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 website at http://www.uoguelph.ca/graduatestudies/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). In order to be considered for admission to graduate studies, the applicant must upload all required admission documents to the student information system (WebAdvisor) to complete the applicant process.
Transcripts: For admission consideration, applicants are required to upload a copy of their transcripts, for each previous undergraduate and graduate program for each post secondary institution attended. If given a conditional offer of admission, a certified final official transcript of each previous institution attended must be submitted. For applicants from outside North America where only one original transcript is issued, certified copies rather than originals may be submitted.
Letters of Recommendation: Assessment forms from at least two individuals who are well acquainted with the applicant's education, research capacity and abilities must be submitted. Academic references are preferred, but former employers are also acceptable referees. Referees will be contacted via email by the Office of Graduate Studies requesting the reference on the behalf of the applicant after the application is submitted.
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 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 choose to enrol in the University of Guelph English Language Certificate Program (ELCP) 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/
Applicants may also choose to enroll in the University of Guelph Graduate Preparation Program (GPP) which is offered by the Office of Open Learning. Applicants may be given an offer of admission based on the provision that they complete the GPP program which includes the completion of advanced level English (level 9 and 10 of the ELCP program) as well as graduate preparatory work. The expected duration of the GPP program is two semesters. Upon successful completion applicants will continue on to the graduate program identified in their offer of admission. Details about the GPP program may be found at http://www.eslguelph.ca/
Other Documents and/or Examinations: In some departments, a Statement of Research/Interest outlining an applicant's major research interests and objectives in undertaking graduate study, additional supplementary documents, a CV/Resume or writing sample may be required. Applicants are encouraged to review the department's website for specific application requirements.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores may be used as a basis for determining the acceptability of an applicant. Applicants must forward their official results directly to the University of Guelph. Ample time should be allowed for the results to reach Guelph.