How Graduate Applications Differ From Undergraduate in Canada

Who runs the application

The biggest shift from undergraduate to graduate study in Canada is who decides. Undergraduate admission is run by a university's central admissions office (and, in Ontario, often through the centralized OUAC service), evaluating you mainly on grades and required prerequisite subjects.

Graduate admission is led by the academic department or program. The department reviews your application against its own standards and, for research programs, against the availability and interest of a suitable supervisor. This is why two applicants with similar grades can have very different outcomes depending on fit.

What you submit is different

Undergraduate applications centre on your school-leaving results, prerequisite subjects, and language proficiency. Graduate applications ask for more: typically a statement of purpose or research statement, academic references (letters from professors or supervisors who know your work), a CV or résumé, and your transcripts.

Some graduate programs also require standardised tests such as the GRE, or a portfolio for creative fields. Exactly which documents are needed is set by each program — always build your checklist from the official program page.

• Statement of purpose or research statement
• Academic references / letters of recommendation
• CV or résumé detailing relevant experience
• Transcripts and proof of English or French proficiency
• Sometimes GRE or a portfolio — check the official program page

The supervisor and research-fit step

Undergraduate applicants never need to line up a professor. For research-based graduate programs (thesis master's, PhD), finding a faculty supervisor whose work matches yours is often essential, and some departments will not admit a research student without one.

This adds an early, relationship-driven step — identifying and emailing potential supervisors — that has no undergraduate equivalent. Course-based graduate programs are more often admitted centrally and may not need a supervisor, similar in feel to undergraduate admission.

Timelines and how decisions are made

Undergraduate decisions often follow predictable cycles tied to a province's application calendar. Graduate decisions can be less uniform: deadlines vary by department, some programs review applications as supervisors confirm interest, and decisions weigh fit, references, and research direction alongside grades.

Because the process is department-led, two programs at the same university can run on different timelines and criteria. Treat any general timeline as a starting point and verify the actual deadlines and steps on each official program page.

What this means for international applicants

International graduate applicants follow the department-led process above and, after accepting an offer, generally need a study permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to study in Canada. The study permit is a separate immigration process from university admission, with its own current requirements.

This is general information, not immigration advice. Study-permit rules — including any attestation-letter and eligibility requirements — have changed recently, so always confirm the current rules on the official Government of Canada (IRCC) source rather than older summaries.