Extracurriculars matter in Canadian university admissions, but not as heavily as in the US. Canadian universities are more academically focused and primarily evaluate applicants based on grades and test scores in relevant subjects. Top programs at universities like UBC, Toronto, McGill, and Waterloo do consider extracurriculars, leadership, and personal profiles through supplementary applications or essays, especially for competitive programs like engineering, business, or health sciences. However, unlike the US where holistic review is standard, most Canadian universities use academics as the primary filter, and extracurriculars serve more as a tiebreaker among similarly qualified candidates or to demonstrate fit for specific programs.
