International Applicants

Academic Requirements
Application Procedures and Materials
Graduate Record Examination
English Facility Requirement

If you are a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident, please refer to Domestic Applicants.

Deadlines for admission in September 2010 and January 2011

Early Deadline: February 1, 2010
Final Deadline: March 31, 2010

The Department begins accepting applications on October 15, 2009. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. It is strongly recommended that you apply well before the deadline. The Department's graduate program has limited space for International students.

Academic Requirements

For entry to the Master's and Doctoral programs, applicants must have completed a four-year (Honours) Bachelor's degree or equivalent. For International Degree Equivalencies, please visit the School of Graduate Studies database.

Please note that applicants should meet the following minimum Grade Point Average requirements:

The competition amongst International applicants is high because there is limited space for them in the Department of Chemistry. Meeting the minimum GPA requirements does not guarantee admission.

Application Procedures and Materials

International applicants may apply through the School of Graduate Studies online system but will be required to pay the application fee. Please refer to the Domestic Application Materials webpage for detailed instructions.

International applicants who do not wish to pay an application fee can mail a Preliminary Application Package. If after assessing the Preliminary Application Package, the Graduate Studies Committee wishes to offer admission, the candidate will be instructed to apply through the SGS online system and will be required to pay the application fee. The applicant must notify the Chemistry Graduate Office (gradasst@chem.utoronto.ca) once the application is complete (ie. all documents have been received including payment). It will not be necessary to re-send the other materials such as transcripts and letters of recommendation, until further instructions. Applicants will be able to check the SGS online system for status updates.

A Preliminary Application Package should include:

Preliminary Application Form

Curriculum Vitae/Resume

Statement of Intent

• A statement of intent is a one-page free form letter which should include field(s) of research interest, reasons for pursuing graduate studies in chemistry, career and academic goals and if known, indicate specific faculty members whose research interests you.

• Referees are professors or scientists familiar with your academic and/or research background. They must be able to provide assessment on your suitability for graduate studies and research.
• At least one letter of recommendation from your most recent thesis advisor, if applicable.
• Your referees are required to complete the Reference Form and may add a free-form letter. Reference forms and letters may be mailed by the applicant to the Graduate Office, but the reference must be placed in a sealed envelope by the referee.

Official transcripts from ALL post-secondary studies
Transcripts can be submitted in one of two ways:

1. Arrange to have an official transcript (issued directly to University of Toronto) mailed to the Chemistry Graduate Office. Documents must be sealed in a signed envelope by the issuing institution.
2. Arrange to have an official transcript issued to student, then submit the transcript directly (unopened and in the originally sealed envelope) to Chemistry Graduate Office.
   • Documents must be sealed in a signed envelope by the issuing institution. Previously opened envelopes, photocopied and faxed documents are not considered originals. All non-English language documents must be officially translated into English and submitted to the University of Toronto together with the originals. If, because of circumstances beyond your control, you are unable to submit official documents, please contact Denise Ing (gradasst@chem.utoronto.ca) at the Chemistry Graduate Office.
   • Applicants who will complete their degree at University of Toronto can submit ROSI printouts of their transcripts.

Applicants who earned their degree(s) outside of North America must provide an official GRE score report, sent directly to the Department by the Educational Testing Service, at the time of application. The General test is mandatory. The Chemistry Subject test is optional, but recommended. Visit www.ets.org/gre/ for more information. The Institution and Department codes are 0982 and 0301, respectively.

Although the Department has not instituted a minimum score requirement with respect to the GRE, the scores will be used to evaluate an applicant relative to other applicants applying for admission. However, applicants should expect to provide scores in the component parts of the test as follows:

English Facility Requirement
Proof of English facility is required for applicants whose first language is not English and graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English.

Applicants whose primary language is not English who completed a program of study at a university where the language of instruction and examination is English will not be required to complete an English-language facility test. At the time of application, applicants must provide an official letter of certification from the institution that the language of instruction and examination is English.  However, an applicant may be asked to provide an English-facility test if the Department deems that the applicant's English skills are not adequate for entry to the program.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is one of the methods acceptable to School of Graduate Studies in demonstrating one's facility in English. The Institution and Department codes are 0982 and 0301, respectively.

Applicants may also submit scores from IELTS, MELAB, or COPE to satisfy English facility requirements. Score requirements for each test are as follows:

You are also welcome to submit any other information that may assist our Graduate Studies Committee in assessing your qualifications.

Please consult the SGS Guide and SGS website for additional information.

It is your responsibility to submit transcripts PRIOR to the document deadline. Remember your application is not considered complete until all components have been received.

All documents must be submitted to:

Chemistry Graduate Office
University of Toronto
80 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5S 3H6

Incomplete application will not be processed.

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