Academic Requirements

For students studying an undergraduate program at a Canadian university, the academic requirements are:

Bachelor's Degree

You must have completed at least three years of study (15 full course equivalents) towards a Canadian university bachelor's degree in any discipline by the end of April in the year you plan to start the MD Program.

• If you are applying in the final year of a three year or four-year degree program, you must complete the degree requirements and provide proof of completion prior to the date of enrolment in the MD Program.
• If you are applying in the third year of a four-year degree program, you must provide proof that you have completed the requirements of that year of your degree prior to the date of enrolment in the MD Program.

You are expected to have taken courses at a level corresponding with the year of your program.

• If you are applying for admission while registered in the third year of undergraduate studies, you should have at least three third-year or higher courses in your program. If you are in the fourth year of your program, you should be enrolled in a majority of courses at the third- and fourth-year levels. Please note that this is an expectation rather than a requirement.
• It is recognized that at times, students take courses in lower years for various reasons, such as a change in program or to complete subjects of interest or prerequisites that did not fit the academic schedule previously. If you have information about your academics that you feel is important for the Admissions Committee to know, please use the Academic Explanations Form within the OMSAS application.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

You must obtain a minimum GPA of 3.6 / 4.0 on the Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS) scale. The possession of the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance. Based on statistics from recent admissions cycles, a minimum GPA of 3.8 is considered competitive.

The calculated GPA used to fulfill the academic requirement will not include your current year of study, as this information is not available to us during the application period.

For more information, visit the calculation of GPA page.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

You must write the MCAT before the application deadline and achieve the minimum MCAT score in each section of the test to be considered. Your MCAT score is not assessed competitively. Only MCAT scores obtained within five years of the application deadline will be considered. Only the most recent MCAT score will be considered.

Applicants must meet a threshold score of 125 in each section, with an allowance of 124 in one section. Students must meet this threshold to continue in the admissions process. Your MCAT score is not used competitively.

MCAT Fee Assistance Program for Canadians

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) are piloting a new fee assistance program for Canadian examinees in financial need who register for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). For more on this program and to apply, visit the AAMC website.

Prerequisite Courses

You must complete:

• two full-course equivalents (FCEs) in any life science
• one FCE in any of social sciences, humanities, or a language

For more information, visit the prerequisite courses page.

Academic Explanations Form

We understand that life is not always smooth. The optional Academic Explanation Form is for you, the applicant, to explain any circumstances that affected your academic performance and/or progress and to request special consideration.
 

Completing the Academic Explanation Form

• You may list up to 3 circumstances on the Academic Explanation Form.
• Circumstance(s) may include, but not limited to, the following: academic enrichment, including participation in co-op, professional experience year, and/or exchange programs, second or professional undergraduate degrees, academic difficulty, personal, medical and/or other experiences.
• For each circumstance, provide the relevant timeframe, type of circumstance, impact(s) on academic performance or progress, and your special consideration request.

Consideration of the Academic Explanation Form

Your response will provide the Temerty Medicine Admissions Committee a snapshot of how you have been impacted by and managed these circumstance(s). Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and we will make best efforts to provide reasonable consideration.

OMSAS Disability-based Accommodation Requests

If you have an unaccommodated disability, you may request consideration in the undergraduate MD program admission process if you:

• were not aware that you had a disability or
• were not appropriately accommodated for a documented disability during your undergraduate and/or graduate studies.

This request applies only to the initial assessment of your OMSAS application.

For more information, visit OMSAS.

Graduate students may apply if you have completed or are currently enrolled in the final year of your graduate program. If you will not be completing your graduate degree requirements by June 30 in the proposed year of entry, you will not be considered; this policy is strictly enforced. If you re-classify from one graduate degree to another during the application cycle, you will not be considered for admission. You must provide a graduate verifier that can confirm your completion date.

Our MD Program values a diverse applicant pool with students from all academic backgrounds. To acknowledge the academic challenge of undertaking graduate work, applicants pursuing graduate degrees will receive credit for their accomplishments during the file review process. Graduate applicants will receive credit for their graduate work based on the following categories:

• Doctoral degree conferred
• Doctoral degree in progress
• Research-based Master’s conferred
• Research-based Master’s in progress
• Course-based Master’s conferred

Please note that you are not able to update your application after the October 1st deadline.

Graduate Degree

You must have completed all program requirements, including the successful defense of your thesis (if applicable) by June 30 in the proposed year of entry (this deadline will be strictly enforced). If you have not yet received your graduate degree and are offered a position in the MD Program, you will be required to submit proof of successful completion of all requirements of your graduate program (including successful defense of a thesis, if applicable) prior to June 30 in the proposed year of entry. If you are offered a position on the expectation that your degree will be completed, and you are not able to meet this deadline, you will not be granted an admission deferral and will lose your seat in our program. We require a final transcript from you, as proof of conferral of your graduate degree.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

You must obtain a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3 / 4.0 on the OMSAS scale. Although graduate applicants may apply with the minimum required GPA of 3.3, the possession of the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance. Based on statistics from recent admissions cycles, a minimum GPA of 3.7 is considered competitive for graduate applicants.

For more information visit the GPA page.

Academic Explanations Form

We understand that life is not always smooth. The optional Academic Explanation Form is for you, the applicant, to explain any circumstances that affected your academic performance and/or progress and to request special consideration.
 

Completing the Academic Explanation Form

• You may list up to 3 circumstances on the Academic Explanation Form.
• Circumstance(s) may include, but not limited to, the following: academic enrichment, including participation in co-op, professional experience year, and/or exchange programs, second or professional undergraduate degrees, academic difficulty, personal, medical and/or other experiences.
• For each circumstance, provide the relevant timeframe, type of circumstance, impact(s) on academic performance or progress, and your special consideration request.

Consideration of the Academic Explanation Form

Your response will provide the Temerty Medicine Admissions Committee a snapshot of how you have been impacted by and managed these circumstance(s). Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and we will make best efforts to provide reasonable consideration.

If you are currently studying, or have completed your education, outside of Canada, you must have the following in order to be considered for admission:

• a completed non-medical bachelor's degree that is considered equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree in Canada

Transcripts from studies undertaken at universities outside of Canada must be submitted to World Education Services (WES) for assessment. For admission consideration we require a course-by-course evaluation that includes an overall GPA calculation. No WES Assessment required for applicants who completed their studies in the US.

If you are applying in the final year of your degree program, you must complete the degree requirements and provide proof of completion prior to the date of enrolment in the medical program. You must also fulfill all other academic requirements as listed here:

• undergraduate applicants
• graduate applicants

* Information for International Applicants

For fall 2025 entry, a limited number of supernumerary spaces will be allocated to specific international training programs that have contractual arrangements with the MD Program.

These supernumerary seats are non-funded seats and, as such, applicants who are considered through the International application stream must be enrolled in specific international training programs and cannot be citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants) of Canada.

Email UME Enrolment Services if you have any questions regarding your eligibility to apply.

Related links

• If you are already an international medical student and are hoping to take an elective, we have a visiting electives program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
• If you are an international medical graduate hoping to undertake further training or an observership via the University of Toronto, you should contact Postgraduate Medical Education.
• If you are an internationally trained physician who is looking to practice medicine in Canada, please see the information for International Medical Graduates.