Students facing competitive admissions rates to access university STEM programs

Getting into a STEM post-secondary program has become more competitive than ever, as one Calgary high school student with high grades found out the hard way.

STEM Innovation Academy Grade 12 student Asiya Iskander, who has a 93 per cent average, has been wait-listed to get into biological sciences at the University of Calgary.

“It was definitely heartbreaking just because I did think that my portfolio was competitive enough,” said Iskander.

Iskander is hoping to pursue cardiothoracic surgery, and she has also applied to get into biomedical sciences, which she is waiting to hear back on.

The uphill admission rates battle she faces is a tough reality for students looking to get into many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs offered in the province.

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“It has always been competitive, but the level of competition has changed dramatically,” said STEM Innovation Academy assistant principal Jeff Crane.

“When competition gets in the way of good kids getting access to programs, that’s when there is issue.”

Crane says, over the last five to 10 years, entrance admissions for STEM programs in the province has dramatically increased.

The University of Calgary’s estimated competitive average for biological sciences is in the low 90s.

U of C points to population growth among university-aged students as part of the reason for the increased demand.

For fall 2025, applications increased by nine per cent compared to the previous year.

The school has expanded enrollment in six high-demand faculties, including engineering and science since 2022 with enrollment increased by 12.5 per cent for 2025 compared to 2021.

“Demand continues to outpace available capacity impacting admission rates,” the school said in a statement.

At the University of Alberta, admission-average ranges reflected over the past three admission cycles has engineering in the mid- to high-80s while certain science programs requiring low 90s.

“Over the past decade, undergraduate STEM admission rates have remained stable, moving from 53 per cent in 2016 to 50 per cent in fall 2025. During the same period, first-year STEM capacity grew by more than 15 per cent, driven primarily by increases in domestic enrolment. At the same time, applications to STEM programs rose by nearly 52 per cent, reflecting strong and growing domestic interest,” U of A said in a statement.

Wayne Bobrosky, co-founder of Upperhand High School & Post-Secondary Counselling, says he deals with many students under a lot of stress to maintain averages in the low 90s.

“It’s not easy to get 90s in this academic course,” said Bobrosky. “Over the past six years, we’re seeing a lot more of a competitive space for post-secondary students.

“The academic averages since COVID have been exceedingly high and they’ve remained quite high.”

STEM Innovation Academy is calling on the province to increase funding for STEM programs in a effort to offer more seats.

“We’re hoping that in this upcoming provincial budget, there’ll be a substantial investment in new spaces for post-secondary for September 2026,” said the academy’s founder Lisa Davis.

“We have this amazing group of students who have big dreams about what their future hold and they’re concerned that they’re not going to be able to get in the programs they need to.”

In response, Myles McDougall, Alberta’s minister of advanced education, said “through targeted enrolment expansion in Budget 2025, Alberta’s government is investing more than $97 million to expand high-demand STEM programs, adding 624 seats in computer and software engineering, 609 seats in engineering, and 2,874 seats in technology programs across the province.”

According to the province for the 2024-25 academic school year, there were approximately 65,000 students enrolled in STEM programs (about 25,000 women and 40,000 men).