Queen's Commerce (Smith)
Queen's University
QComm’s competitive application process involves written and video components, including timed responses.
Queen's Commerce and the Smith School
Queen's Commerce, delivered through the Smith School of Business, is one of Canada's most sought-after undergraduate business programs — known for its close-knit cohort, team-based learning, and an admissions process that weighs who you are alongside your grades.
Current status for Fall 2027 entry
Queen's has not yet published the finalized Commerce supplementary-application format for Fall 2027 entry. For Fall 2026 entry, applicants completed a timed written response followed by a timed video response. The previous format is summarized below as a reference and will be updated once Queen's publishes the 2026–27 requirements.
Check Queen's Commerce's official site for the current supplementary-application requirements.
Fall 2026 Supplementary Application Format
For Fall 2026 entry, applicants completed:
- a 10-minute written response of approximately 285–335 words; and
- a video response with two minutes of preparation and two minutes to answer.
The application was fully timed on Kira, with no redos or second attempts for either component.
Typical student profile and what makes a strong application
As with every business school, there's no single profile of activities that makes a student stand out. Sports, arts, music, hobbies, volunteering, community work, entrepreneurship, coaching — all sorts of extracurriculars can make for a strong application. What matters more is how you recognize and present your own learning and your moments of initiative.
Application components
OUAC application: marks & transcripts
Supplementary written response
Kira video response
Changes for Fall 2027 Entry (vs. Fall 2026)
- Queen's has not yet finalized or published the supplementary-application format for Fall 2027 entry as of October 13th, 2026. We will update this page once the new requirements are released.
How we coach for it
Because the Queen's application is so short, it's critical to cater every response to the published rubric and to Queen's Commerce's values. We teach students strategies that capture both their uniqueness and their alignment with Queen's — in very limited time and words.
- Decode each supplementary or application prompt and what it's really assessing.
- Build a profile and narrative that's competitive across multiple programs at once.
- Practise written and video components with structured, honest feedback.
- Keep every word authentically yours — we teach the how, you do the writing.
Frequently asked
For Fall 2026 entry, it was fully timed on Kira: 10 minutes to write a response between 285 and 335 words, and immediately after submitting, a video question was read aloud — 2 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to answer. Queen's has not yet published the Fall 2027 format.
For Fall 2026 entry, no — Queen's gave one attempt at each component, with no redos, which is part of why timed practice matters so much before test day. We'll confirm whether this holds for Fall 2027 once Queen's publishes the new format.
There's no single profile. Sports, arts, music, hobbies, volunteering, community work, entrepreneurship, and coaching can all make for a strong application — what matters is how clearly you can show your own learning and initiative.
For Fall 2026 entry, it was typed directly on the Kira platform within the 10-minute window, with no pre-written answers allowed — the timing was designed to test how you think and write under pressure. We expect a similar approach for Fall 2027, but will confirm once Queen's publishes the new format.
For Fall 2026 entry, the video interview question was read aloud immediately, with no break — so applicants moved from writing straight into on-camera prep with 2 minutes to plan and 2 minutes to answer.
Your program lead
Evelyn Zheng
Lead Coach | Head of Canadian Admissions · HBA '22, Ivey Business School · Western University
Selective business programs reward clarity, not noise. With Queen's Commerce (Smith), my job is to help you find the one or two things you genuinely care about and build an honest, competitive story around them.Read Evelyn's biography
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