Admissions - How to Apply

Please see the below deadlines for the 2024-25 admission cycle:

International Applicants: please refer below to the ‘Important Information for International Applicants’ section prior to applying.

1. A four-year bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from a recognized university.
2. At least an A- (or first class standing) in the final two years of undergraduate study.
3. At least 4.0 to 6.0 full course equivalents (or 8 to 12 semester courses) in psychology, including statistics and some laboratory research experience. Students who are admitted to the program without 4.0 to 6.0 FCEs in required undergraduate coursework may be required to complete additional courses in the master's program. Please note that this only occurs in special circumstances and students are encouraged to complete the necessary courses before applying. Students with a strong background in mathematics, computer science, statistics, biological science, or neuroscience are encouraged to apply even if they have fewer than the suggested number of psychology courses.
4. Two academic letters of reference. Letters provided by admitting faculty will not be accepted.
5. A personal statement of no more than three pages, single spaced. Use this space to discuss how your personal experience in research, academics, work, and/or volunteerism makes you an ideal candidate for our program. You may choose to dedicate one section of your personal statement to communicate about how your lived experience could bring a valuable and unique perspective to our program. For example, this might include a discussion of your identity (cultural or otherwise) or non-traditional trajectory to graduate school.
6. A curriculum vitae.
7. Identification of faculty supervisory arrangement and research of interest (Note: this information will be identified via questions included in the University of Toronto’s Admissions Application portal. For a list of Faculty accepting students for the current admission cycle, please visit: Clinical Faculty)

International Applicants: please refer below to the ‘Important Information for International Applicants’ section prior to applying.

Prospective students who already have an existing master’s degree in Clinical Psychology that is comparable to our MA program may be considered admissible under the requirements of the PhD program:

1. A master's degree with specialization in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent) from a recognized university, with a minimum A- average and excellent research performance
2. Two academic letters of reference.
3. A personal statement of no more than three pages, single spaced. Use this space to discuss how your personal experience in research, academics, work, and/or volunteerism makes you an ideal candidate for our program. You may choose to dedicate one section of your personal statement to communicate about how your lived experience could bring a valuable and unique perspective to our program. For example, this might include a discussion of your identity (cultural or otherwise) or non-traditional trajectory to graduate school.
4. A curriculum vitae.
5. Identification of faculty supervisory arrangement and research of interest (Note: this information will be identified via questions included in the University of Toronto’s Admissions Application portal. For a list of Faculty accepting students for the current admission cycle, please visit: Clinical Faculty)

Hear directly from students in our program, an overview of our program, what makes a strong application, and specific application tips by watching the videos below:

Department of Psychological Clinical Science: Student Voices

An Overview of Our Program: Part 1 | Part 2

What Makes a Strong Application: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Specific Application Tips: Part 1 | Part 2

Our program will be accepting international applications into our MA program for a Fall 2023 intake. Due to the structure of the federal/ provincial funding process, which prioritizes Canadian citizens and permanent residents, we are only able to admit one international applicant into our MA program on a bi-annual basis. For this current admission cycle (2023-24), we will be accepting international applicants.

Degree Equivalencies: Applicants whose degrees were obtained outside North America should check the SGS Admission Requirements. The International Degree Equivalencies Chart will help you assess whether you are eligible for entry into our graduate program.

English-Language Proficiency Testing: If your primary language is not English and you have graduated from a non-Canadian University where the language of instruction and examination was not English, then you must demonstrate your facility in English. This can be accomplished by completing either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or its equivalent. This requirement must be met at the time of application. Additional information can be found at the University of Toronto International Admissions site.

Ukrainian Students: If you are a student that has been affected by the war in Ukraine and are seeking admission to the University of Toronto, please see https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/pathways-ukraine/ for information on how to apply.

Please note that the deadline for the application fee waiver is now closed. Please check back in Fall 2024 for the next program.

The Graduate Department of Psychological Clinical Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough is pleased to introduce a new application fee waiver pilot initiative for the 2024 admissions cycle! The aim of this new initiative is to diversify the students in our program by encouraging applications from individuals from historically underrepresented groups in Clinical Psychology. For more information about this new initiative, please see the information below. If you have additional questions, please contact clinicalpsych.utsc@utoronto.ca.

How Do I Apply to the Counselling and Clinical Psychology Program (Field: Clinical Psychology) in the Graduate Department of Psychological Clinical Science?

Applications to our graduate program must be submitted directly to the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto (UofT) using the Online Admissions Application site.  Applications are due on December 1, 2023, by 11:59pm (EST) for a September 2024 intake. Please see the School of Graduate Studies’ application instructions.

Our program has one application cycle per year and we do not admit students in January or May. Admissions requirements can be found on our program’s website. Note: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are no longer required or accepted for admission to our program.

What Are the Purpose and Priorities of the Application Fee Waiver Pilot Initiative?

The School of Graduate Studies at UofT requires students who apply to our program to pay a $125 application fee. The purpose of the new pilot initiative is to encourage applications from individuals belonging to historically underrepresented groups in Clinical Psychology by reducing a financial barrier for some applicants. The Department of Psychological Clinical Science encourages applications from people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC); a first-generation student (i.e., people who were the first in their families to attend university); LGBTQ2S+; living with disability; and living on a low income. The primary goal of the Pilot Application Fee Waiver Program is to further encourage these applicants by offering the potential to waive their application fees.

The structure of our pilot program has been informed by recommendations from the tri-campus Psychology Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Group at UofT, to provide tangible support for applicants who identify with groups whom we wish to encourage to apply to our program (i.e., BIPOC, first-generation, LGBTQ2S+, living with disability, extreme financial hardship). The lottery places the highest priority on distributing Application Fee Waivers to applicants who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Transgender (Wave 1), as members of these groups have been historically excluded from and are especially underrepresented in Clinical Psychology. Furthermore, this special program is one step that our Department is taking towards the recommendations of the UofT Anti-Black Racism Task Force and those of the Steering Committee for UofT’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Anti-Black-Racism-Task-Force- Report_Web.pdf). Furthermore, this initiative aligns with the UofT Scarborough’s Inspiring Inclusive Excellence Strategic Vision and our Department’s EDI goals. For more information about our Department’s EDI initiatives, please visit our program’s About Us webpage.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for the Application Fee Waiver Pilot Initiative?

You are eligible for the Application Fee Waiver Pilot if the $125 Application Fee is a financial burden for you. You do NOT need to identify with one of our prioritized groups (i.e., BIPOC, first-generation, LGBTQ2S+, living with disability, extreme financial hardship) to apply for an Application Fee Waiver.

The Application Fee Waivers will be distributed by a Stratified Lottery that has 3 waves, described below. While priority will first be given to applicants in priority Waves 1 and 2, all the remaining Fee Waivers will be distributed to anyone in Wave 3.

How Do I Apply for An Application Fee Waiver?

Please complete the application form before 5PM EST on November 10, 2023 to be included in the stratified lottery for an Application Fee Waiver.

How Will I Be Notified and How Do I Use An Application Fee Waiver?
 

You will be notified by no later than November 16, 2023 by a confirmation email whether or not you were selected for an Application Fee Waiver. If you receive an Application Fee Waiver, follow these steps to activate your waiver before 5PM EST on November 23, 2023:
 

1. Reply to our confirmation email to accept the fee waiver.

2. We will notify you via email again once the application fee has been waived. Wait a full business day and check your graduate application status.
    
3. When you see that the application fee has been paid on the SGS application site, you can submit your full application any time before the December 1, 2023 at 11:59pm deadline.
    

Will the Application Fee Waiver Affect the Success of my Application?

No. The success of your application is independent of your participation in the Application Fee Waiver Pilot. The applications that faculty see will not include information about whether or not you applied for the Application Waiver, regardless of whether you received a waiver. Your responses on the Application Fee Waiver Application will not be connected to your graduate application. However, the Graduate Department (i.e., Graduate Chair, Graduate Director, and Graduate Administrators) will have access to the records of who applied. They will not access this information for any aspect of the graduate selection process.

Application Instructions:

• Login to the University of Toronto’s Admissions Application portal.
  • If you are a first-time applicant, click the link to 'Create an Account' to begin your application. You will receive a verification code via email as part of the account creation process. After entering your verification code, you will create a password for your account.
  • You may save and return to the application at any point in the process.
• Select the correct program to apply to:
  • “Graduate Unit” = Department of Psychological Clinical Science (UTSC)
  • "Attendance Type" = Full-time (note we do not offer part-time options)
  • “Program of Study” = MA/ PhD – Counselling and Clinical Psychology (Field: Clinical Psychology)
    • Note: there are two fields within the Counselling and Clinical Psychology program at the University of Toronto, with each field requiring its own application. The School of Graduate Studies applications are not transferrable between programs.
• Complete the biographical, academic history, and faculty supervision sections of the application. 
• In the 'Additional Information' section, please list all awards and scholarships you have and/or are intending to apply to.
• Pay your application fee. The UofT set application fee for Fall 2022 admission is $125. Note that your application will not be considered until your application fee is paid. The deadline to make this payment is December 1st, 2023 by 11:59pm.
• To view the status of your application, including outstanding requirements, please log in to your account to view your applicant status portal. 
• Supporting Documents: you can upload all supporting documents through your applicant status portal after submitting your application. Please note that additional supporting documents submitted beyond those outlined below will not be considered and/ or viewed as part of your application. To apply to our program, please upload the following documents:
  1. Unofficial transcripts + institutional grading key for each post-secondary program completed, attempted, or in progress. Please note that only unofficial electric transcripts are required at this point of the application process. Official transcripts, which are mailed directly from your previous institution(s), are only required for students who receive a letter of offer.
  2. Curriculum Vitae
  3. Personal Statement
• Letters of Reference: you will be required to enter information for two referees. Your referees will automatically receive a notification email that they have been requested to complete a reference for your application, along with instructions to submit their reference letter in the application system.
  • If you need to change your referees, please email clinicalpsych.utsc@utoronto.ca
  • If you need to send a reminder email to your existing referees, you can do so through your applicant portal after submitting your application.
    • Note: It is highly recommended that applicants contact their referees ahead of time to confirm both their availability and their preferred institutional email address. It is ultimately the responsibility of the applicant to ensure reference letters are submitted by the deadline.

• The full application, including payment and letters of reference, is due December 1, 2023 by 11:59pm. Late applications will not be considered.

Additional notes:

All applications are submitted to the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS) using the Slate Admissions Application system. The portal allows applicants to manage and submit biographical and educational information, as well as required supporting documents (i.e. Personal Statement, etc.) immediately and directly to the University. Applicants can edit in-progress applications prior to the deadline and check the status of all documents submitted using a secure password and User ID.

Applications will be considered official once the application fee is paid and all application materials submitted by the deadline. Materials and/ or payment received after the deadline will not be considered and will result in an incomplete application that will not be reviewed.

Please see the Public Disclosure Tables that were submitted to the CPA in September 2022.

Percentage of Graduates Licensed can be found here.

Students enrolled in the MA and PhD programs receive a financial assistance package based on a combination of components (e.g., scholarships, fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships). Currently, our program offers students in good academic standing a guaranteed minimum funding package of $23,000 plus tuition and incidental fees each year for a total of 6 years (2 MA years and 4 PhD years). Beyond the guaranteed minimum funding package, it is expected that competitive applicants will be applying for graduate awards and scholarships. For more information on award descriptions and deadlines, please visit: Graduate Awards & Scholarships.

For further information on our program and admission requirements, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.

After carefully reading the above information and visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page, should you still have further inquiries, please email clinicalpsych.utsc@utoronto.ca.

Please note that due to the volume of applications and inquiries, we do not provide individual assessments to prospective applicants prior to applying.