Conestoga College's Bachelor of Computer Science, offered through its School of Engineering & Information Technology, is one of Conestoga's small number of four-year applied Bachelor's degrees, distinct from its much larger catalog of diplomas and one-year Graduate Certificates. Based at the Doon campus in Kitchener, the program sits inside Canada's Kitchener-Waterloo tech corridor, home to Google's Canadian engineering office and a dense cluster of startups anchored around the University of Waterloo ecosystem. For international applicants, the degree's key advantage is that it is a full Bachelor's credential, PGWP-eligible regardless of Canada's 2024 field-of-study restrictions on non-degree programs, unlike Conestoga's Computer Programming diploma or its Business Graduate Certificates.
This guide covers what applying to Conestoga's Bachelor of Computer Science actually involves: how admission works, cost, requirements, English-test rules, and the PGWP picture after graduation.
Acceptance Rate: How Conestoga Admissions Actually Works
Conestoga does not use a percentage-based acceptance rate for this or any program. Admission runs through the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) on a rolling, first-come-first-served basis: applications are accepted until the intake reaches capacity, at which point that intake closes.
- Conestoga's own FAQ is explicit that this makes the college considerably more accessible than a competitive-average institution, but popular Business and IT programs, including Computer Science, "frequently fill well before any formal deadline."
- Because Bachelor's degree programs have a smaller number of available seats per intake than Conestoga's high-volume diploma and Graduate Certificate offerings, applying early in the Fall or Winter intake window is more decisive for this program than a competitive percentage cutoff would be.
Bottom line: there is no acceptance rate to target. The practical bottleneck is submitting a complete application, including your English test score, as early as possible in your target intake, not clearing a specific admit percentage.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
Conestoga prices Bachelor's degree programs, including Computer Science, at its degree-level international tuition rate, higher than its diploma rate but still well below typical Canadian university tuition. Approximate annual figures for 2026-27:
| Cost Item | Amount (CAD/year) |
|---|---|
| International tuition | $16,933 |
| Living expenses (Waterloo Region) | $15,500 |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | $32,309 (graduate-level figure; degree-level total is comparable) |
Conestoga also charges a CAD $100 application fee and a CAD $2,500 non-refundable tuition deposit to secure a seat once an offer is accepted. Over the program's four years, total tuition runs to roughly CAD $68,000 before living costs, substantially cheaper than a comparable Canadian university Computer Science degree.
Admission Requirements
Conestoga's Bachelor of Computer Science admission runs through OCAS with the standard degree-level requirements:
- Application via OCAS, Ontario's centralized college application portal
- Official secondary school transcripts (and, where relevant, post-secondary transcripts) meeting the program's prerequisite courses, typically including senior-level math
- Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Duolingo) unless exempt
- CAD $100 application fee
- CAD $2,500 non-refundable tuition deposit once an offer is accepted
Conestoga does not publish a single GPA cutoff; degree-level programs assess secondary (or prior post-secondary) transcripts against program-specific prerequisite courses rather than one university-wide minimum average.
How to Get Into Conestoga's Bachelor of Computer Science Program
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Apply as early as possible in your target intake window. Because admission is rolling and capacity-based, Computer Science is explicitly named by Conestoga as one of its programs that fills before any formal deadline.
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Meet the degree-level English threshold, not the lower diploma threshold. Computer Science requires IELTS 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 per band) or TOEFL iBT 88, a step above Conestoga's diploma/certificate-level minimum, given the writing and documentation demands of a full degree program.
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Make sure your secondary transcripts show the required math prerequisite clearly, since Conestoga assesses against program-specific prerequisite courses rather than a single GPA, and a missing or unclear math credential is a common cause of delayed offers.
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Use Conestoga's English Language Studies pathway if your score falls short, rather than delaying your application. Applicants below the required English score can complete this bridge program before progressing into the degree itself.
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Confirm your specific intake's deadline directly with Conestoga, since rolling admission means popular IT programs like Computer Science can close well ahead of any formally published deadline, particularly for the Fall intake.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
For a general overview of Conestoga and its programs, see the Conestoga College guide. Conestoga's degree-level programs, including the Bachelor of Computer Science, set a higher English bar than its diploma and certificate programs:
- IELTS: minimum 6.5 overall, with no band below 6.0 (recommended: 7.0)
- TOEFL: minimum 88 overall, with no individual skill below 22 (recommended: 95)
- Also accepted: PTE Academic (minimum 58), Duolingo English Test (minimum 120)
- Waiver: a prior credential completed and examined fully in English at an approved institution may exempt an applicant from a separate test requirement
- Conditional admission: Conestoga's English Language Studies pathway lets applicants below the required score build English proficiency before beginning the degree program
Note that some of Conestoga's IT and engineering programs set higher English requirements than the general degree-level minimum shown here, so always confirm the exact figure on the Bachelor of Computer Science's own program page.
Career Outcomes
Conestoga does not publish outcomes data broken out for the Bachelor of Computer Science specifically. What Conestoga does publish, as a general proxy:
- Top recruiters (general, Waterloo Region/Southwestern Ontario): Kitchener-Waterloo technology employers, regional manufacturing and engineering employers, national retail and logistics employers
- No specific employment rate or average starting salary is published for this program
The most consequential outcome for most international applicants is PGWP eligibility rather than a specific salary figure: because the Bachelor of Computer Science is a degree program, it is not subject to IRCC's November 2024 eligible-field-of-study restriction that now applies to Conestoga's diploma and Graduate Certificate programs, and graduates remain broadly PGWP-eligible regardless of field, typically for the maximum 3-year permit given the degree's 4-year length.
FAQ
What is Conestoga College's acceptance rate for the Bachelor of Computer Science? There isn't one. Conestoga doesn't use a percentage-based acceptance rate for any program; admission is rolling through OCAS until the intake fills. Computer Science is one of Conestoga's programs that routinely fills before any formal deadline, so applying early matters more than any specific score.
What IELTS/TOEFL score do I need for this program? Because it's a degree program, the Bachelor of Computer Science requires Conestoga's higher degree-level English threshold: IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) or TOEFL iBT 88 (no skill below 22), rather than the lower diploma-level minimums used for Conestoga's Computer Programming diploma.
Will this program qualify me for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)? Yes. As a Bachelor's degree program, Computer Science is exempt from IRCC's November 2024 eligible-field-of-study restriction that now applies to Conestoga's non-degree diploma and Graduate Certificate programs, and remains broadly PGWP-eligible regardless of field, typically for the maximum 3-year permit.
How much does Conestoga's Bachelor of Computer Science cost? International tuition is CAD $16,933/year, with a total estimated cost of attendance (including living expenses) of roughly CAD $32,000/year, well below typical Canadian university tuition for a comparable Computer Science degree.
Can I get conditional admission if my English score falls short? Yes. Conestoga's English Language Studies pathway lets applicants below the required IELTS/TOEFL score build proficiency before progressing into the Bachelor of Computer Science program itself.
How is this different from Conestoga's Computer Programming diploma? The Bachelor of Computer Science is a four-year degree with a higher English-proficiency threshold and full PGWP eligibility regardless of field, while Conestoga's Computer Programming diploma is a shorter, non-degree credential subject to IRCC's eligible-field-of-study restriction, meaning its PGWP eligibility depends on the specific program's current CIP code standing.