Application procedure

The following points will help you filling the on-line application form.

• Application type: Choose "Graduate"
• Term: Choose "Fall" semester, not Summer.
• Applicants to the Ph.D. program must be awarded an M.Sc. degree on or before registration in the Ph.D. program. 
• Do not select a "Concentration or Area of Specialization".
• Within 24 hours, you will receive an e-mail confirmation for your application. You can also verify that your application was correctly submitted by logging on to Minerva .

Documents Required

The following is a list of all the materials that should be uploaded to complete the on-line application. We will not begin to consider your application until ALL the materials have been received. We are not always able to send you a letter indicating whether your application is complete or not; therefore, it is the  responsibility of the applicant to ensure all their documents have been uploaded and can view their application status on-line. 

Application Fee of $100

There is a non-refundable application fee of $100 CAN for each application to a program.  The application fee must be paid using a MasterCard or Visa credit card. 

University Transcripts

• An unofficial copy of your complete university-level academic record to date must be uploaded, using Minerva.
• If the transcript does not indicate that a degree has been conferred a copy of the degree certificate (diploma) will also have to be uploaded.
• Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by an English or French translation provided by the institution issuing the transcript or by a certified translator.

Two Completed Recommendation Forms

Two (2) letters of recommendation are required. Reference letters must be uploaded and can be submitted using the following forms or directly on university letterhead: (Preferred)  referees can fill this Word or plain text or PDF form .

You must identify on the application form two referees, who are familiar with your work, and who are willing to write the letters of recommendation. You must provide a valid institutional e-mail address for each referee.

For fall 2013 applications and as of October 15, 2012, McGill University will send an e-mail to each referee you identify on the application form, asking for a reference in support of your application to be admitted. If no response is received, a reminder message will be sent every two weeks. In rare cases a referee may decline the request; you will be advised by e-mail if your selected referee declines, and you will be asked to provide an alternate. Referees will be invited to log-in to a secure portion of the McGill website, where they can upload the letter(s) of reference.

Letters must meet the following conditions:
1. The electronic letters must be specific as to which program the student has applied and include information that would aid an admissions committee in making an informed decision.
2. Letters of reference must be dated and must not be more than 12 months old.
3. The referee must indicate his/her position and full contact information at the institution.

We greatly prefer receiving academic references, that is, letters supplied by university professors or course instructors. If you had a supervisor for your university studies or for a thesis, we would like one of the letters to be supplied by this person (this is especially important for Ph.D. applicants). If you graduated from university several years ago, we realize that it may be difficult to obtain academic references. In this case, you may substitute letters from your employers or co-workers. (We give academic references much more weight when assessing an application).

Official GRE Test Score (where applicable)

Applicants to the M.Sc. program who obtained their undergraduate degree outside Canada MUST take the GRE general test and request the Educational Testing Service to report your scores directly to the School. We require a minimum of 700/800 in the quantitative section, and 3.5 in the written section. Results must be forwarded by the testing agency to McGill University (code 0935).

Applicants to the Ph.D. program are not required to take the GRE general test. However, we strongly suggest that applicants who obtained their Masters degree outside Canada take the GRE general test as it will be very helpful to the Ph.D. Committee in the evaluation process, and these applicants MUST take the GRE general test if they want to be considered for a scholarship from McGill.

Official TOEFL or IELTS Test Score (where applicable)

All international students have to take the TOEFL or IELTS test, except:

• If your mother tongue is English, you do not need to take the test
• If you completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at a foreign institution where English is the language of instruction, you do not need to take the test. Results must be forwarded by the testing agency to McGill University (code 0935).

Canadian students (francophones or anglophones) do not need to take the test.
If applicable, please fill in the result of your TOEFL or IELTS test on the on-line application. The minimum acceptable test score for TOEFL is 600 (paper-based) or 230 (computer-based) or 90 (internet-based; no individual component must be below 22). The minimum acceptable test score for IELTS is an overall band of 6.5.  The official copy must be supplied by the Educational Testing Service directly to the School. If you claim exemption from the TOEFL or IELTS because you have attended a university where English is used, please notify us of this.  
 

Other Information

M.Sc and Ph.D. applicants should also include a copy of their CV. Ph.D. applicants MUST provide a statement outlining the objective of their graduate program, i.e., preferred areas of study, potential research interests and proposed supervisors. Also, for the Ph.D. program, the School requires a list of at least 3 proposed supervisors that you would like to work with in order to process your application.

Deadline for September Admission

ALL documents for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. applications must be submitted by March 1st. If you wish to be considered for financial assistance, ALL documents for admission must be submitted by January 1st. You are encouraged to apply early, as this allows time for correspondence should there be any problems with your application.

Applications for Winter Admission

In general, we do NOT accept applications for January admission to the M.Sc. program. This is because most Winter courses have Fall courses as pre-requisites. On occasion, a student graduating in December with a very strong background in Computer Science may be accepted for January admission. All applicants must submit ALL documents by September 1st.

Application Decisions

M.Sc. and Ph.D. applications for September admission are reviewed in February and March. Applicants are informed of decisions shortly thereafter.

The School does not respond to individual inquiries concerning results of an application. You will be notified, in writing, of our decision. Later, you will receive notification, in writing, from Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of the official admission decision. The School only has the power to recommend admission decisions to GPS. It is possible (but unusual) for them to alter our recommendation. Once we write to you informing you of a recommendation, you must understand it is always subject to final, official approval by GPS.

Deferred Admissions and New Applications

Students admitted to a program may request to defer their admission to the same program for a period of up to one year, without having to pay a new application fee. This does not apply to special or visiting students, who must apply and pay an application fee every year. The application for deferral must be made in writing, signed by the student, to the academic unit offering the student's program. The signed request must state the desired term of deferred admissions and the reasons for requesting a deferral, the current mailing address, telephone and email address.

Approval of the deferral is not automatic. The academic unit, or GPS, may reject a request, subject to the program's enrolment limitations in the new term, the sequence and availability of required courses, the reasons for requesting a deferral. In addition, if the first acceptance was conditional, non-completion of conditions of admission or poor academic performance since the initial admission are valid reasons to refuse a deferred admission.

Procedures

Important: A student must NOT complete the online application for admission to request a deferral, since submitting an online application requires a credit card payment of the application fee.