Application Documents ♘

Official transcripts can be scanned and uploaded to applicants’ online applications, after you have created your profile and paid the application fee.

Domestic applicants must hold a 4-year degree from a recognised Canadian institution with a minimum mid-B (75%) average in the final two years of study. Please see the individual program stream pages for specific degree requirements.

International applicants should hold the equivalent of a Canadian 4-year degree, with a minimum mid-B average in the final two years of study, as assessed by the University of Toronto. Use the International Degree Equivalencies tool to see which international credentials are required for masters and doctoral admissions at UofT.

Scanned transcripts are suitable for application purposes, however all successful applicants will be required to submit official transcripts in order to register for the program. An official print copy of your transcript will be requested at the time an offer of admission is made. If an offer of admission is conditional upon the successful completion of your program (for those students who are applying in the final year of their under­graduate degree) final grades for pending courses will also need to be confirmed via the submission of an official transcript.

For complete details about submitting transcripts, please refer to our FAQ.

As part of your application, three letters of reference are required. Good choices of referees, in the following order of preference, would include:

• Professors or other key individuals familiar with your under­graduate research or under­graduate thesis
• Professors familiar with your third and fourth year academic history
• Employers with relevance to the biotechnology or science industry
• Teaching assistants, others

You will need to submit your referee information via the application portal as part of the application process, so ensure you have these details confirmed prior to opening your application.

Referees with institutional e-mail addresses can upload their references directly to your online application. Enter your referees’ names and institutional e-mail (university, college or company e-mail address) into your online application when prompted. The system will automatically e-mail an electronic reference request to each referee after you have entered the referee’s information on the ‘Recommendation’ page of the application. It is highly recommended that applicants contact their referees ahead of time to confirm both their availability and their preferred institutional email address.

Referees without institutional e-mail addresses (e.g., Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) should send original, hard copies of their letters of reference directly to—

For more detailed information regarding the process, or what to do if you need to change information about your referees, please see our FAQ.

Through your electronic application, a one-page statement describing your interest in Biotechnology is required. Include a statement on the specific area you are interested in and why you feel MBiotech is the appropriate program choice for your career goals and interests. Including references to recent developments in the field is advantageous.

Please clearly indicate in the FIRST line of your Letter of Intent which MBiotech stream is your first choice (BioPh or DHT) and, if applicable, which is your second choice.

Letters of Intent should be saved and submitted as .pdf documents.

A current copy of your resume or CV is required and should be uploaded to your online application.

The résumé or C.V. should be saved and submitted as a .pdf document.

MBiotech and the University of Toronto require all international applicants (with a first language other than English OR who studied at a non-English-language-speaking institution) to submit proof of English proficiency using one of the following methods—

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Please have scores sent to UofT – Institution Code 0982;
• Michigan English language Assessment Battery (MELAB);
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS);
• The Certificate of Proficiency in English (COPE);
• UofT School of Continuing Studies Academic Preparation course.
• Cambridge English Qualifications

If you are an international applicant and speak English as your first language OR if you completed your degree in English (were instructed/tested in English at an English-speaking institution), you may contact the MBiotech Office to request that the Proof of English Language Proficiency requirement be waived. If approved for a waiver, a certified letter from your institution—stating that the method of instruction was in English—will be required for your applicant file. Note: if you do not contact the MBiotech Office to request a waiver, your application will be deemed incomplete if the proficiency scores are not received.

More details about these tests, including minimum scores, can be found on the SGS English-Langauge Proficiency Testing website.

Applicants should request that original copies (not photocopies) of their test scores be sent to the address below—

For applicants with degrees from non-Canadian institutions, official copies of GRE Subject Test Scores are mandatory. Applicants should write the GRE Subject Test in their discipline (e.g., Chemistry, etc.) rather than the General Test. Please note the GRE Subject Test in Biology has been discontinued. If the Subject GRE test is not available where you live, please contact the MBiotech Office for further guidance.

Applicants should aim to score within the top 25% of the cohort within which they write. This is not a cut-off, but recommended to be competitive.

› How to Submit Scores to MBiotech:

To send scores to UTM, please do the following when selecting recipients—

• Select Institution: University of Toronto Mississauga, Institution Code 7203
• Specify Program: Other Biological Sciences, Program Code 0299

The MBiotech Office can download GRE scores directly online if you request to send your scores to the University of Toronto Mississauga; paper copies do not need to be mailed to our office.

We highly recommend you check test dates early in order to meet our application deadline in early January.

Note: Applicants who hold Canadian degrees with a mid-B in their final two years of study may choose to complete the Subject GRE test, in order to present the best case for admission. As successful applicants typically present higher than the minimum required GPA, competitive Subject GRE test scores may help improve the competitiveness of an application. Please contact us for more information should you have questions regarding your GPA/academic competitiveness.

For more information on the GRE Subject Test visit GRE Subject Test.

A short (no longer than two-minute) YouTube video, highlighting any area of interest, accomplishment, or trait of the applicant is encouraged but not required. Creativity will be viewed favourably. If you opt to submit such a video with your application, please upload the video to the Portfolio section in the application portal. Please also embed the link to the video at the top of your Letter of Intent.