Applying to MDEI

We are excited that you’re considering applying to the Master of Digital Experience Innovation program! Please note, we admit applicants to the fall (September) term only. 

Step 1 – Understanding Our Admission Requirements

Standard Admission Requirements  Non-Standard Admission Requirements – For applicants who do not have a 4-year Honours Bachelor Degree 
4-year Honours Bachelor Degree, or equivalent, with a minimum of 78% in the final 2 years of study 

8 years of professional experience in a field related to the program (i.e., digital media, journalism, marketing, digital entertainment, digital gaming, software development, design, business) 

A minimum Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT score of 550 or an equivalent score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) (referencing Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) GRE Comparison Table for Business Schools) 

Have an international degree? Please see our International Admission Equivalencies to determine your eligibility for the program.  

Note: Applicants who meet the regular admission requirements are NOT required to submit a GMAT/GRE score as part of their application 

English Language Requirements:  

If English is not your first language, you may be required to demonstrate proof of English language proficiency. For information on exemptions and accepted testing, please see our Admission and English Language Proficiency Requirements.  

If English is not your first language, and you do not meet our exemption criteria, the following scores are required for admission:

Internet-based 
TOEFL (iBT) 		 IELTS 
(Academic)		 Cambridge English test 
(C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency) 		 CAEL  PTE 
(Academic) 		 EFAS 
100; writing 26; speaking 26  7.5; writing 7.0; speaking 7.0 191; minimum 185 in each area  70; 60 per band; 70 writing; 70 speaking   68; writing 65; speaking 65 80% overall in level 400 with at least 75% in writing, oral and academic skills

Step 2 – Preparing Your Application

All applicants are required to submit an admission package. Here is what you are required to provide: 

Standard Admission Package  Non-Standard Admission Package  Situational – Not all applicants will need to submit the below documents 
  • Transcripts of all post-secondary education (including, transcript legend, original + translated version of transcripts, if not in English) 
  • Supplementary Information Form (SIF)  
  • Resume  
  • 3 references
  • Transcripts of all post-secondary education (including, transcript legend, original + translated version of transcripts, if not in English) 
  • Current GMAT or GRE results 
  • Supplementary Information Form (SIF)  
  • Resume 
  • 3 References
  • If you do not meet our ELP exemptions, a current ELP test + score  
  • Permanent Residency Card 
For more information on our admission documents, scanning and uploading instructions, please see Application Documents and Materials.   

References

  • The MDEI program requires applicants to submit 3 references. We offer applicants flexibility in the combination of references, applicants are welcome to submit the following:

    • 3 professional, or

    • 2 professional + 1 academic, or  

    • 1 professional and 2 academic, or 

    • 3 academic

  • Please note that professional references must be from a direct supervisor who can speak to your professional skills and projects related to the program. Academic references must hold or have held a teaching position at an accredited institution – this could be a class you took towards a certificate, an instructor from your degree, etc. They must have taught you in a course or supervised your research and can attest to your academic performance and aptitude for graduate-level studies. 

  • You will not submit a formal reference letter. Instead, referees will complete an online reference form, which will be emailed to them directly after you submit your initial application and pay your application fee.  

Transcripts

  • You must declare all post-secondary education from all past and present universities, colleges and post-secondary institutions attended, whether complete or incomplete.  

  • Unofficial transcripts (including awarding of degree/degree certificate) are accepted at the application stage. They must include all courses taken at that institution to date. 

  • You can submit unofficial transcripts as scans of your official paper transcript(s) or a PDF of your academic record.  

  • If the official language of instruction at your institution is not English, please include the original language document and a certified translation for the transcript and degree certificate/diploma.  

  • Please ensure you also include your transcript legend or the official grading scale, located on the final page of the transcript and/or the back of the transcript  

Supplementary Information Form (SIF)

  • In 300-500 words, you will answer: How do you see yourself contributing to and benefiting from the Master of Digital Experience Innovation program? 

  • You can learn how to access and complete the Supplementary Information Form via Quest Help  

Step 3 – Get To Know Your Application Deadlines

  1. February 1st 

    • Your initial application form and application fee payment ($125 CAD) is due  

  2. February 15th  

    • You must submit all your application documents by this date  

We do not accept late applications.

Step 4 – How to Apply

You are strongly encouraged to follow the steps as outlined on our Grad office’s  ‘How to Apply’ help page to assist you in the application process.  

We recommend students apply no later than 2-4 weeks ahead of our February 1st, deadline to ensure they have time to upload their supporting documents and your references have time to submit their reference forms.  

  1. Start your online application here before February 1st 

    1. Create an online application account. You can only have one graduate online application account.  

    2. Select your program, and choose an attendance type (full-time or part-time) and type of program (coursework = MDEI).  

    3. Enter the required application information (initial declaration of education, personal information, referee information, etc.) 

    4. Pay the non-refundable application fee of $125.00 CAD.  

      1. Acceptable methods of payment: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Debit, Debit Mastercard and Union Pay.  

  2. Create your Quest Account  

    1. You’ll need to do this to submit your admission documents. 

    2. 1-2 business days after you have completed your online application and your fee has been processed, you will receive an email from the University of Waterloo with instructions for claiming your identity (user ID + password) to access Quest, the University of Waterloo’s student information system.  

    3. Once you have claimed (activated) your identity (user ID + password), you will be able to log in to Quest.  

  3. Upload your Application Documents on Quest before February 15th  

    1. After creating your Quest account, you will see a list of the documents you need to upload and complete based on the MDEI program.  

    2. Once you have uploaded all your required admission documents to Quest, and your references have completed their reference forms, your application is complete.  

    3. Your document status will change from Initiated to Completed under your documents list in Quest.  

If you are facing difficulty navigating the online application form, and/or uploading documents to Quest, please contact gradapply@uwaterloo.ca  

The University of Waterloo is committed to ensuring you can access and meaningfully participate in your education. At any point in the application process or when you are a registered student, we encourage you to reach out to AccessAbility Services for advice, information, and support. Request for disability-based graduate admission accommodation (on the AccessAbility website).

Step 5 – You have applied; what are your next steps?

  1. Monitor your email that you used to create your application  

    1. You will receive updates about your application, next steps, and deadlines through this email! 

  2. Keep an eye on your Quest account  

    1. You will receive updates about your application status here  

  3. Have questions about your application?  

    1. Contact the MDEI Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator at stratfordprograms@uwaterloo.ca  

    2. Contact gradapply@uwaterloo.ca regarding Quest/application issues 

Decisions are sent out in April/May.

FAQ – All things MDEI Admissions!
  1. How early can I apply to the MDEI program?  
    1. Applicants are welcome to begin their applications as early as September/October.  
    2. For example, if you are applying for admission for Fall 2026, you would want to apply in September/October 2025.  
  2. Do you pre-assess applicant eligibility?  
    1. No. Applicants are responsible for determining their eligibility using the resources provided above. 
  3. Do you require a portfolio?  
    1. No. Your opportunity to highlight your skills and experience will be in your resume and supplementary information form as part of your admission package.  
  4. Is admission guaranteed?  
    1. Unfortunately, no. The Master of Digital Experience Innovation is a competitive, limited-enrolment program. Therefore, admission is not guaranteed. Each candidate is assessed based on the entirety of their application.  
  5. Do you provide early acceptances or rolling admissions?  
    1. We do not provide either. Application review takes place from February to March. We aim to have all admission decisions to our applicants by April.  
  6. What happens if I miss one of the admission deadlines?  
    1. We do not accept late applications. If you miss our application deadline of February 1st or do not submit all required admission documents by February 15th, your application will be deemed incomplete and not reviewed.  
    2. You will need to reapply during our next admission cycle.  
  7. I have been accepted, do I begin my studies immediately?  
    1. No, MDEI begins the last 2 weeks August, just before the University’s official first day of classes in September.  
  8. I am international student, do I need a study permit to study in the program? 
    1. We certainly accept international students to the program, but they do not need a study permit to enroll in our program! MDEI is fully online with no in-person components, which allows our international students to live in their home countries (or anywhere in the world) and complete a professional master’s degree from an accredited Canadian university.  
    2. Please note that apart from Immigration Consultants, University staff are not able to consult on study permits or matters of immigration, typically, online programs would not make a student eligible for a study permit or PGWP. For immigration-related questions, we suggest contacting an Immigration Consultant. You can also contact Immigrations Canada for more information.