II. General Regulations
Admission
Application for Admission
Potential students may apply through our on-line application process which can be accessed from the Graduate Studies home-page at http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/graduatestudies/index.cfm?apply. Please check with the individual program for application deadline dates. The applicant must assemble all relevant documentation (see below) and any additional program-specific application materials (outlined in the graduate programs section of the Graduate Calendar) and forward the complete package to the department to which the applicant is applying.
Transcripts: One certified copy of each previous undergraduate and graduate transcript must be submitted. Applicants from outside North America are strongly urged to attach official statements of the grades obtained and the subject matter included. In instances where only one original transcript is issued, certified copies rather than originals should be submitted.
Letters of Recommendation: Assessment forms from two individuals who are well acquainted with the applicant's education and abilities must be submitted. Academic references are preferred, but former employers are also acceptable referees.
English Proficiency: Courses at the University of Guelph are completed in approximately 12 weeks. Students therefore must be proficient in the use of English, both written and oral, when they begin their studies at Guelph. The university requires that certification of such proficiency be provided by applicants whose first language is not English. Examples of acceptable assessment of proficiency include official scores or results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of the Educational Testing Service, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE-A) and the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) assessment. The minimum acceptable score is 550 for the paper-based TOEFL, an overall score of 89 with no individual component below 21 for Internet Based TOEFL, 6.5 for IELTS, 85 for MELAB, an overall score of 60 with a minimum score of 60 in each of the 4 categories for PTE-A and 60 for CAEL. (These minimum acceptable scores are subject to change.) Applicants should make arrangements to take one of these tests at least nine months before the opening date of the semester. Other forms of proficiency assessment may apply in individual cases; please contact the admitting department or program for additional information.
Applicants may also choose to enrol in the University of Guelph English Language Proficiency Program which is offered by the Office of Open Learning. Applicants who complete the advanced level of this program will be considered to be eligible to apply to a graduate program at the University of Guelph. Information on what advanced level constitutes may be found at http://www.eslguelph.ca/
Other Documents and/or Examinations: In some departments, a Statement of Interest outlining an applicant's major research interests and objectives in undertaking graduate study, may be requested.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores may be used as a basis for determining the acceptability of an applicant. Ample time should be allowed for the results to reach Guelph.