application

Applicant Portal Instructions and Requirements

We have only one admissions round annually for September entry.

• Application open: October 14, 2024
• Application deadline: December 10, 2024

Your application and supporting documents are submitted electronically through:

School of Graduate Studies Online Admissions Application

There is a required application fee of $125 (CAD).

We are currently offering fee waivers to applicants self-identifying as being in one of the following two categories:

1. Indigenous applicants from Canada and the United States
2. Black domestic* applicants
   *Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).

Applicants are asked to apply for the fee waiver by sending a brief email to astro.grad@utoronto.ca, and the waiver will be granted as long as sufficient funds remain to support the waivers. Please note that we are only able to offer a fee waiver as a one-time exception. (Requests for a future admissions cycle will not be granted if you have received a prior waiver.)

Admissions Criteria

Please refer to our graduate admissions criteria document for details on the evaluation process.

Applicant Portal Instructions

Note that you are only able to upload the research statement at the latter stage of the submission process after you finalize the “Review” section. It will then appear on your “Application Checklist” as an item for upload.

If you are a first-time applicant, click the link to “Create an Account” to begin your application. You will receive a verification code via email as part of the account creation process. After entering your verification code, you will create a password for your account.

You may save and return to the application at any point in the process up until you finalize the “Review” section. You will not be able to edit the form fields that you have populated after this point. You will, however, still be able to upload application materials including CV, transcripts and research statement.

Equity and Diversity questions: Your answers to the equity and diversity questions included in the online application are not accessible to the department or admissions committee. If you would like to identify yourself to the admissions committee as a member of an equity-seeking group, please briefly do so in your research statement.  This information is collected to allow the admissions committee to conduct a more equitable admissions process as well as to nominate applicants for applicable equity-based awards that the university may offer.

Once you finalize the “Review” section, you will then proceed to an “Application Checklist” of outstanding items for upload. The list should include “Awaiting: Research Proposal/Research Statement” and any other missing documents (e.g. if you hadn’t uploaded a CV yet).

Note that the system has listed the research proposal and research statement as one category, but we are specifically asking for a research statement. (Other programs may refer to this as a statement of purpose or letter of intent.)

To view the status of your application, including outstanding requirements, please log in to your account to view your applicant status portal.

Payment of your application fee must be received by the School of Graduate Studies before we will consider your application.  This fee cannot be waived.

Application materials will not be accepted beyond the deadline.

Requirements

Grade Point Average (GPA)

PhD U (Direct Entry): an average of A- in the final two years of coursework (upper level coursework).
PhD: an average of at least B+ assessed at the University of Toronto equivalent or demonstrated comparable research competence.

Please refer to the International Degree Equivalencies Tool to calculate the University of Toronto equivalent GPA.

Letters of Reference

You will be required to enter information for 3 referees from instructors or research supervisors who are able to speak to your ability and your potential to engage in doctoral level research. It is recommended that you confirm your referees’ availability to provide a reference prior to submitting their contact details. Letters of reference are confidential and applicants will not have access to them.

Once you have submitted the referees contact details, they will automatically receive a notification email that they have been requested to complete a reference for your application along with a submission link. Please enter your referee info as soon as practicable in the application process in order that they receive the request well in advance of the admissions deadline.

Note that you are required to use institutional email addresses for your referee contact. Please contact the Graduate Office if the institution utilizes Gmail or the like as the official email address, or if you need to correct, update or change referee information.

Please follow up with your referees to make sure that they have received the request. They should check their spam mail folders for the reference request if they have not received it. You are able to resend an applicant reference request to a referee after you have submitted the application.

Transcript(s)

Electronic or scanned transcripts from each post-secondary institution that you have attended.  Transcripts must be up to date and contain the transcript legend, key, or evaluation scale. This is the information provided on the transcript on how to interpret grading systems, symbols, terminology, etc. (usually printed on the back of a paper transcript). An official English translation must accompany all documentation not written in English or French.

The online system also requires that each transcript, inclusive of legend, be uploaded as a single PDF file, use your browser’s “print to pdf” function (and not a screenshot). Please be sure that each transcript file is complete and readable before submitting.  Include a copy of the grading scale with the PDF-printed transcript (this information can usually be found on your registrar’s website).

Note that while electronic materials suffice for the admissions review process, you will be required to submit official transcripts if you receive an admissions offer. The offer will be conditional on verification of these official transcripts.

Research Statement

Please upload as a PDF file.

The statement should include any special areas of interest in astronomy, why you want to pursue doctoral research, and your skills or qualifications. Describe any related research projects and your particular contributions. Outline your specific research plans and goals (two pages maximum).

If you want to be considered for the Dunlap Graduate Fellowship in Instrumentation, please indicate this in your research statement

Publication List/Research Contributions or Curriculum Vitae

Please upload as a PDF file.

If applicable, you should provide a list of publications and research contributions (e.g. scholarly publication, conference presentations, and other evidence of scholarly activities; please differentiate between refereed and non-refereed publications) on a curriculum vitae.

Graduate Record Examination

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not accepted.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

Applicants educated outside of Canada should ensure that they have met the English language proficiency requirement. For full details, please refer to the English language proficiency section.

If you have graduated (or will) from a university/college where the language of instruction and assessment is in English, you are exempt from English language tests. Usually, we can verify this from your transcript. If not, we will only request a letter of proof if you are admitted.