Interested Applicants - How to Apply & Application Procedures

 

Announcements - Updated October 28, 2008

*Please read the information below before submitting any part of your application.

Online Application fee change

As of Friday October 24, 2008, the application fee for 2009 applications is $90 (Canadian) and not $80 as previously indicated. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes; the Office of Graduate Programs and Research had no prior knowledge of this change.

September 2009 Online Application Deadline Change

The On-line Application will now be administered by the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC), who will also be responsible for collecting the application fee ($90 Canadian).  We expect that the On-line Application will be available October 15, 2008 and a link to it will be provided on this page.  As this is later than expected, we have adjusted the deadline to receive applications from International applicants from November 1 to December 1.

Graduate Studies Showcase

We cordially invite all those interested in applying for September 2009 to join us on Saturday November 8, for the 2008 Graduate Studies Showcase.  This promises to be an informative afternoon filled with opportunities to meet with leading researchers, academics, and current graduate students.  This event will provide you with the opportunity to see what makes us one of Canada’s top research institutions and to take some time to discover the excitement, challenges, and rewards of being a Western graduate student.

The day will start at 12:30 pm in the University Community Centre, where you can enjoy snacks and refreshments and browse around booths with information on graduate programs, scholarships, the Society of Graduate Students, housing, student services, teaching assistantships, research, campus recreation, health services and much more.  To register or for more information, click here.

Top of Page

How to Apply: The On-line Application

Register using the OUAC on-line application.
Please notify us if this OUAC link is not working.
  • New MEd and PhD applicants must apply using the OUAC (Ontario Universities' Application Centre) On-line Application.  The Office of Graduate Programs & Research does not produce a hard copy (paper) version of this application form. 
  • Once you have submitted your On-line Application, you must submit your payment ($90 Canadian) to OUAC or they will not forward your application to us.
  • You will be able to print a copy of your On-line application, but DO NOT submit a paper copy to the Office of Graduate Programs & Research; we will print a copy once it is forwarded from OUAC.
  • Please see "application procedures" below for further instructions.
  • Former Graduate Education students who voluntarily withdrew and are reapplying for admission within 2 years of withdrawing; go to http://www.uwo.ca/grad (School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies), click on "Prospective Students" and "Step 4:  Apply," and scroll down to the link for the "Western Graduate Application Form (pdf)."  Submit this with your $150 reapplication fee to Linda Kulak by the following deadline dates:  July 1 (to return in Fall term), November 1 (to return in Winter term) or March 1 (to return in Summer term).
Top of Page

 

Application Deadlines

The following deadlines apply to both the submission of your on-line application as well as required supporting documents. Complete applications received by the applicable deadline will be assessed first; late applications (including those whose supporting documents are late) will be subsequently considered if space is available.

  Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents International Students (Study Permits)
Masters programs February 1 December 1 (changed from November 1 for 2009)
Doctoral program January 15 December 1 (changed from November 1 for 2009)

FAQ:  Do you have January admission?  No. We have only one intake of new students each year in September. The only exception to this is the M.Ed. Educational Studies – Leadership for First Nation Schools program. This program starts in July and we have an intake every 2 years.

Top of Page

 

Application Procedures

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required for viewing PDF files. Click the icon below to download Acrobat for free.
  1. Program-Specific document CHECKLISTS (Adobe PDF pages): 

    2. Please note that information that you see on the Schoolof Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies' web site with regard to required documents is not program-specific.  Your application must be accompanied by the program-specific required documents as outlined within the documents above.  In rare instances, we may need to request specific documentation that is not on the checklist but applicants will be contacted individually via email if this is necessary.

    Please note that you must submit separate, original documents to Office of Graduate Programs & Research, independent of other courses/programs you are applying for at UWO and independent of courses/programs you have previously applied for or completed at UWO.  This includes the Bachelor of Education program or Continuing Teacher Education courses at the Faculty of Education. 

    FAQ:  What do I do if I need to make a change to my On-Line Application or supporting documents after they have been submitted?  Please submit any changes to your application in writing to the Office of Graduate Programs & Research (address below).  You will not be able to access your OUAC application once it has been submitted.

  2. Where do I send my documents?

    3. Please submit all supporting documents directly to: 

    Office of Graduate Programs & Research
    Faculty of Education
    The University of Western Ontario
    1137 Western Road
    London, Ontario,
    Canada N6G 1G7

    Please DO NOT send supporting documents to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies as this will cause delays in processing your application.

  3. Where can I find information for International students?

    4. International applicants (and domestic students who have studied outside of Canada) must read the International Students page of the Graduate Programs & Research web site.  This includes information on English proficiency test scores. 

  4. How do I apply for advanced standing (transfer credit)?

    5. Students who wish to apply for advanced standing for accredited courses taken at the graduate level prior to their initial registration in a Graduate Education program at UWO must do so at the time of admission.  Advanced standing cannot be granted on courses taken to complete degrees or diplomas. Advanced credit will be recommended for courses that are clearly relevant to the current program of the student. Normally advanced standing will be given for no more than two half courses (one full course).  At the time of application, please include a written request for Advanced Standing and include detailed course descriptions. 

    FAQ:  Are Additional Qualification (AQ) courses eligible for advanced standing?  No; AQ courses are not eligible for advanced standing towards graduate course work.

  5. How do I apply for funding/is funding available?

    PhD funding - is automatic; please see the PhD program page for more information.  PhD funding includes the annual cost of tuition plus a Teaching or Research Assistantship; see TA/RA form below.  Normally, first year PhD students are given a research assistantship.

    *Please note that a condition of accepting PhD funding is applying for major scholarships for which you are eligible:  the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Scholarships.  The applications for these are due in October so students should be thinking about research topics over the summer.  In addition, transcripts and academic reference letters must be secured.  For more information:  OGS (OSAP web site)  - http://osap.gov.on.ca/eng/not_secure/Plan_Grants_full_sepapp_OGS_12345.htmand SSHRC - http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/web/home_e.asp

  6. M.Ed. funding

    7. There is a limited number of Western Graduate Research Scholarships (WGRS) for students applying for a full time program, who plan to do research (i.e. a Thesis or Directed Research Project) and who have a minimum average of 80% as calculated by UWO (typically the last full 10 or 20 half courses or equivalent).  WGRS covers the cost of full time tuition, minus ancillary fees.  This process is competitive, but there is no application; those who qualify will automatically be considered.  All M.Ed. applications must be assessed before determining WGRS recipients so you may receive your offer of admission before an offer of funding. 
    * M.Ed. funding decisions are typically made in mid to late April.

  7. How much will my program cost?

    8. Tuition amounts are set each year by Senate and then published on the Office of the Registrar's web site:  http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/FinancialServices/Fees.cfm  Fees are paid once each term (Fall, Winter, Summer) according to your full or part time status (not by course).  Fees will change slightly from year to year, but tuition amounts for Graduate Education programs for Fall 2008/Winter 2009 are as follows:

  Fall 2008 - Full Amount Fall 2008 - Tuition only Fall 2008 - Ancillary Fees Winter 2009 - Full Amount Winter 2009 - Tuition Only Winter 2009 - Ancillary Fees
Canadian Full Time $2854.55 $2475.00 $379.55 $2854.55 $2475.00 $379.55
Canadian Part Time $1294.10 $1237.50 $56.60 $1294.10 $1237.50 $56.60
International Full Time $6464.88 $5833.33 $631.55 $6464.89 $5833.33 $631.56
International Part Time $3225.27 $2916.67 $308.60 $3225.27 $2916.67 $308.60
Top of Page

Forms

Below are UWO forms that you may need to complete your application.

  • Transcript Request Form - to be submitted by former or current UWO students (undergraduate, graduate, AQ etc.) to authorize the Office of Graduate Programs & Research to print your unofficial UWO Transcript.  There is no charge for this service. 
  • TA/RA Information Form - PhD students must submit this form with their application.  Normally, first year PhD students are assigned a Research Assistantship. 
  • Reference/Recommendation Letters - FYI only; there is no action required on the part of the applicant.  An electronic recommendation form is automatically emailed to the 2 (M.Ed.) or 3 (Ph.D.) referees that you indicate on your OUAC application.  Your referees are directed to complete and submit these forms electronically to us.  The new system will even send them reminder emails if the recommendation form is not received within a certain time frame.  Once the form has been received, you will receive email notification and your referee will receive a thank-you note.   

FAQ:  What do I do if I can't obtain one or both academic references?  Every effort should be made to obtain academic references, especially if you have completed any kind of studies (full degree/diploma, individual courses for interest or upgrading, AQ courses etc.) within the last few years.  Academic referees should be current or past instructors who can attest to your research and writing abilities.  Academic references are preferred by the Admissions Committees, so even if you can obtain one academic reference instead of two, this will help. 
If one or both academic references are not possible, submit professional reference(s).

Top of Page

 

What happens after I apply

  1. Tracking Receipt of Documents

    2. Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive, unfortunately we cannot follow up with each applicant as to whether or not we have received your documents.  Please use your program-specific checklist (above) to ensure you submit all required documents. 

    Please check your email periodically after your application deadline has passed as we will notify you via email if we notice you are missing any documents.  M.Ed. Educational Studies applicants may not receive this email notification immediately after the deadline as it takes several weeks to compile all application files. 

  2. Admission Decisions

    3. All applicants who submit their On-line Application, application fee and any supporting documents are notified of their admission decision in writing.  We do not communicate admission decisions via telephone. 

    Although we make every endeavour to process applications as quickly as possible, the following are approximate timelines for when applicants can expect to receive admission decisions:

    • International Students - February to April commencing with PhD applicants
    • PhD applicants - March
    • MEd Counselling Psychology applicants - mid February (invitations to Group Selection Night are extended) - March (admission recommendations)
    • MEd Educational Studies applicants - April (May for late applications)

    For successful applicants, the Office of Graduate Programs & Research will first inform you by email that your application is being recommended for admission to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.  If your application is approved by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, you will then receive a formal offer of admission by mail. 

  3. Accepting or Declining your Offer of Admission

    • Applicants must accept or decline their offer on-line.  The web link and instructions on how to do this will be printed on your formal Offer of Admission from the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.  This step is important even if you are declining the offer as it allows us to extend offers of admission to applicants on waiting lists.  You will be provided with a deadline date to accept or decline your offer of admission in an informational letter included with your formal offer letter.  Important note:  failure to reply by this deadline date will imply that you are declining your offer of admission; your spot will be offered to another applicant. 

    • Once you click to accept or decline your offer of admission, a message will appear on your screen to indicate you have successfully accepted (or declined) and this is the only confirmation you will receive.  If you are unsure you successfully accepted your offer of admission, you can go through the process again; once you have accepted your offer it no longer appears.  Therefore, if your offer still appears you did not successfully accept or decline. 

    • Former Graduate Education students who voluntarily withdrew and are applying for readmission must also accept their offer of readmission on-line.

  4. Waiting List

    5. Those who are on waiting lists will be notified if/when a space becomes available.  Unfortunately we are not able to predict when and if this will happen; it depends on the responses we receive to the offers of admission we have extended.  We do try to extend additional offers of admission as soon as possible after we know we have an opening.  Occasionally, however, we have applicants change their mind in mid to late August.  Even if you have not heard from us, please contact us at that time if you are still interested in a spot.

  5. UWO Email Account

    6. Your formal Offer of Admission will provide you with your Student I.D. number and your UWO email address which must be activated in order to accept your offer of admission on-line.  Please keep this information in a safe place as you will use it regularly throughout your student career. 

    Special Note:  Email is the main form of communication for the University of Western Ontario as well as the Graduate Programs & Research Office.  We will use your UWO email account to communicate with you as soon as you have accepted your offer of admission; please be sure to check this account regularly!  We cannot be held responsible for information that you miss due to not checking your account, or there being a problem with your account that prevents delivery of a message.  If you are having difficulties with your UWO email account, please contact ITS for assistance:  519-661-3800. 

Top of Page

 

Next Steps - The Transition From Applicant to Student

  1. Advisors/Supervisors

    2. You are not responsible for finding your own Academic Advisor.  We will assign an Advisor to you based on the information in your letter of intent. Please be as detailed as possible in describing your research interests and goals within your letter of intent to assist us in matching you with someone suitable. 

    Your Advisor's name and contact details will be communicated to you once the admission process is over and course selection/Program Planning is about to begin (typically some time in May).

    We do recommend that you review the information on our faculty research page to ensure there is a faculty member in your area of interest.  We also encourage you to make contact with a few faculty members to discuss your research interests.  If you have made contact with a faculty member and he/she has expressed willingness to work with you, please indicate this in your On-line Application. 

    If you are accepted into your program, you should discuss your research with faculty members who you would like to have supervise your research before you complete your course work.  This can be your Academic Advisor or another faculty member of the Faculty of Education; do not be alarmed if your Academic Advisor suggests another faculty member to work with and don't worry about offending your Academic Advisor by choosing to work with someone else for your research.

    FAQ:  What's the difference between an Academic Advisor and a Thesis or Directed Research Project Supervisor?  An Academic Advisor is assigned to you upon commencing your program to assist you with course and program choices.  While we do our best to match you with someone with the same research interests, this does not always work out.  This is why your Academic Advisor may or may not become your research (Thesis or DRP) Supervisor.  You approach a faculty member to be your Thesis/DRP Supervisor and he/she advises and assists you to develop your research proposal and ethical review (if applicable), followed by the conducting, writing, and examination of your research.


  2. Course Selection/Program Planning

    Program Planning" or course and program selection occurs typically throughout May and June.  Please review the information on your applicable program page where the rules of study will be listed.  You will also find helpful the course descriptions and timetables page of our web site, which is the home of the "3-Year Plan of Course Offerings," current timetable, and course descriptions of Graduate Education course offerings.  Please note that not all courses listed on this page are offered term to term.  This is described within the 3-Year Plan of Course Offerings and emphasis in this planning document is on your first year of study.  As a result, Program Planning focuses on selecting courses for the first fall and winter term. 

    3. You must consult your Academic Advisor who approves all course and program choices.  You are provided a program-specific checklist summarizing the rules for course selection and steps to access and navigate within the Grad Portal.

    Program Planning is done on-line in our own "Graduate Portal;" you will be provided a login and password to access this, and we host an evening (typically in late May or early June) to introduce you to the Grad Portal and walk you through the steps of logging in and selecting courses.

    All current students redo Program Planning every March, at which time, students plan for the following year (summer, fall, winter terms).

    FAQ:  When are the timetables posted?  Timetables are created and posted one term at a time a few weeks before the start of each term.

    FAQ:  How does the Summer Term work?  A condition of graduate study is continuous enrolment; you cannot take a term off unless you withdraw or receive permission to take a leave of absence based on medical or compassionate reasons.  There are 3 sessions offering Graduate Education courses each summer and a student need only take a course in one of these sessions to meet the continuous graduate enrolment requirement.  Students can register for more than one course in more than one session (to a maximum of two for part timers and three for full timers).  Sessions include Summer On-line (available to onsite students, space permitting; 12 weeks commencing in May); Intersession (6 weeks, nights, commencing in May); and Summer Session (4 weeks, days, July). 

    Regardless of which summer session(s) a student studies in, tuition is paid once at the start of the term based on full or part time status (same as fall and winter terms). 

    In addition, grades are not available until a few weeks into the following (fall) term; same as the other terms.


  3. Fees and Deposits

    4. At this time, students are not required to pay a tuition deposit before commencing their program.  Students will be notified via email in early to mid August once fall fees are viewable in the Student Centre and a due date will be provided (typically the first week of each term).  For students who are receiving funding, they will be required to deduct this amount from the balance owing as it is not applied to students' accounts until the first day of the term (September 1 for the Fall Term).

  4. Orientation

    5. There will be information communicated to new students throughout the summer.  Two major orientation events are planned to assist you in settling into your Graduate Student career:

    • The Office of Graduate Programs & Research hosts an Orientation the first Wednesday in September after Labour Day, and
    • The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies hosts a university-wide graduate student orientation, typically the first Saturday in September after Labour Day. 

    If possible, we recommend that you attend both of these events - especially if you are new to London and/or the University of Western Ontario.  For those unable to attend, including on-line students, the Office of Graduate Programs and Research will send information via email specific to this orientation.

    M.Ed. Counselling Psychology students will also receive program-specific information via mail or email over the summer, and Counselling faculty host an orientation for these students the first day of classes.

    General information concerning support services for UWO students is available at the Student Development Centre (this includes International Student Services), Graduate Student Professional Development and Graduate Students with Families. 

    Information on accommodation, including residence information, can be found at  UWO Housing,  City of London, and School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies Location & Comparative Cost of Living.

    Information on many aspects of life in London are available at http://www.fyilondon.com or http://www.londontourism.ca/main.aspx.  

  5. Class schedule

    6. Each student is responsibility for the verification of his/her courses in the Grad Portal and then for checking the timetable online (course descriptions & timetables page) to determine when and where classes are being held.  Students are advised to check the timetable right up until their first class as last minute changes may occur. 

    Fall term classes typically begin the first full week in September.

Top of Page