Application information and instructions
These instructions are for applicants to the Department of Economics (MA) Master of Arts (Regular and Doctoral Stream) and (PhD) Doctoral Programs.Deadlines
Applications for admission in September 2013 will open in late November. (There is NO January admission for any economics graduate program.) The application deadline will be January 11, 2013 and the document deadline will be January 25, 2013. Please note that these deadlines are strict. We do not accept late applications, regardless of the reason for their lateness. To take into account unexpected events, please plan to submit your application a week or two before the deadlines.The document deadline is for all documents: transcripts, GRE and English Language Facility test scores (if applicable), departmental supplementary application (to which you will get a link within a week of your application), and all references. Please notify your referees of the deadline; they must complete the online reference form by the deadline. (We do not accept any late applications or documents.)
Processing times
During peak times we process a large volume of application documents, and it takes us some time to note the receipt of documents in the online system. We review and assess application documents only after all personal and academic information has been entered in the online application, the application fee has been paid, and our supplementary application form has been completed. Please allow at least four weeks (excluding holidays) after you have completed all these steps for the online status of your application to change from "Documents Pending" to "Under Review".Before you start your online application, please read ...
- the relevant pages on this website (regarding admission, GRE, and English Language Facility requirements)
- the following instructions.
Planning
Please start submitting requests for all required official documents (transcripts and GRE and TOEFL test scores if applicable) well in advance of the application deadline of January 11, 2013. Note that we do not send requests to your referees to complete a reference form until the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) has received your application fee. Note also that official English translations must accompany all foreign documents (e.g., transcripts) not written in English. Your obtaining translations may take time, so plan ahead in order to meet our deadline of January 25, 2013 for the receipt of all documents.After you access the SGS admission application and enter your contact information, an applicant identification number and a password will be emailed to you. You can leave and return to your application at any point until you move to the payment stage. Once the payment is made you will be able to check on the status of your application. Please check the online application system periodically to confirm the receipt of documents and your application status.
Note: If the first and last name on the English Language Facility Test or GRE are not the same as the first and last name you enter in the online application, considerable time can be lost in processing your application because your test scores will not be matched to your application. Make sure that the names match exactly! (If you make a mistake and the names do not match, notify the Economics Graduate Office of any differences and provide us with your applicant number and the program to which you are applying.)
Important note to applicants for MA programs
We have two streams in our MA program, the "regular stream" and the "doctoral stream" (see our MA program page). You will not be asked to select which of these streams you are applying for on the SGS online application form (see Step 1 below). Instead, you will be asked to make this selection on the department's supplmentary application form (see Step 6 below).How to apply
- Read through the following instructions.
- Contact people who are willing to complete online reference forms for you. If you are applying to the MA program, you need two references; if you are applying to the PhD program, you need three references.
- Go to the SGS Online Admissions Application page. Read the instructions carefully.
- Provide the biographical and education information requested.
- Submit contact information for your referees. Once you have completed the application and paid the application fee, the referees will be contacted by email, with a link to our reference form. Note that we do NOT accept hard copy letters of recommendation or letters of recommendation sent by email. You MUST supply an email address for each of your referees when you complete your application (even though the system does not require you to do so).
- Submit your payment (online payment is preferred but mail-in payment is possible). Deadline: January 11, 2013.
- Once your payment is received, within 10 days you will receive an email message from the Department of Economics with a link to a supplemental form.
- Upload your scanned transcript(s) and institutional grading scale(s) (follow the SGS online applications instructions). Deadline: January 25, 2013.
- Arrange to have one OFFICIAL copy of your transcripts (in the original language) from each post-secondary institution your have attended sent to the department. Official English translations must accompany all foreign documents not written in English. Transcripts must be enclosed in an envelope provided by the issuing institution(s) and sealed or signed across the back of the envelope by an official of the issuing office. See the SGS web page on transcripts for additional information.
- Arrange to have official GRE scores (if applicable) sent to the Economics Graduate Office.
- Ensure acceptable official English Language Facility test scores (if applicable) are submitted.
- When you have completed the SGS online form and the department's supplementary form and have paid the application fee, and all official transcripts and test scores have been received (deadline January 25, 2013), we will start evaluating your application.
- NOTE: Do not mail us any documents (e.g. research papers, theses, statement of purpose, c.v.). They will be discarded.
Applying to collaborative and combined programs
If you are applying to a collaborative or combined program, you must read the instructions on this page and in addition review the application procedures of the other department and ensure that all required documents have been received by the other department. Please read the respective collaborative program application and program information, as application deadlines to the collaborative program may differ from ours.
Contact information
For information or assistance on applying and the online application please contact:
Graduate Assistant, MA and PhD Programs
Telephone: 416-978-4544
Fax: 416-978-5277
Please see our contact page for email information.
Mailing address
Please note: it is your responsibility to ensure that all required official transcripts and test reports are received by the deadline of January 25, 2013. Send these documents to
Admissions, MA and PhD Graduate Office
Department of Economics
150 St. George St., Room 166
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON Canada M5S 3G7
The application assessment process
Each applicant who meets the minimum requirements and who submits all required test scores and transcipts by the deadline will have his/her file reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Note: The meeting of these requirements is only a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition, for acceptance into the program. The Admissions Committee will start round one offers for September admission in late March and early April and will continue with subsequent rounds of offers until June. All applicants will be notified either with an offer of admission or rejection of their application by the end of June.
School of Graduate Studies (SGS)
Important information for prospective graduate students to the University of Toronto on topics such as graduate housing, fee information, fee schedules, sessional dates, Centre for International Expericence may be found at the School of Graduate Studies website.