How to Apply

Statement for International Applicants:
Our outstanding graduate program provides full funding and many of our graduates go on to have remarkable careers. We generally receive a large number of international applications with only a few spots available in our program. As a result, our admission rate for international students is below 5%.

Dunlap Graduate Fellowship in Instrumentation
Funded by the Dunlap Institute, this fellowship supports students who intend to develop astronomical instrumentation for cutting-edge science as a major part of their PhD thesis. Multiple faculty in both the Institute and the Department work on world-class instrumentation projects that range from the ultraviolet to radio wavelengths. The fellowship will fund students who are supervised by these faculty and engage in the development of these exciting instrumentation projects. Students who wish to be specifically considered for this fellowship are asked to indicate so in their research statement.

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September 2025 Admissions

We have only one admissions round annually for September entry. The admissions application for September 2025 entry will open October 14, 2024. The deadline for both domestic and international applicants is December 10, 2024.

Note that the emphasis of our graduate programs is doctoral level research. The default point of entry for an applicant with a qualifying bachelor’s degree is the direct-entry PhD degree program.

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.)

Degree Programs

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics offers dynamic and competitive doctoral programs which emphasize research. Students in our direct-entry PhD are immediately engaged in research in the first year of the program through two consecutive research projects, each under the supervision of a different faculty member.

The department is actively engaged in a wide range of observational and theoretical research. Close ties with the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Centre for Planetary Sciences (CPS) further enhance the opportunities to interact with leading researchers and provide great flexibility to students with a broad array of interests giving them the option to work with a supervisor from one of these sibling units.

We provide two doctoral degree tracks:

PhD-U (Direct Entry): for applicants with a qualifying bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. This track is structured as a five year program which in its first year combines coursework with intensive research.

Since many universities do not offer extensive undergraduate training in astronomy and astrophysics, a substantive background in physics that includes a significant number of advanced courses (preferably including electromagnetism and quantum mechanics) along with a solid mathematical foundation may be considered acceptable preparation.

PhD: for applicants with an MSc degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics or an MSc degree in another appropriate discipline deemed equivalent may be considered for admissions to the PhD program. This track is a four-year program focused on a doctoral thesis project. Please note that it is up to the Admissions Committee to determine whether the applicant’s MSc degree is sufficient for entry to the PhD program; alternately the applicant may be considered for admissions to the PhD U (direct entry) track.

Admissions Criteria

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