Queen’s received a record number of first-year applicants for the 2026-27 academic year.
According to admissions data provided to The Journal by Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment and the Office of the University Registrar, the Faculty of Health Sciences, Smith Engineering, Smith School of Business, and the Faculty of Arts and Science received a combined 64,301 applications for the 2026-27 school year.
The statement shows these four faculties received 57,750 applications in 2024-25 and 59,402 in 2025-26. This represents an increase of almost 11 per cent from 2024-25 and approximately 8 per cent from 2025-26.
Despite increases in the number of students accepting offers in Health Science, Engineering, and Commerce, a decline in Arts and Science offset most of those gains. Between 2024-25 and 2026-27, accepted offers increased approximately 12 per cent in Engineering, 11 per cent in Health Sciences, and four per cent in Commerce, while Arts and Science declined approximately five per cent.
Health Sciences received 10,840 applications this year, an increase of approximately 20 per cent from 2025-26. The number of accepted offers to Health Sciences reached 652 in 2026-27, up five per cent from 2025-26.
Smith Engineering received 11,282 applications this year, an increase of approximately 10 per cent from 2025-26. The number of students who accepted offers reached 1,258 in 2026-27, up 22 per cent from 2025-26.
Smith Business received 10,167 commerce applications in 2026-27, up approximately five per cent from 2025-26. The number of students accepting offers reached 689 in 2026-27, up six per cent from 2025-26.
Arts and Science received 32,012 applications in 2026-27, the most of the four faculties, representing an increase of approximately five per cent from 2025-26. However, the number of students who accepted offers fell to 3,308, a decrease of approximately 10 per cent from 2025-26.
The academic average of incoming students has also changed. Queen’s reported an incoming average of 90.3 per cent in 2024-25 class and 90.5 per cent in 2025-26 class. This year’s incoming class had an average high school admission grade of 92.3 per cent.
Queen’s did not provide The Journal with the total number of admissions offers it issued. In a statement to The Journal, the Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment and the Office of the University Registrar said it does not publicly release the volume of offers given for individual admission cycles.
“Offer volumes are used internally to support enrolment planning, forecasting and admissions decisions, and the university treats them as confidential,” the statement said.
Because the total number of offers issued is not available, Queen’s true acceptance rate cannot be calculated.
The acceptance figures also do not represent final fall enrolment. Some students who accept an offer may later decide not to attend Queen’s.
According to the statement, the number of students who accept the offer but decide not to enrol in the fall, also known as summer attrition, has remained consistent over the past several years.
“The sustained demand for Queen’s programs reflects both the strength of our academic reputation and the excellence of students who apply to the university,” the statement said. “Queen’s continues to attract highly qualified applicants, and the academic profile of incoming students remains exceptionally strong.”
Final registration numbers for the 2026-27 academic year will be confirmed Nov. 1. The University’s annual Enrolment Report will provide further details on the incoming class.
Tags
applications, Enrolment, office of the university registrar, Undergraduate admission and recruitment
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