Application Information

The Department of English strongly recommends that all applicants apply for all external funding for which they may be eligible, typically as follows:

• For applicants to the MA and MA CRW programs: SSHRC CGS M and OGS. The SSHRC CGS M has a December 1 deadline, and OGS has an early January deadline.
• For applicants to the PhD and PhD U programs: Doctoral (CGS D) SSHRC and OGS. The Doctoral (CGS D) SSHRC application deadline is very early -- late September for "quota" students (who apply to SSHRC through us), mid-October for outside applicants submitting directly to SSHRC (if you are unsure which category you fall under, please contact marguerite.perry@utoronto.ca).

Canadian citizens, Protected Persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), and Permanent Residents should apply for the OGS award and, if appropriate, the SSHRC fellowship.

International students may only apply for the OGS award.

Please note that the deadlines for these external awards may be much earlier than the deadline for our application for admission.

• Register/log in to the SGS Online Admissions Application.
• If you are a first-time applicant, click the link to Create an Account to begin your application. You will receive a verification code via email as part of the account-creation process. After entering your verification code, you will create a password for your account.
• You may save and return to the application at any point in the process.
• You will be required to enter information for two academic referees/recommenders (Note: Only institutional email addresses are acceptable). Your referees will automatically receive a notification email that they have been requested to complete a reference for your application, along with instructions to submit their reference letter in the application system. (Please advise your referees to check their spam or junk folders for their notification emails as these are often redirected by most institutional email servers.) All reference letters must be received by the application document deadline. If you need to change your referees or if you do not have institutional email addresses for one or both of your referees, please email deptofenglish.graduate@utoronto.ca
• We do not accept letters of reference or transcripts through third-party dossier and folio services, such as "Interfolio"-type transcripts ordering services or "Clearing House"-type transcripts ordering services (e.g., National Clearing House). If you need to send a reminder email to your existing referees, you can do so through your applicant portal after submitting your application. If you have any problems or questions about using clearing houses to order official transcripts , please contact deptofenglish.graduate@utoronto.ca.
• Pay the non-refundable and non-transferable application fee of $125 CAD by the online application deadline.
• To view the status of your application, including outstanding requirements, please log in to your account to view your applicant-status portal.
• You can upload application materials, including unofficial transcripts, statements of intent, writing samples, and more, through your applicant-status portal after submitting your application and paying your application fee.
• Arrange to submit official transcripts from each post-secondary institution that you have attended.
• Applications must be submitted including all documents and reference letters by the application deadlines listed above. We will not review any applications for which the application fee is unpaid and that remain incomplete as of these deadlines.

You should submit a statement of purpose (maximum 500 words) outlining the particular strengths and interests you would bring to us.

Discuss the areas of literary history and the literary forms that your work has engaged and is likely to engage in future, as well as the theoretical approaches that inform that work. (If you are a PhD applicant you should, in addition, outline in detail the kind of dissertation you hope to write.)

You should also consult our website and mention faculty members whose work is particularly relevant to your proposed studies and research.

The statement should be limited to 500 words.

PhD and PhD U (direct-entry) applicants should upload a single writing sample (with their SGS online application) of not more than 5,000 words (15-20pp), inclusive of footnotes and endnotes. The bibliography is not part of the required word count.

MA in English applicants should upload a single writing sample (with their SGS online application) a maximum of 12 to 15 double-spaced pages (inclusive of footnotes and bibliography). The writing sample should be an accomplished piece of the applicant’s own academic writing, such as an advanced undergraduate seminar paper. Preference is for essays focused on literary studies and criticism. Applicants from other academic backgrounds should submit a sample that demonstrates their skills in close reading and analysis.

MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing applicants do not submit an academic essay but should instead upload a single portfolio consisting of 20-25 pages of prose (drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction), and/or poetry. Manuscripts may not exceed the maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of prose or 25 pages of poetry (double-spacing not necessary), or a combination of prose (double-spaced) and poetry, not to exceed 25 pages.

Two academic letters of reference are required. In the system, please enter information for your TWO (and only two) academic referees/recommenders. (The system is set up to accept information for more than two, but please enter information for only two.) Your referees will automatically receive a notification email that they have been requested to complete a reference for your application, along with instructions to submit their reference letter in the application system.

Please advise your referees to check their SPAM or JUNK folders for their notification emails as these are often redirected by institutional email servers.

All reference letters must be received by the application document deadline.

Only institutional email addresses are acceptable for referees.

If you need to change your referees or if you do not have institutional email addresses for one or both of your referees, please email deptofenglish.graduate@utoronto.ca.

Letters of reference must be submitted through the online application.

Hard copies or references sent via email will not be accepted.

For MA CRW applicants: Two academic letters of reference submitted online by referees, each addressing your performance in university English and/or Creative Writing coursework. At least one letter must discuss your performance in English coursework. Do not use editors, publishers, or fellow writers as referees.

The Department requires applicants to submit transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (including BA, MA, PhD, certificate programs, non-degree or special student studies).

Applicants must upload an unofficial PDF copy of each of their transcripts as part of the application, and also arrange for official copies to be sent to the Department of English.

It is your responsibility to submit requests for transcripts far enough in advance so that all transcripts will be received prior to the deadline.

If you are unable to submit official documents, please contact the Graduate Administrator, Department of English.

Unofficial transcripts uploaded to the SGS application site

At the beginning of the online application process, applicants upload a digital copy (PDF) of each transcript to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) application site. This can take one of three forms:

• A scan of an official paper transcript;
• A PDF transcript issued to the applicant by the institution; or
• For transcripts from Canadian institutions only, a saved PDF of the student’s record from the institution’s student web service.

The application review process will begin based on this digital transcript. Please ensure that the file is complete and readable before submitting.

The following option applies to transcripts from Canadian universities only: In lieu of a scanned copy of a paper transcript, applicants may upload a PDF file of their academic history from their university’s student web service. This file must include a grading scale / transcript legend.

Printing to PDF directly from your web browser is ideal; if this is not possible, you may copy and paste the information into a word processing program and print to / save as PDF from there.

The file should include the university’s grading legend and your name. If your PDF transcript does not include a grading legend, you will need to add it to the file.

Technical Requirements for Scanning

Please scan your transcripts in grayscale (preferably) or low colour saturation, at the lowest dots per inch (dpi) setting that results in a legible document. We recommend 200–300 dpi whenever possible.

• The file must be in PDF format. Image files, such as those in .jpg or .bmp formats, must be converted to PDF before uploading.
• If your transcript is double-sided, please be sure to scan the front and back of each page.
• The transcript legend/grade scale/guide (usually but not always printed on the back of a paper transcript) must appear at least once for every scanned transcript submitted.
• Do not upload a document that is password-protected or that contains macros.
• If in doubt about formatting, please contact deptofenglish.graduate@utoronto.ca for assistance before you upload to your application.

Official Transcripts

In addition to the online copy uploaded to the application site, applicants must submit official copies of academic transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, even if no degree was granted. The deadline for receipt of official transcripts is the January deadline.

Official transcripts may be hard copy or electronic, depending on the issuing institution.

Hard Copy (paper) Transcripts

1. Instruct each institution to mail an official transcript directly to Graduate Admissions, Department of English. Documents must be sealed in the original envelope from the issuing institution.
2. Obtain an official, “issued to student” transcript from your institution and mail it yourself to Graduate Admissions, Department of English. Documents must be sealed in the original envelope from the issuing institution.

In either case, photocopies, faxes, or documents arriving in previously opened envelopes will not be considered official.

Electronic Transcripts

1. If the issuing institution sends transcripts to an email address specified by the student, request that the transcript to be sent to tanuja.persaud@utoronto.ca.
2. If the issuing institution uses a third-party transcript service (e.g. Parchment), make sure that their use of this service is confirmed on the institution’s website, and email the URL offering this confirmation to tanuja.persaud@utoronto.ca.
3. If the issuing institution or their service provider (e.g. MyCreds) will issue only to a single recipient at the University of Toronto, confirm the contact details for that recipient and send those details to tanuja.persaud@utoronto.ca.

Final Transcripts

Many applicants apply before finishing their current degree. If, at the time of application, an applicant’s degree is in progress, and they receive an offer of admission, that offer will be conditional on submission of final official transcripts confirming completion and conferral of the degree.

PhD and PhD U applicants are required to upload a CV (of no more than 3 pages) with their SGS online application.

MA and MA CRW applicants may upload a CV (of no more than 3 pages) with their SGS online application, but a CV is not required.

MA and MA CRW applicants, please note: if you select the option to include a CV at the beginning of the application, the optional CV will become mandatory for you. Only select the option for the CV if you intend to include a CV as part of your application.

Please do not send a hard copy of your CV to the Department of English.

Collaborative Specializations provide an additional multidisciplinary experience as students complete their English degree program. Such programs normally require students to:

• complete a core academic activity (such as a core course)
• participate in activities and seminars offered by the Collaborative Specialization
• incorporate the disciplinary focus of the Collaborative Specialization into any final research requirements of the home degree programs.

Upon successful completion of all Collaborative Specialization requirements, students receive a certificate of completion and a notation on their transcripts.

If you wish to be considered for admission to a Collaborative Specialization program, please follow the instructions on the SGS online application.

Students applying for admission into a Collaborative Specialization program must apply to (and be accepted into) both the Department of English and the respective collaborative program.

Interested students should contact the specific Collaborative Specialization Program to determine the admissions deadlines and to see if they require any additional documentation.

In the application's Program Selection section, PhD and PhD U applicants must identify one or more particular fields of study.

MA in English applicants may select a field or fields of study, or they may leave this section blank.

Applicants to the MA in the Field of Creative Writing should select Creative Writing.

Fields of Study

• Medieval Literature
• Renaissance Literature
• Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature
• Romantic and Victorian Literature
• Canadian Literature
• American Literature
• Twentieth and Twenty-First Century British and Irish Literature
• World Literatures in English
• Aspects of Theory
• Creative Writing

English Language Proficiency (ELP) is a requirement of the School of Graduate Studies. Please see our Admissions' FAQ and the Exemptions section of the SGS English Language Proficiency Testing page.