Application Procedure

There are two Mathematical Sciences departments at Western Univeristy:

These two departments have separate application procedures and processes. Be sure to apply to the department that fits your interests. The instructions below are for the Department of Mathematics, which includes the Applied Mathematics degrees as well.

No application will be considered until it is complete.  The applicant must ensure that all documents (i.e. transcripts, letters of reference, test results) are submitted by the deadline (see below). Completed applications will be evaluated by the program, which makes the admission decision.  Applicants are encouraged to contact individual faculty members to discuss their research interests and possible research projects where applicable.  However, individual faculty members do not directly admit students.

For admission to the Master’s program, applicants must possess a four-year degree from an accredited university.  Applicants already holding an M.Sc. degree may also be considered for our M.Sc. program.

For admission to the Doctoral program, applicants must possess a Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited university and provide evidence of research potential.

Admission decisions are based on the entire application, including transcripts and letters of reference.

If you are interested in visiting the department after submitting your application, please contact us to make arrangements.  In some cases, we can provide partial financial support. 

Prospective students should also visit the web site of our School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.  More information on General Admission Requirements can be found in the Calendar, Section 2.  See also our graduate programs page for the highlights of our program, including funding amounts.

Application requirements

The Graduate Studies Application Form needs to be completed online. Submit your application electronically by clicking the link below, reading the instructions, and then clicking on the "I WANT TO APPLY" button in the left sidebar. You may need to widen your browser window to find the button:

Apply to Graduate Studies

Make sure that all applicable sections have been filled in.  Supporting documentation is to be uploaded directly to your application and would include:

  • Biographical and contact information
  • Statement of academic intent:
    Please include a brief statement of your plans for the future and your reasons for wishing to pursue graduate work in Mathematics. In this statement you should indicate the areas of Mathematics in which you are most interested. If you are applying for admission to a Ph.D. program, please be specific as to the area in which you wish to do research (e.g., algebraic topology, complex analysis, etc.) You may also indicate potential supervisors. If you and a partner are both applying to programs at Western, feel free to mention this in your statement. We will then try to coordinate the review of your applications.
  • Transcripts:
    Please upload these directly to your application. If you are accepted for admission, you will be required to submit official transcripts at a later date.
  • Course Outlines:
    In order to facilitate our evaluation of your background in Mathematics, please provide us with brief outlines of all university Mathematics courses which you have taken. Please include a list of textbooks (giving the name of the authors) that were used for these courses, and an indication of the sections covered.
  • Reference Letters:
    Two references are required but three is better. Referees may upload their letters directly to your application, or may send them by e-mail to the address below.
  • CV/Resume
  • Proficiency in English:
    If English is not your first language, and you have not completed at least two years of study in an academic degree program in a country whose primary language is English, then you must write and obtain a suitable score on a test of English such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Carleton Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL), the Michigan English Language Test (MELAB, Toronto location), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This requirement is part of the application process and must be satisfied before a student can be considered for admission. Arrangements to sit one of these examinations should be made as early as possible, and applicants should arrange to have an official score sent directly to the university (UWO's TOEFL ID is 0984). As an alternative, a student may also complete English training through the Western English Language Centre, CultureWorks, or Fanshawe College's ESL Program. For more information, including the minimum test scores, see subsection 2.01 "Proficiency in English" of the Calendar.
  • GRE Test Scores (optional): Applicants who write the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in Mathematics (administered by the Educational Testing Service) should have the scores sent to this department.   Western's GRE ID is 0984.

Financial support

All applicants are automatically considered for financial aid, and funding is provided in almost all cases. The funding is sufficient to pay for tuition and living expenses. See Funding and Tuition Fees for more information.

We encourage applicants to apply for all available external scholarships as well.  In particular, domestic students should apply for NSERC and OGS awards. Note that domestic students from outside of Ontario are eligible for OGS awards.  The OGS deadline is in January.  Students from other countries should apply for any scholarships they are eligible for.  For example, students from China can apply to the China Scholarship Council.

Application deadlines and fee

We consider applications for admission in September, January, or May, with September being the usual start date, especially for the M.Sc. program.  We encourage domestic applicants to apply at any time, and still have open positions for the upcoming year.

Applicants should apply for admission by the deadlines shown in the table below. Late applications may be considered as space permits. International applicants are advised that, once an offer of admission is issued, obtaining a Canadian student visa may take several months, so international applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the given deadlines.

Domestic International
September admission February 1 February 1
January admission October 1 August 1
May admission February 1 November 1

Application Fee: There is a standard university-wide application fee of $125 (Canadian). The fee will be returned to successful applicants during their first semester of enrollment.