Admission Requirements

It is acceptable to attend university on a part-time basis and still be considered for admission to the MD Program. However, given the rigorous nature of medical education, we require that two years be spent in full-time study in which each September to April academic year contains the minimum of five full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours), with at least three full course equivalents (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the year of study:

• Year 1: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 1st-year level
• Year 2: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 2nd-year level
• Year 3, 4 and additional undergraduate years: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 3rd-year level.

Applicants who have completed, or are in their third year of an undergraduate degree online may apply, if the degree is equivalent to a 4-year undergraduate degree from an accredited university.

If any of the courses are completed at an accredited university other than the degree granting institution, those courses will only be eligible for consideration if they appear on the transcript of the degree granting institution, and if they count toward the undergraduate degree.

We require that 2 years be spent in full-time study in which each September to April academic year contains a minimum of 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours), with at least 3 full or equivalent courses (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the year of study:

• Year 1: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 1st-year level
• Year 2: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 2nd-year level
• Year 3, 4 and additional undergraduate years: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 3rd-year level.

For applicants enrolled in a co-op program, we can use both terms of the same academic program 'year', for example, Terms 3A and 3B, even if there is a work-term between the 2 academic terms, and even if one of those academic terms falls in the summer.

A co-op year will only be considered if it contains 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours), with at least 3 full course equivalents (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the year of study:

• Year 1: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 1st-year level
• Year 2: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 2nd-year level
• Year 3, 4 and additional undergraduate years: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 3rd-year level.

If an applicant takes more than 4 years to complete a 4-year undergraduate degree, any additional year may be eligible for GPA consideration if the year meets all of the following conditions:

• The additional year must contain 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours) completed during the September to April academic year, with at least 3 full or equivalent courses (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the 3rd-year.
• During the additional year, only 1 full or equivalent pass/fail course (6 credit hours) will be permitted:
  • The course must be passed in order to count toward the course load.
  • Discovery Credits (Western students) will be considered within, not in addition to, the 6 credit hour pass/fail allowance.

After graduating with a 4-year undergraduate degree, an applicant may elect to take an additional year of full-time undergraduate studies - a so-called Special Year. To be considered for calculation of the GPA, all of the following conditions must be met:

• Prior to the Special Year, an applicant must already have 1 undergraduate academic year (September to April) that meets our minimum GPA, course load and course level requirements in their most recent 4-year undergraduate degree.
• Only the 1st Special Year will be considered for GPA.
• The Special Year may be completed during the year of application.
• The Special Year must contain 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours) completed during the  September to April academic year.
• First-year courses, repeat/antirequisite courses, pass/fail courses, and second-year courses that do not require a first-year prerequisite, are not acceptable in the Special Year.

Applicants who have completed or are enrolled in the second year of a second, or most recent, undergraduate degree program are eligible to apply. To be considered for calculation of the GPA, all of the following conditions must be met:

• The second, or most recent, undergraduate degree must be equivalent to a 4-year degree, even though it may not take 4 years to complete.
• GPA consideration will be based on the 2 best years of the second or most recent degree, as long as it is equivalent to a 4-year undergraduate degree.
• Course load and course level requirements for a second or most recent undergraduate degree are analogous to the requirements of the first undergraduate degree. For example, if the second degree is completed in 2 years, then both of those years would be used for GPA calculation and considered as Years 3 and 4.

Academic transcripts must clearly show that applicants have met both the course load and course level requirements.

Applicants who are enrolled in a professional program that is equivalent to a 4-year undergraduate degree, may be eligible to apply:

• if they have a conferred 4-year undergraduate degree and have completed or are in their second year of study for the professional program, or
• if they have completed or are enrolled in their third year of the professional degree but do not currently have a conferred 4-year undergraduate degree.

Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. However, Schulich Medicine will not consider applications from individuals who are enrolled in a Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program or equivalent elsewhere, at the time of application.

Schulich Medicine considers only undergraduate coursework for calculation of GPA for admission purposes. We do not consider the GPA from graduate degrees.

Applicants enrolled in a graduate degree program at the time of application should note the following:

• Applicants must be in the final year of the graduate program to be eligible to apply.
• Deferrals and deadline extensions are NOT granted for completion of a graduate program.
• Withdrawal from a graduate program during the application year in order to enroll in Schulich Medicine will NOT be acceptable.
• Applicants who are given a conditional offer must complete all program requirements for the graduate degree as per the following deadlines:

Thesis-based Graduate Degree
Applicants enrolled in a thesis-based graduate degree program at the time of application must complete all program requirements, including successful defense and final assessment of the thesis, by June 30. OMSAS must receive a final transcript indicating that all requirements for the graduate degree were completed, or a Letter of Confirmation attesting to the same, by June 30.

Course-based Graduate Degree
Applicants enrolled in a course-based graduate degree program at the time of application must complete all program requirements by August 15. A Letter of Confirmation indicating there are no concerns with meeting all requirements of the course-based graduate degree must be received by OMSAS no later than June 30.

Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who completed their undergraduate university degree outside of Canada or the United States may apply to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program.

Academic transcripts from universities outside of Canada or the United States must be submitted to World Education Services (WES) to be assessed on a course-by-course basis.

• At least 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours) completed during the September to April academic year. Summer courses are not eligible for GPA consideration.
• At least 3 full or equivalent courses (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the year of study:
  • Year 1: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 1st-year level
  • Year 2: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 2nd-year level
  • Year 3, 4 and additional undergraduate years: 3 of 5 full course equivalents (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 3rd-year level
• A maximum of 1 full or equivalent pass/fail course (6 credit hours) per year.
  • The course must be passed in order to count toward the course load.
  • Discovery Credits (Western students) will be considered within, not in addition to, the 6 credit hour pass/fail allowance.

If you are presenting the 2019-2020 academic year for GPA consideration, all of the following must be met:

• You must have completed 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours) during the September to April academic year, of which 3 full or equivalent courses (18 credit hours) must have a published academic level at, or above, the year of study.
• GPA will be calculated on alpha numeric grades from the Fall 2019 term only*.
• Only 1.0 pass/fail course (6 credit hours) will be permissible in the Fall 2019 term (September to December).
  • The pass/fail course must be passed.
  • Discovery Credits (Western students) will be considered within, not in addition to, the 1.0 pass/fail course allowance.

Online courses which are taken as part of an undergraduate degree may be considered as part of a full course load used for the GPA, course load and course level requirements, as long as they:

• are completed during the September to April academic year. If it is not clear from the official transcript, an applicant may need to provide additional documentation confirming that online courses were completed during the September to April academic year, and
• are indicated on the transcript of the university granting the undergraduate degree as being part of the undergraduate degree.

Repeat courses are not factored into GPA calculation. An academic year comprised of 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours) completed during the September to April academic year, in which 1 is a repeat course, will be assessed as having less than a full course load and will not be eligible for GPA consideration.

• A course must be passed in order to count toward the course load.
• Discovery Credits (Western students) will be considered within, not in addition to, the 6 credit hour pass/fail allowance.

Courses taken during Spring/Summer sessions will not be counted as part of the full course load. Courses taken outside of the September to April academic year are not included in the GPA calculation.

If more than 30 credit hours is completed during the September to April academic year, the best 5 full or equivalent courses will be used, provided the remaining courses satisfy course level requirements.

For applicants who have attended other universities on an exchange, GPA calculation may be based on the marks achieved at the exchange institution. Official transcripts from the exchange institution must be provided to OMSAS at the time of application. If the exchange is taken outside of Canada or the United States, a course-by-course WES evaluation is required for the exchange period.