Eligibility
Are international applicants eligible to apply?
A limited number of supernumerary spaces are allocated to specific international training programs that have contractual arrangements with the MD Program.
Does U of T accept applications to the first year of the MD Program from students who are currently undergraduate medical students in other medical schools?
The circumstances of the applicant would be evaluated individually. Any application would have to be made in the usual way, meeting published deadlines, and would be assessed in the same pool with all other applicants for entry in that year.
Does U of T accept transfer students (students who are currently undergraduate medical students in other medical schools or who have completed one or more years of undergraduate medicine in another medical school)?
No. Transfers are not allowed.
For applicants with transfer credits, how many graded courses are required to apply to the MD program?
A minimum of 10 full-time graded courses are required.
How are transfer credits evaluated during the MD program application review process?
Transfer credits count towards the number of credits required for eligibility to apply but are not used to calculate the GPA. Please note that transfer credits used as prerequisites must appear on the university transcript and show the university course equivalent.
How many years of undergraduate studies are required for admission?
Canadian Universities:
At least three years in a coherent course of study which, if completed, would lead to a university degree, most commonly a Bachelor's degree. Candidates who apply during their third year of study must be completing the equivalent of 15 FCEs by the end of the third year, and have completed the course requirements for either a three-year degree or the third year of a four-year program. Candidates who apply during their fourth year are expected to be completing the equivalent of 20 FCEs or completing their four-year degree. Candidates who will not meet these requirements due to enrolment in special programs must outline the reason in the Academic Explanations Form on the OMSAS application.
Universities Outside Canada:
Applicants attending American universities must be completing a four-year Bachelor’s degree. Applicants attending universities outside Canada or the U.S. must complete the equivalent of a four-year Canadian Bachelor's degree. This equivalency must be assessed in a course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services
I switched programs but I will have 15 FCEs at the end of the year of application. Am I still eligible?
Applicants completing their 3rd year of study at the time of offer must also complete the corresponding program and degree requirements for that year of study, as well as 15 FCEs.
If you have transferred to a different program during your undergraduate studies, you may have accumulated 15FCEs by the end of your 3rd year but far from fulfilling year 3 academic requirement for the new program. Given this, please review and verify your admissions eligibility prior to applying.
Is preference given to applicants who are Ontario residents over applicants from other provinces?
No.
Is preference given to U of T students?
No. All universities across Canada are treated equally in the application process.
Is the cut-off GPA of 3.6 for undergraduates and cut-off GPA of 3.3 for graduate applicants the cumulative GPA?
The GPA of 3.6 for undergraduate applicants and 3.3 GPA for graduate applicants are not cut-offs, but the minimum GPA requirements. The possession of the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance. Applications that do not show evidence that an applicant achieved the minimum academic requirements at the time of application will not screened. File screening is the first step in the evaluation process, before they are sent for detailed file review. The cut-off changes each year, depending on the pool of applicants.
Is the graduate GPA assessed competitively?
Graduate applicants must obtain a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3 / 4.0 on the OMSAS scale. It is assessed competitively. Although graduate applicants may apply with the minimum required GPA of 3.3, the possession of the minimum GPA requirement does not guarantee acceptance. To acknowledge the academic challenge of undertaking graduate work, applicants pursuing graduate degrees will receive credit for their accomplishments during the file review process.
Should I not apply if my GPA and MCAT are slightly below the minimum requirements, even though I qualify in terms of the other requirements?
All applicants must meet the minimum admission requirements in order for their application to be screened. We are adhering to the minimum GPA and MCAT requirements due to application numbers.