Frequently Asked Questions

All international applicants should apply by the international application deadline even if they are currently in Canada.

If your transcripts are from a Canadian institution and are still in the sealed/signed envelope, they will be accepted by IMS as part of your application. Transcripts from overseas (outside Canada) must be sent directly to IMS from the institution.

Yes – an English copy of your transcript must be provided with the original copy in its native language.

The IMS has rolling admissions.

The earliest offers of admission are available in mid-March for September registration and mid-October for January registration. Earlier applications would receive a result sooner.

Your Letter of Intent is an opportunity to highlight your:

• Academic and Career goals
• Past and current research experience
• List any potential supervisors you have been in contact with
• Current research interests
• Other pertinent information (extenuating circumstances for poor grades or gaps in your academic record, etc)
• PhD and PhD Direct Entry applicants should also include a Research Proposal as part of their Letter of Intent

Referees will be instructed on how to submit their references directly to IMS online.

References must be faculty members at a recognized university/college and must know you well enough to be familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.

At least one referee should be able to attest to your research ability.

Ineligible references include:

• Sessional Lecturer
• Adjunct Professor
• Post-doc Fellow
• Teaching Assistant
• Research Assistant/Associate
• Manager

If you have not completed your current degree at the time you apply to IMS, applicants should still request transcripts from your university showing the work you have completed to date. Please indicate the date when the final result will be available.

If you are issued an admissions offer based upon your course work to date, all degree requirements must be completed prior to registration and a final transcript must be received from the issuing academic institution to the IMS Office indicating the date of conferral of your degree.

Transcripts must come directly from the issuing academic institution to the IMS Office.

Transcripts can be sent electronically to adm.medscience@utoronto.ca

Transcripts can also be mailed to the IMS Office to:

Institute of Medical Science
Temerty Faculty of Medicine
1 King's College Circle, Medical Sciences Building, Room 2374
Toronto, ON. M5S 1A8

Domestic Master's applicants are not required to have supervisor in place for their application to be considered.

This red x will be waived by the IMS Office and your application will be considered.

If you have secured a supervisor already, the IMS Office highly recommends you upload a Supervisory Letter to your online application.

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.

Please note tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application.

Minimum Score Requirements can be found on the SGS website.

For test scores to be considered official, test results must be sent from the testing centre directly to the University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies.

No, students are responsible for finding their own supervisor.

• Domestic Master's applicants are not required to have a supervisor in place at the time of application. However, we strongly suggest they contact prospective supervisors early in the application process
  • Applicants should list potential supervisors they have been in contact with in their Letter of Intent
• PhD and PhD Direct entry applicants must have a supervisor in place. They also must upload a Supervisory Letter indicating acceptance of supervision and funding commitment
• All International applicants must a supervisor in place. They also must upload a Supervisory Letter indicating acceptance of supervision and funding commitment

No, having a supervisor does not guarantee acceptance, but it may help with the Admission Committee's evaluation of your application package.

Visit our Faculty Directory for a listing of all IMS faculty and try searching by research area. Consult the list of faculty actively recruiting for September 2023.

Letters of supervisor must come from your proposed supervisor. The letter should contain confirmation that the IMS faculty member is willing and able to supervise and fund you from the length of the degree (Master's 2 years, PhD 5 years, and PhD Direct Entry 6 years). It should also include the funding sources.

Any additional information the faculty member may wish to include.

The university mandates that all doctoral-stream graduate students receive full funding. Please review the Fees & Funding for more information.

Supervisors must adhere to the Funding Policy which states that they must be able to guarantee your funding. You cannot work with a supervisor who is not able to provide the minimum stipend.

It depends on the source of funding. Awards and research stipends (payments from your supervisor’s operating grants) are paid through different processes. You should discuss stipend payment with your supervisor.

There is a limited number of Entrance Awards.  Applicants who maintained an annual GPA of  A- throughout their degree program(s) might be eligible to receive this award.

No, the Entrance Award cannot be used towards a student stipend.

It is good to begin applying for awards prior to your acceptance into the program if possible.

No. Students at the University of Toronto in a fully-funded graduate program are not permitted to self-fund.

All IMS graduate programs (MSc, PhD, PhD Direct Entry) are considered to be fully-funded graduate programs.

There are no specific course prerequisites for entrance to the IMS. A strong background in biological sciences is acceptable. Applicants with majors in other disciplines are also encouraged to apply if they are interested in research in the biological sciences.

Although research experience is not mandatory, it will be taken into account, especially if marks are low and the applicant is more than 5 years out of an undergraduate program.

No, publications are not a criterion for acceptance for a MSc application.

Published work may help with the Admission Committee's evaluation of your application package.

Applicants who have published, or who have publications pending are strongly encouraged to include a list of publications in the C.V they upload to their application.

Applicants holding medical degrees (MD or MBBS) from an overseas institution may or may not be eligible for our PhD program. The Admissions Committee will decide which program you are best suited for, after review of your application

No. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered by the Admissions Committee for that admissions cycle.

It depends. The IMS has rolling admissions. The IMS Admissions Committee meets once per month from October to July to review completed applications received through the online application portal. 

Only completed applications will be sent to the IMS Admissions Committee for review.

After your application has been reviewed by the IMS Admissions Committee, you will be notified via email and through the online application portal.