We offer Indigenous candidates an additional and alternative pathway for admission to the first year of a full-time, first-entry undergraduate degree program, known as the Indigenous Admission Pathway.
Students with Indigenous ancestry applying to or attending Queen’s University have the option to self-identify. Reasons a student may wish to identify include:
• Standing proud! Strengthen the Indigenous presence at Queen’s!
• Learn more about their culture and/or connect with the growing Indigenous community at Queen’s
• Engage with and become a part of the Indigenous community at Queen’s
Indigenous candidates apply through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC) and self-identify as having Indigenous ancestry. Candidates must meet the general admission requirements for each program and deadlines for undergraduate admission and submit any supplementary information required to complete the application (details (including due dates) on each applicant's SOLUS Student Centre).
Learn more about the self-identification steps!
Admission to Queen’s University will depend on the assessment of the student’s program prerequisites (or equivalencies) and the assessment of any required supplementary information. The number of students admitted each year under this policy will be determined in the annual enrolment plan upon consultation with the faculties and schools.
Jay Treaty
Queen's promises to waive the international student tuition differential for students who are verified members of Indigenous nations in the United States of America. This commitment is part of the university’s recognition of the spirit of the Jay Treaty of 1794.
Learn more about Queen's Global Engagement Strategy
Identity Verification
Students wishing to access financial awards, programs, and admission under Indigenous student-specific pathways (e.g. the Indigenous Admissions Pathway program), are required to submit documentation demonstrating their connection to a recognized Indigenous community as listed under Queen’s University’s Indigenous Identity Verification policies. The Indigenous Students Verification Policy was approved by the Queen’s University Senate on September 11, 2021.
Under this policy, Indigenous student will be required to submit documents that fall within one of the two options listed below:
If an applicant does not possess proof of the documentation listed above, he/she/they must submit a statement about their existing lived experiences and ongoing relationship to a legally recognized and rights bearing1 Indigenous community, Nation, or People. This includes specific information about the First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community such as their treaty, scrip, land claim, and territory or region.
The applicant will also be required to provide a letter of verification issued by a recognized First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community claimed by the applicant.
1"Rights bearing" means that the Indigenous nation/collective has section 35 rights, which means Aboriginal or Treaty rights in their territory.
The applicant must provide one of the following documents as a requirement of their application:
•“Certificate of Indian Status” issued by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada that is current and not expired;
•Certified copy of a Métis Nation Citizenship card from one of the four provincial affiliates (Métis Nation of Ontario including "complete citizenship" confirmation letter from the MNO Registrar, Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation British Columbia) of the Métis National Council; or a valid membership card from one of the Metis Settlements of Alberta, the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, or the Manitoba Métis Federation;
•Certified copy of a Nunavut Trust Certificate card or Inuit Enrollment card associated with one of the Land Claim Agreements in the claim regions of Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and Inuvialuit;
•Citizenship identification issued by a First Nation that has a modern Treaty and/or self-government agreement;
•Membership card or other documentation indicating that the person is a Non-Status First Nation person who is a member of an Indigenous organization negotiating a treaty or other agreement with the federal and/or provincial governments; and
•American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian citizenship document from tribes that are state or federally recognized or recognized by the National Congress of American Indians.
Download our Indigenous Student Guidebook
Download PDF (5.4MB)Financial Aid
Queen’s offers merit- and need-based financial awards to entering students who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis when applying to Queen’s via the OUAC, as part of the 2 step Indigenous verification process as per Queen's University Policy. Please review the accepted forms of ID page.
To be eligible for a need-based Indigenous Admission Award, students must self-identify on the Admission Bursary Application by February 15. See Student Awards for more information.
Application Support
Our Indigenous Community Outreach Coordinator will be your primary contact throughout the application and admission process. Contact fd.recruiter@queensu.ca.
If you have any additional questions, please connect with Taylor Day, Four Directions Community Outreach coordinator.
Email: t.day@queensu.ca or Call: 613-533-6970
Indigenous Futures in Engineering at Queen's University
Indigenous Futures in Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science supports tomorrow’s engineers with specialized student services.
Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP)
Queen’s participates in the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program (APSIP) every fall. Find out when the collective will be in your community, and say hi!