Overview of Application Process
  1. Potential applicants are advised to contact the specific unit for information specific to their program.  This could include, but is not limited to, application information, unit deadlines, document requirements and space availability in the program.
  2. Upon receiving the unit specific information, applicants will send their applications and all supporting materials directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) for processing.  Upon receipt of the application package, FGS will process the application and fee on Aurora, scan in the application materials, send the applicant an acknowledgement letter (which will indicate if there are any missing materials) and inform the unit that there is an application awaiting their review on the admissions disk.  All files will be scanned in PDF format.
  3. Upon notification of the electronic application package, the department then determines whether they may or may not be able to accommodate the applicant. 
  4. At this point, if the Department can not accommodate the applicant (for example, there is no funding or supervisor available), the Department may choose to inform the student that there are not sufficient resources to consider their application and must print out the ‘Application for Admission’ form only, sign and indicate “Rejection” on Part B of the  form and forward it to FGS. If a department chooses to send a letter to the student indicating that they can not accept them at this time, a copy of the letter must be included with the materials returned to the FGS (this prevents duplicate letters from being sent to the applicant).  If a letter has been issued by the Department, and FGS notified, FGS will not issue a formal letter.
  5. At this point, if the Department determines that they may be interested and can accommodate the applicant, the following procedures should be set into motion:
    • The Department should check to see that they are in receipt of all required documentation and that the applicant meets the minimum requirements for admission into the FGS. A list of all documents required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies can be found on the ‘Application for Admission’ form.   In addition, the original acknowledgment email from FGS to the applicant will indicate whether the application is complete or not.  If an application does not contain all the necessary documentation the Department has two options. First, the Department can make a recommendation with the documents that are available, print out the ‘Application for Admission’ form, complete Part B and forward it to the FGS, where the applicant will be contacted to complete their application. Second, the Department can contact the applicant directly to remind them of the required documentation and send it recommended to the Faculty of Graduate Studies upon completion. If the Department has any further questions regarding documentation requirements, they should contact the appropriate Student Admissions Assistant at FGS. 
    • Once an application is considered complete, the Department should conduct a preliminary assessment of the application. This includes determining whether or not the applicant scored higher than a 3.0 (B) or equivalent in the last two years of study. For further instructions on preliminary assessments, please see Tips for Calculating International G.P.A.’s below and refer to the Criteria for International Applications web page. At this point, confirmation of whether a university is a recognized institution may not be necessary, however, if an institute seems suspect please contact the appropriate Student Admissions Assistant at FGS if you have any questions.
  6. After the preliminary assessment is completed, the Department will print out the ‘Application for Admission’ form, sign and check the appropriate recommendation (to admit or reject) on Part B of the form and forward it to FGS for final processing. If an application is recommended for admission, it must be forwarded to the FGS prior to the deadlines indicated in the Academic Guide. Please note: if a student does not submit all required documentation but the Department is ready to make a final recommendation for admission, a recommendation can be sent to FGS who will then proceed to gather the remaining missing documents. However, please be warned that this may take some time and in some cases admission may be delayed. Please also note that if recommending an applicant for a Ph.D. program, the Department must also complete a Ph.D. Selection Committee Report form and forward this along with the ‘Application for Admission form.
    NOTE:
    FGS will process and scan all applications as they are received and will not be pre-screening applications to ensure that they meet the minimum Faculty requirements.  However, applications will not be loaded onto the admissions disk until both an ‘Application for Admission’ form and acceptable fee have been received.  If no fee is received with the application, FGS will contact the applicants requesting the fee and the application will be entered and scanned upon its receipt.