All applicants to the Faculty of Graduate Studies must meet the minimum standards required by the faculty. If an applicant satisfies these basic requirements, the application is passed on to the program or department for final decision.

Many departments have set higher standards than those set by the faculty. These standards and any additional information required for your program can be found below.

Please be aware that there are special admission processes if you are:

• wanting to audit courses
• a visiting student, using a letter of permission
• taking part in the Western Deans' Agreement
• a visiting research student (including CGSMRA)
• wishing to undertake a specialized degree program

Admission to a master’s degree

Admission to any master's degree requires that you have completed an acceptable bachelor's degree or equivalent from an academic institution recognized by the University of Victoria.

• You must have earned the equivalent of a "B" average over the last two years (or equivalent of 30 UVic units) of your degree to be considered.
• Practica, non-graded (pass-fail) courses, credit granted on the basis of life or work experience, or credit earned at institutions not recognized by the university will not be used in determining an applicant's grade point average or units completed.
• Any courses used in the calculation of the entering average cannot be used as credit toward a graduate degree program.
• Many academic departments require a higher average for admission to a master's degree.

Admission to a PhD degree

Admission to a doctoral program requires that you have completed an acceptable master's degree or equivalent to those offered in Canada. If you have a first-class average in the last two years of a bachelor's degree, you may be considered.

Admission to a second graduate degree

Your application to study for a second master's or doctoral degree will only be accepted if the emphasis is different from that of the first degree.

Before applying to the University of Victoria, you must determine which program you want to study. You may wish to discuss your academic goals with the graduate adviser for your proposed area of study to determine if it's the right fit.

If you wish to be considered for fellowships and awards for your program, we encourage you to have all application materials submitted to Graduate Admissions and Records as soon as possible, and no later than the application deadline for your academic unit.

These are specific program requirements in addition to the minimum requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The Examination Requirements, the Minimum Academic Standings, the Program Application Deadlines, and other additional requirements specified by each Graduate Program are identified on the individual program outlines.

NOTE: Applications received after the deadlines may be considered, but may not be processed in time for the desired entry point, or in time to obtain a student visa.