How to Apply

 

We have one application cycle per year, and all admitted MA and PhD students begin in September. Applications are submitted online to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Toronto.

  • October 9, 2023: Online application system opens
  • October 25, 2023: Information session for Graduate Applications and Major Awards - Details Coming Soon.
  • January 5, 2024: Application payment and supporting documents submission deadline

Admission to both the MA and PhD Linguistics programs are highly competitive. Only applicants who meet at least the minimum requirements and whose research interests are consistent with our Department's areas of focus can be considered by the Admissions Committee.

To apply for our MA program, you will need to have completed, or be about to complete, a 4-year undergraduate degree in linguistics with at least a B+ average in your final year. You do not need to have a specialist degree in linguistics, but you should have completed the following coursework:

 

In exceptional cases, a student may be allowed to take one of these required courses during the one-year MA, provided that they do not plan to write a Forum paper in this area.If you have at least introductory-level phonetics, phonology, syntax, and semantics, you may ask to be considered for admission to our two-year MA program. There is no separate application, but you may wish to indicate in your MA application that you are specifically interested in the two-year program. We offer the two-year MA to very exceptional students from universities whose programs we are familiar with, but who lack a strong background in linguistics due to a lack of courses at their home university. More often, however, we recommend that such a student take the courses required for admission to the one-year MA as a special student, either at the University of Toronto or elsewhere. Please note that a student in the first year of a two-year MA does not qualify for University of Toronto graduate funding.

 

Students with a bachelor's degree, with a minimum A– average, may be admitted to the Direct-Entry PhD program. Admission to this program requires a strong background in linguistics with at least courses in introductory phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax and a demonstration of capacity for original research. Students wishing to be considered for the Direct-Entry PhD Program should indicate their interest in the program in their personal statement, and include all supplementary documents indicated in the online application. 

To apply for our PhD program, you will need to have completed, or be about to complete, a Master's degree in linguistics from a recognized university with an overall average of at least A-. Our PhD program is primarily intended for people interested in teaching linguistics and conducting advanced research. Your application needs to show the admissions committee that you are capable of independent, high-level linguistics research.

We welcome applications from international students, though we have a limited number of places in our MA and PhD programs to offer to international applicants (that is to say, students who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents).

The School of Graduate Studies sets minimum admission requirements for all graduate students. If you are unsure how your own educational background aligns with the SGS requirements, you can check the International Degree Equivalencies Tool. As part of your admission requirements, you may be expected to provide proof of English-language proficiency.

We have one application cycle per year, for admission in the following September. The online application system opens on October 9. The application and document submission deadline is in January. The first round of admission decisions will be sent out in early February, and continue until all places are filled. You should expect a response by early May.

There is a non-refundable application fee of $125 CAD, which can be paid by credit card. Payment of your application fee must be received by the School of Graduate Studies before we can consider your application.

The Department of Linguistics has a limited number of application fee waivers to offer to eligible applicants who self-identify as any of the following, including international applicants.

 

  • Indigenous, Black, and Persons of Colour (BIPOC)
  • Living with disability
  • LGBTQ2S+
  • Annual household income of less than $15,000 CAD

Only applicants who meet at least the minimum requirements and whose research interests are consistent with our Department's areas of focus will be considered for the Application Fee waiver.If we receive more applications than we have waivers, we will distribute fee waivers to eligible applicants by lottery.

NOTE: The application fee waiver is not an indication or promise of admission to the graduate program you are applying for. The admissions process is conducted separately.

Timeline and procedures:

 

1. Complete this form by Nov. 10th 2023 (23:59 EST) and send the following supporting documents to linguistics@utoronto.ca in pdf format.

 

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Unofficial transcripts for all university programs you have enrolled in or completed
  • If your highest degree in Linguistics is from a university outside of Canada and the US, please provide an additional document listing all the Linguistics courses you have taken and the textbook (or material) used in the course.

2. You will receive notification whether you will receive a fee waiver or not by Nov. 22nd 2023.

 

3. Upon notification, you will receive further instructions about how and when to apply to the program. NOTE: Fee waivers can only be awarded in advance of application to the program; we cannot reimburse application fees if they have already been paid.

If you have any questions please contact linguistics.grad.chair@utoronto.ca.

Interested applicants are invited to an information session on applying to graduate school in the Department of Linguistics.

Wednesday October 25, 2023 4:00-5:00PM 

Please complete this form by October 23, 2023 to Register

Zoom meeting access information will be sent out to all registered participants on October 24th

 

What's in an application?

Applications for our MA and PhD programs must be submitted electronically via the online Admissions Application, hosted by the School of Graduate Studies on a secure server. Once you have accessed the application and entered your contact information, an applicant identification number and password will be emailed to you. You can return to your application at any point. After completing the application and paying the application fee, you will be able to upload your supporting documents and check your application status.

When completing the online application form, please be sure to tell us your area of study! (e.g., syntax, phonology, sociolinguistics...)

Your application consists of the following documents, all uploaded to your online application:

  • Transcripts from each university you have attended, complete to the time of application. These can be unofficial transcripts. If they are in a language other than English or French, please include a translation into English.
  • Three letters of reference from linguistics instructors, who can speak specifically to your skills as a student linguist. The link to our reference form and instructions will be sent directly to your referees, and the form should be uploaded to the application site.
  • Your statement of interest, of approximately two pages, outlining your research interests. In this document, please describe any competitions, events or achievements that you have taken part in, or received, that would help us understand your capabilities as a scholar and why you would be successful in our program. If you are interested in working with a specific faculty member, please let us know in your statement of interest.*
  • Optional: Your curriculum vitae (CV).*
  • Optional: One sample of your recent written work in linguistics, in English or French, of no more than 20 pages. This can be a term paper. It should provide evidence of your ability to conduct linguistics research.*
  • English-language proficiency test results, if you are an applicant whose primary language is not English. More information about recognized English-language proficiency tests can be found on the School of Graduate Studies' website, including the list of exemption conditions. Please note that students admitted to our MA and PhD programs generally have scores that exceed the SGS minimum requirements.
  • Optional: If your highest degree in Linguistics is from a university outside of Canada and the US, please provide an additional document listing all the Linguistics courses you have taken and the textbook (or material) used in the course. Please list your courses and textbooks in a separate word document to be uploaded to the application system*
    • Ex. LIN101H1 F Introduction to Linguistics; William O’Grady and John Archibald (eds.). Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction. Eighth Edition. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-321-83615-1

*For more information on how to submit your supplement documents, please view the page on "How to Submit Supplemental Documents" on the sidebar (https://www.linguistics.utoronto.ca/node/928)

When completing the online application form, please be sure to tell us your area of study! (e.g., syntax, phonology, sociolinguistics...)

Your application consists of the following documents, all uploaded to your online application:

  • Transcripts from each university you have attended, complete to the time of application. These can be unofficial transcripts. If they are in a language other than English or French, please include a translation into English.
  • Three letters of reference from linguistics instructors, who can speak specifically to your skills as a student linguist. The link to our reference form and instructions will be sent directly to your referees, and the form should be uploaded to the application site.
  • Your curriculum vitae (CV).*
  • Your statement of interest of two single-spaced pages max. outlining your academic background and research interests. This is an opportunity to tell the admissions committee what you have done as a University student (your academic background), what you intend to do in your MA/PhD studies (your research goals) and why University of Toronto Linguistics is the best place for you to pursue these research goals. If you are interested in working with a specific faculty member, please let us know in your statement of interest. (Note: In this document, you may also discuss any academic honours or achievements you may have earned or any competitions (e.g. university entrance examinations) you may have taken part in that would help us understand better your capabilities as a student and why you would be successful in our program.)*
  • One sample of your recent written work in linguistics, in English or French, of no more than 20 pages. This can be a term paper. It should provide evidence of your ability to conduct linguistics research.*
  • English-language proficiency test results, if you are an applicant whose primary language is not English. More information about recognized English-language proficiency tests can be found on the School of Graduate Studies' website, including the list of exemption conditions. Please note that students admitted to our graduate programs generally have scores that exceed the SGS minimum requirements.
  • Optional: If your highest degree in Linguistics is from a university outside of Canada and the US, please provide an additional document listing all the Linguistics courses you have taken and the textbook (or material) used in the course. Please list your courses and textbooks in a separate word document to be uploaded to the application system*
    • Ex. LIN101H1 F Introduction to Linguistics; William O’Grady and John Archibald (eds.). Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction. Eighth Edition. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-321-83615-1

(Note: Our original application instructions used the MA application form for the Direct-Entry PhD program.  If you applied using the previous set of instructions and have been in contact with us, you will not need to reapply using the PhD application form.)

*For more information on how to submit your supplement documents, please view the page on "How to Submit Supplemental Documents" on the sidebar (https://www.linguistics.utoronto.ca/node/928)

When completing the online application form, please be sure to tell us your area of study! (e.g., syntax, phonology, sociolinguistics...)

Your application consists of the following documents, all uploaded to your online application:

  • Transcripts from each university you have attended, complete to the time of application. These can be unofficial transcripts. If they are in a language other than English or French, please include a translation into English.
  • Three letters of reference from linguistics instructors, who can speak specifically to your skills as a student linguist. The link to our reference form and instructions will be sent directly to your referees, and the form should be uploaded to the application site.
  • Your curriculum vitae (CV).*
  • Your statement of interest of two single-spaced pages max. outlining your academic background and research interests. This is an opportunity to tell the admissions committee what you have done as a University student (your academic background), what you intend to do in your MA/PhD studies (your research goals) and why University of Toronto Linguistics is the best place for you to pursue these research goals. If you are interested in working with a specific faculty member, please let us know in your statement of interest. (Note: In this document, you may also discuss any academic honours or achievements you may have earned or any competitions (e.g. university entrance examinations) you may have taken part in that would help us understand better your capabilities as a student and why you would be successful in our program.)*
  • One sample of your recent written work in linguistics, in English or French, of no more than 20 pages. This can be a term paper. It should provide evidence of your ability to conduct linguistics research at an advanced level.*
  • English-language proficiency test results, if you are an applicant whose primary language is not English. More information about recognized English-language proficiency tests can be found on the School of Graduate Studies' website, including the list of exemption conditions. Please note that students admitted to our MA and PhD programs generally have scores that exceed the SGS minimum requirements.
  • Optional: If your highest degree in Linguistics is from a university outside of Canada and the US, please provide an additional document listing all the Linguistics courses you have taken and the textbook (or material) used in the course. Please list your courses and textbooks in a separate word document to be uploaded to the application system*
    • Ex. LIN101H1 F Introduction to Linguistics; William O’Grady and John Archibald (eds.). Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction. Eighth Edition. Toronto: Pearson Canada, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-321-83615-1

*For more information on how to submit your supplement documents, please view the page on "How to Submit Supplemental Documents" on the sidebar (https://www.linguistics.utoronto.ca/node/928)

We do not require the following:

  • Paper copies of your application documents, unless we specifically request them. Regulations do not allow us to return any documents (and official transcripts are expensive!).
  • Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores.

If you have questions about applying to the University of Toronto, the School of Graduate Studies hosts a comprehensive FAQ page. If you have technical difficulties with your application, please contact the School of Graduate Studies, including your name and applicant number. If you have other questions about your application, or need to change the email address for a referee, please contact the Graduate Administrator, also including your name and applicant number.

 

Proceed to the SGS Online Admissions Application

 

Last updated September 2023