Bachelor Programme
Neuroscience (BSc)
Neuroscience at Western studies how basic cellular processes produce complex behaviours such as language, music and social interaction, drawing on fields from anatomy and molecular biology to psychology and computer science. Students apply from high school to Medical Sciences (ESM) or Science (ES), take first-year biology and psychology, and then apply at the end of Year 1 for the limited-enrolment Honours Specialization in Neuroscience. The program includes a fourth-year research project, and Science Co-op is available.
University
Western University
Country
Canada
Level
Bachelor
Field
Neuroscience
Duration
4 years (Honours; Neuroscience module entered in Year 2)
Language
English
Campus
London, Ontario (Main Campus)
Degree
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Honours Specialization in Neuroscience
Intake
September
Application Deadline
January 15, 2027 (OUAC application deadline for equal consideration); English test results by mid-April 2027
Tuition Information
International: CAD 47,493 tuition in year 1 (50,492.46 single-payment total with ancillary fees and health plans) under Western's 2026-27 Science/Social Science/Bio-Medical Sciences rate. International tuition rises no more than 4% per year after year 1. Canadian students (2026-27): Ontario residents CAD 6,171 tuition (8,222.46 total), out-of-province CAD 7,719 tuition (9,770.46 total). The 2026-27 schedules are marked draft and Fall 2027 rates are not yet published.
Admission Requirements
- Apply on the OUAC using Western code ESM or ES
- Ontario: OSSD with at least six Grade 12 U/M courses (excluding co-op), including ENG4U; each required course needs at least 70%
- Ontario required courses: ENG4U, SBI4U, MCV4U and SCH4U (SPH4U recommended) for Medical Sciences (ESM); ENG4U, MCV4U and two of MHF4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, ICS4U, SES4U, MDM4U or SPH4U for Science (ES)
- IB: full IB Diploma with at least 27 points (including TOK and Extended Essay), six subjects with three at HL, and no mark below 4. Program IB requirements: Biology, Chemistry and Math (any), HL or SL (Physics recommended) for Medical Sciences; Math (any) and one Science, HL or SL for Science (Biology and Chemistry are needed for the first-year courses Neuroscience requires)
- Applicants from other curricula (A Levels, AP, US high school and national curricula by country) are assessed against Western's curriculum- and country-specific requirements
- Not direct entry: apply to Medical Sciences (ESM) or Science (ES) and apply to the Honours Specialization in Neuroscience at the end of Year 1; it is highly competitive with about 30-35 places, and Western first-year students have priority
- Admission average guideline: mid to high 80s (Medical Sciences, ESM) or low to mid 80s (Science, ES) (Averages reflect Ontario high school students. Reaching the guideline does not guarantee admission)
- English language proficiency is required if English is not your first language (tests written from January 1, 2025 and before March 2027): IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 in each section), TOEFL iBT 83 (20 in each section) for tests before January 21, 2026 or 4.5 overall (4.0 in reading, speaking and writing; 4.5 in listening) for tests on or after that date, PTE Academic 58 (56 in each section), Cambridge C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency 176 (169 in each section) or Duolingo 115 (100 in each subscore). A waiver may be possible, for example after four full-time years of secondary school in English