Admission Requirements and Application Procedure
International Applicants
Applications are now available online. Application deadlines are as follows:
Due to the increased time for processing of Study Permits, the following deadlines apply to all INTERNATIONAL applicants:
June 15 th for January admission
November 15 th for May admission
March 15 th for September admission
Admission Requirements – International Applicants
No application will be considered until it is complete. The responsibility rests with the applicant to ensure that all documents (i.e. transcripts, letters of reference, test results) are submitted by the program’s deadline for application.
Completed applications will be evaluated by the program, which makes the admission decision. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies sends out offers of admission and handles all administrative aspects of registration.
For admission to the Master’s program, applicants must have or expect to receive a four-year B.Sc. degree from an accredited university and provide evidence of scholarly achievement. The program requires at least a 78 % overall average in the last two full-time years of the undergraduate degree.
For admission to the Doctoral program, applicants must possess a Master’s degree from an accredited university, and provide evidence of promise of aptitude and success in research. NOTE: It is our policy to admit international students into the Masters program initially with the expectation that, providing they are progressing satisfactorily and upon the recommendation of their advisory committee, they will be considered for transfer to the Doctoral program within 5 terms less 1 month (19 months). This has the advantage of providing financial support for 5 years as opposed to only 4 years for students who enter the Ph.D. program directly.
International students must have an admissions average of 78% or better (based on our grading scale) in order to be eligible for funding. In addition, applicants whose first language is not English must provide proof of proficiency in English.
Students will only be accepted for graduate studies in the Department of Biology if a supervisor has been secured. Although applications are processed centrally, applicants are encouraged to contact individual full-time faculty members and adjunct members to discuss their research interests and possible research projects where applicable. However, individual faculty members do not directly admit students. The research interests of our faculty can be found here. Some graduate positions are also posted on the Department of Biology web page under 'Positions Available'. Some of our faculty supervise students in the Graduate Programs in Environment and Sustainability and Neuroscience.
Application Requirements
The online graduate application will provide Western with the following:
- Biographical information
- Contact information
- Statement of academic intent
- Academic background
- Electronic transcripts from Ontario universities/colleges (see below for information on transcripts)
- Professional background (if applicable)
- Referee information (references collected electronically upon receipt of application)
- Proficiency in English Scores (if applicable) (applicant must have testing service send score electronically to Western)
- The Test of English as a Foreign Language www.toefl.org (TOEFL). ( minimum 600 on the paper-based version, 250 on the computer based version, 100 on the iBT version with no score less than 23 of the 4 skill categories). Western's TOEFL ID is 0984.
- The International English Language Testing Service www.ielts.org (IELTS) of the British Council. (minimum 6.0 overall and in each of the four categories)
- Application fee
Additional application requirements to be sent directly to the program:
- CV (listing past work experience, publications, awards/scholarships, certificates, etc).
- Publications (if applicable)
- Photocopy of post-secondary Diploma(s)
* One official academic transcript from each post-secondary institution attended
- Past or current students of The University of Western do not need to provide transcripts for their academic history at Western. This information will be obtained internally.
- If you have attended or are currently enrolled at any Ontario university or college other than The University of Western Ontario you MUST use the electronic application process in order to request transcripts. These transcripts will be delivered electronically to each of the programs to which you are applying.
- All other transcripts must be forwarded in hard copy to the Department of Biology to complete your application.
* Western considers a transcript official only if it is received in a university envelope that is sealed and signed on the flap by the official person in the office issuing the transcript. If the transcript and degree certificate are not in English, a certified translation must also be included. (Non-English transcripts from institutions within Canada do not require a translation.)
Communications
Once you have applied online you can expect the following communications.
Referee receives the following communications:
- request to complete recommendation form on applicant’s behalf
- thank you communication from SGPS upon receipt of recommendation
Applicant receives the following communications:
- notice that communication and form is available to referee
- confirmation that recommendation form has been completed and submitted
- communication that recommendation form has not been completed with option to submit additional referee information
Applicant receives the following communications from the Department of Biology:
- all inquiries regarding application to our program
- updates on the status of your application
Graduate Handbook
Graduate students and their supervisors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Graduate Handbook (Part 1: Biology Graduate Program Regulations; Part 2: Graduate Students & the Department). This handbook provides a run-down of everything you need to know about being a graduate student in this department, from requirements for your program of study, to services and facilities offered by the department.
