For over a decade, McMaster’s Honours Health Sciences program (the BHSc) has been the most selective undergraduate program to get into in Canada. It gets more than 7,000 applicants for 240 first-year seats[1][2], an acceptance rate of about 3.4%. If you are a qualified applicant with at least a 90% average, you have roughly a 1 in 20 chance of getting in.
How hard is it to get into McMaster Health Sciences?
The Health Sciences acceptance rate has been around 5% or lower for years. Each year there are approximately 7,000 applications for 240 spots[1][2]. That’s an acceptance rate of 3.4%. McMaster sends a few more offers than it has seats, because not everyone accepts, so the offer rate is slightly higher, but McMaster doesn’t publish it. Every applicant already has at least a 90% average, which makes those odds even tougher than they look.
How admission works for 2027 entry
- Grades: a minimum 90% average in six grade 12 U/M courses, including English, biology, chemistry, one of Calculus & Vectors, Advanced Functions or Data Management, and one non-math, non-science course[2].
- Supplementary application: required. You won’t be considered without it, and it is due in early to mid February[2]. Offers go to applicants who rank high on both the supplementary application and their grades[1].
- Deadlines: apply through OUAC by January 15, 2027. McMaster makes offers on a rolling basis from the end of February to early May[2].
Want to learn how to apply and write a strong supplementary application? Read our guide to the McMaster Health Sciences supplementary application.
Is McMaster Health Sciences harder to get into than the Ivy League?
Surprisingly, McMaster Health Sciences is about as hard to get into as the most prestigious and most competitive universities in the United States. Here is how it compares with the latest Ivy League rates:
Acceptance rates: McMaster Health Sciences vs the Ivy League
Ivy League: Class of 2029 (admitted 2025), with each school's 2020 rate in brackets.
Harvard and Cornell no longer publish their rate, so their 2020 figures are shown. Dartmouth: 1,702 admitted of 28,230 applicants. 2020 rates: Class of 2024.
When we first compared them, in 2020, the Ivy League rates were higher (shown in brackets). Then and now, getting into McMaster Health Sciences is about as hard as getting into the Ivy League.
Compared with other competitive Canadian programs
Seats per 100 applicants: competitive Canadian programs
Official first-year seats divided by applications, for programs that publish both.
Waterloo figures are approximate ("over"/"almost") counts for 2026 entry; McMaster: over 7,000 applicants for 240 seats. Grade ranges: McMaster 90% minimum; Waterloo CFM and Software Engineering low to mid 90s. Queen's Health Sciences (420 seats, mid-90s range), Ivey and U of T don't publish applicant counts.
See our full list of the hardest undergrad programs to get into in Canada.
So why is McMaster Health Sciences so popular?
McMaster Health Sciences is the most sought-after program in Canada because so many of its graduates go on to medical school. Parents and students see it as the best pre-medical program in Canada, and for many families the dream of becoming a doctor starts here.
McMaster’s Health Sciences website published a running survey of graduates since the Class of 2003. In the November 2020 version, 1,231 of the 2,009 graduates counted had gone into medical school[3]. That means 61.3% of surveyed graduates went on to become medical practitioners, and no other undergraduate program in Canada comes close. The share stayed around 61–63% in every version from 2017 to 2020:
McMaster Health Sciences graduates: where they went
Cumulative counts from the graduate survey on McMaster's Health Sciences site, Classes of 2003 onward.
| Year | Graduates counted | Medicine | Employment | Graduate studies | Dentistry | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,480 | 926 | 105 | 196 | 51 | [3] |
| 2018 | 1,698 | 1,034 | 105 | 226 | 58 | [3] |
| 2019 | 1,835 | 1,130 | 116 | 239 | 59 | [3] |
| 2020 | 2,009 | 1,231 | 139 | 265 | 63 | [3] |
| 2021 | 2,669 | 1,279 | 709 | 286 | 65 | [3] |
Share who went to medicine: 62.6% (2017), 60.9% (2018), 61.6% (2019), 61.3% (2020), 47.9% (2021). Year = version of McMaster's survey page; 2021 is the last version published (shown August 2021 to March 2022).
In the last version we could find (2021–22), the total jumped to 2,669 graduates, mostly because 570 more were recorded under “employment”[3]. Medicine’s share of everyone counted fell to 47.9%, but the number who went to medicine still rose, to 1,279. Many recent graduates work for a year or two before applying, so their next step may not have been recorded yet. Other common paths: graduate studies (286), dentistry (65), physiotherapy (31), law (27), MD/PhD programs (27), occupational therapy (23) and speech-language pathology (23). The latest breakdown:
Where McMaster Health Sciences graduates went
Share of the 2,669 graduates counted in the last published survey (Classes of 2003 onward).
Source: McMaster Health Sciences post grad page, archived March 2022 (1,279 medicine, 709 employment, 286 graduate studies, 65 dentistry).
The survey counts graduates who reported their next step to the program. McMaster has since taken the page down; the figures come from archived copies.
Without a doubt, if you intend to go into medicine, McMaster’s Honours Health Sciences program is the one to aim for. The numbers don’t lie.
Frequently asked questions
What is the acceptance rate for McMaster Health Sciences?
What average do you need for McMaster Health Sciences?
How many McMaster Health Sciences graduates go to medical school?
In McMaster’s graduate survey, about 61% went to medicine in every version from 2017 to 2020 (1,231 of 2,009 in 2020). The last version (2021–22) counted 1,279 of 2,669 (47.9%), after many recent graduates were added under employment.[3]
When does McMaster Health Sciences send out offers?
On a rolling basis from the end of February to early May.[2]
Sources
- McMaster Honours Health Sciences: future students FAQ
- OUInfo: McMaster Honours Health Sciences (MNS)
- McMaster Health Sciences: post grad page (graduate survey, Classes of 2003 onward)
- Forbes (citing the Yale Daily News, Columbia Spectator and Brown Daily Herald): Ivy League admit rates for the Class of 2029
- The Daily Princetonian: Princeton admits 4.4% of applicants to the Class of 2029
- The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn admits 4.9% for the Class of 2029
- The Dartmouth: Dartmouth offers admission to 1,702 applicants for the Class of 2029
- University of Waterloo: basis for admission decisions
Figures were checked against these sources on November 5, 2026. Schools change their numbers every cycle, so confirm on the official site before you apply.
Best view i have ever seen !
Thank you! I’m applying next year and 7000 people is a lot, no wonder the cutoff is so high.
How did it go?
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Thank you for magnificent info I used to be searching for this info for my mission.
It抯 actually a cool and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
My understood is this school has best pre med program set up than any schools. To me, today’s pre med doesn’t make any sense in general . Why pre med students waste their life on so many courses they don’t need. If you are saying there is a value, I would say any university course has some value for anyone in any industry. The pre med procedure have to go to history. When you have so many talents wasted in the pre med school, there are patients wait for two months to see their family doctor today. Whoever start this program in Mcmaster is the one who really understand what pre med school students want.
This post is incredibly informative! The detailed statistics on acceptance rates and the success of graduates really give a clear picture of what to expect from the McMaster Health Sciences program. It’s great to see such a comprehensive overview, especially for prospective students like myself. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this detailed overview of McMaster’s Health Sciences program! The acceptance rate and graduate statistics are really helpful for prospective students like myself. It’s interesting to see how competitive the program is and the success rates of graduates. I appreciate the insights and look forward to applying!
This was an incredibly insightful post! I’ve been researching McMaster’s Health Sciences program for a while, and the detailed acceptance rates and graduate outcomes really help in understanding what to expect. It’s motivating to see such strong statistics for graduates. Thanks for sharing this valuable information!