FAQs

Anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and will be studying in Canada with a study authorization is considered an international student. 

MSc. Applicants: No, International MSc. applicants must have a confirmed supervisor from within the Department of Molecular Genetics before submitting an online application. A faculty sponsor must also fill out the sponsorship form found here.

Ph.D. Applicants: Yes you may apply without submitting a confirmed supervisor.

You may scan and upload transcripts that have been issued to you as long as they include a transcript legend. If you are admitted to the program you are applying for, you will be asked to submit an official transcript. Transcripts are considered official if they are received by this Department directly from the issuing institution, in an envelope sealed by the issuing institution.

YES, you must scan and upload transcripts for all the post-secondary institutions you have attended. Applicants who attended universities outside North America must provide notarized English translations to accompany all foreign documentation not written in English.

Application and document submission is done completely online. You can check your online application regularly to ensure that your referees have submitted their references.

No, your transcripts must be received by us by the application deadline in order for the admissions committee to review your application. If the committee feels that they need to look at your final marks prior to making a decision, you will be contacted.

Referees will receive an e-mail requesting the completion of a reference report for you. The e-mail will include a link to an e-form that they will submit electronically.

• All applications are reviewed electronically; therefore hard copies of reference letters cannot be accepted.

• An institutional email address is required for each of your referees. If you are submitting two references, it is imperative that both referees' institutional email addresses are provided. Should you choose to include three references, the department is open to considering one non-institutional email address. However, if you opt for a reference with a non-institutional email address, we kindly request that you reach out to us at mgy.info@utoronto.ca, providing the referee's name, title, institution, phone number, relationship to you, and a non-institutional email address.

If your referees have tried to submit their references online but your records show that the references have not been received, the documents were not uploaded properly. Ask your referees to resubmit the references. You can send a reminder via your online application.

Students who have already completed a research-based MSc or are in the MD/PhD program may choose either to do rotations or directly enter a lab (with the prospective supervisor's permission). An email from both the applicant and the prospective supervisor stating that both are willing to forgo the rotation process should be emailed to the Department before the application deadline.

Most applicants who meet the Early Bird (November) or First Round (January) of admission deadline can expect to receive feedback on their application within 2 months of the deadline. Anyone applying after these deadlines will receive feedback on their application after the Final deadline (May) date. All admission decisions are communicated via the online application portal. If the department requires any additional information for your application, we will reach out to you via email. 

Reminder: International applicants will only be considered for the November and January deadline.

Applicants do not need to submit an official transcript during the application process. However, if admitted, an official transcript will be required, sent directly from the issuing institution to mgy.info@utoronto.ca.

Transcripts are considered official if they are received by this Department directly from the issuing institution.

The application process has two submission steps. In the first step, applicants provide personal information, references, transcripts, and a CV. In the second step, they submit the Letter of Intent, complete the Application Checklist, and pay the application fee.

Applicants from universities outside Canada where English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application. Please see the list of tests accepted for the English Proficiency requirement on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Applicants are advised to apply to the direct-entry PhD program. Only applicants who have completed a Master’s degree with a curriculum equivalent to ours are eligible for the regular PhD program, as students admitted to the regular PhD program are exempted from the first two years of course requirements. During the review process, applications will be reviewed to determine the most appropriate PhD program for admission.