International Students

PhD & MSc in Molecular Genetics

In addition to the general Admission Requirements, international applicants must have secured a sponsoring faculty member before submitting their online application.

Applicants whose most recent degree (Bachelor or Master's) is from the University of Toronto (in any program) are exempt from this requirement.

All applicants requiring sponsorship must ask a faculty member from the Department of Molecular Genetics to complete the international student sponsorship form (pdf). The sponsoring faculty member must email this form to the graduate administrator by the deadline for a given cycle when the student applies. Applicants are responsible for following up with their sponsor to ensure that the form is submitted on time; the form is a required component of the application package to be reviewed, and applications will not be reviewed if the form is missing. Please note that sponsorship does not guarantee admission.

Sponsorship does not mean that you are automatically expected to join the laboratory of the sponsor, if admitted. International students are still expected to complete rotations. However, due to elevated international MSc tuition, the sponsor of an MSc applicant also agrees to supervise and pay the stipend of a student if they are admitted but no lab is willing to take them at the end of rotations. Because of this, the bar for sponsorship for MSc applicants is very high. It is therefore strongly recommended that international applicants consider applying for the direct-entry PhD program instead. Sponsorship of PhD applicants does not imply a guaranteed spot. Unsuccessful international applicants to the PhD program will not be reviewed for admission to the MSc program.

International Degree Equivalencies

The Department of Molecular Genetics will determine international degree equivalencies for all degrees completed outside Canada upon receipt of applications.  To determine how your degree compares to a Canadian degree, you may want to use the School of Graduate Studies' International Equivalencies Tool. Note that the Department of Molecular Genetics' admission requirements is higher than the minimum requirements set out by the School of Graduate Studies.

Language Requirement

As English is the primary language of instruction and communication at the University of Toronto, applicants must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English, regardless of their citizenship status or country of origin. It is important that these students follow SGS policies on ELP testing requirements and take one of the required tests for admission to a graduate program.

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 tests accepted for the English Proficiency requirement on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Test scores are reported electronically to the university at your request. Use the institutional code 0982-00.

Please see below for some tests you can complete:

TOEFL (U of T Institutional code: 0982-00)

• Paper-Based Test & TWE: Overall Score 580, TWE 5

• Internet-Based Test IBT: Overall Score 93, Writing/Speaking 22

IELTS: (Academic)

• 7.0 (with at least 6.5 for each component)

MELAB: 85

COPE: 76 (with at least 22 in each component and 32 in the writing component)

Academic Preparation Course: Final grade of B in Level 60

Financial Matters

Admitted students to our program receive a stipend for the extent of their program length. While the funding offered to our students is very competitive, we recognize that international students may have additional expenses. To help you with your financial planning, we encourage you to view the cost of living breakdown on the University of Toronto Housing website.

Resources

The School of Graduate Studies and the Centre for International Experience provide extensive resources for international students. Visit their websites for details.

To our current international students, click to see the details of our joint PhD program.