reasons why the McGill University Acceptance rate is so high compared to its American counterparts.
Firstly, most programs in Canada only have two requirements, prerequisite courses and minimum grades. For most undergraduate colleges this means that if you apply with no other information other than your transcripts from high school, and meet the minimum grade requirement, then it’s likely they’ll accept you! No supplement applications are needed and you can tell immediately whether acceptance is possible before submitting anything else.
Secondly, in Canada, it is more important what program one applies to within each university rather than the prestige of the school. For example, McMaster Health Sciences tends to have extremely low acceptance rates that are comparable to the “prestigious” universities in North America. American higher education institutions, in contrast, tend to place more emphasis on the university names rather than what programs they offer.
In general, Canadian employers treat all degrees equally regardless of which institution you received them from. For example, if a person obtains an undergraduate life science degree then they will be able to find employment with companies across Canada no matter the school that gave them this qualification. That being said, there are some extremely difficult undergraduate programs to get into Canada that many students strive to be accepted into.