Prospective students

We offer admission to the graduate program every September.

Applications must meet the Faculty of Graduate Studies minimum admission requirements as outlined in the Graduate Academic Calendar. The Graduate Admissions and Records Office forwards applications that meet the minimum requirements to our department for review and final decision.

Application Deadline for Canadian and International Applicants: February 1st

Outstanding required documents received after the deadline:

  • are accepted; however,
  • no guarantee the application will be processed and evaluated in time for the desired entry point and/or to obtain a student visa
  • incomplete applications, may not be considered for financial assistance  

PLAN AHEAD! It will take weeks for your transcripts and assessment reports to be prepared by your university, your references, and then evaluated by our admissions office. Make sure to start your application early and submit all required unofficial documents well before the deadline.

Application instructions

1. Complete the online My UVic Application

Fill out the application including information for all post-secondary institutions you attended, and upload, as applicable, all required documents. See Required Application Documents. 

The Graduate Admissions and Records Office (GARO) will accept unofficial documents to complete a preliminary evaluation, but require official documents to confirm the information received, if offered admission to the Economics graduate program.

CANCELLATION of your admission and registration will occur for failure to disclose previous studies.

2. Pay the application fee

Once you have completed your application and have uploaded your documents, pay your application fee. You must pay online with a credit card or INTERAC online.

This fee is a requirement of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and as such, our department cannot waive it. Students may find it helpful to know that it is possible to transition directly from the MA program into the PhD program. This makes the one-time application fee more worthwhile.

3. Review your checklist and submit outstanding documents 

After submitting your online application, please review the list of received and outstanding documents via the My UVic Application page. 

You may upload/submit any outstanding unofficial documents to Graduate Admissions and Records after submission of your application. Simply log back into your MY UVic Application, go to your application checklist, and click on the "upload" link next to the outstanding document. The uploaded item will post in the uploaded documents section of the application.

4. Offered provisional admission, submit all official documents

If offered provisional admission, you must mail all official documents to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office. Please include your full legal name with your document package. Delays may occur without this information.

Do not send official documents until all of your course work is completed and your degree conferred.

Official documents are not returned and will become the property of the University of Victoria. If your originals are irreplaceable, you should submit copies for evaluation purposes and be able to provide the originals for comparison.

Application documents

The following list provides information on required and/or optional application documents. Please examine each to see which applies to you. 

Transcripts (required by all)

The Graduate Admissions & Records Office (GARO) can begin an initial evaluation with uploaded unofficial transcripts.
Unofficial transcripts are:

  • Non-official photocopies
  • Transcripts which have been opened or arrive without a sealed envelope
  • Transcripts not endorsed by the issuing institution (signature, seal or chop over the closure)
  • Transcripts received electronically
  • Transcripts which arrive without the official seal of the university

If you have incomplete courses not listed on your official transcript, please provide a list of courses in progress and their credit weight in your application.

Official transcripts and degree certificates are:

  • Sealed in envelopes endorsed by the granting university, and include
  • Signature, seal or chop over the envelop closure

Students that have previously attended UVic are required to submit unofficial transcripts. They DO NOT require official transcripts to be submitted.

Unless the documents are only available in English, the official original language document accompanied by a certified literal English translation is required.

Certified photocopies endorsed by the issuing university and sent in a sealed, endorsed envelope are acceptable.

Documents not received in this manner, are unofficial and if accepted to the program, GARO will require official documents to confirm your information.

Graduate Admissions and Records Office mailing information:

Mailing address:
Graduate Admissions and Records
University of Victoria
PO Box 3025 STN CSC
Victoria BC V8W 3P2
Canada

Courier address:
Graduate Admissions and Records
University of Victoria
University Centre A206
3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road)
Victoria, BC V8P 5C2

Assessment reports (required by all)

All applicants must have assessment reports submitted from two professors or other academic authorities familiar with their work. The names and professional email addresses (not personal email addresses) of your chosen assessors/referees are required when you submit your application.

Once you have submitted your online application and have paid the application fee, your referees will receive notification by email, stating that they have been identified by you to provide an academic assessment.

In this email, your referees are given your name, the program/degree, the term to which you are applying, and will be asked to submit their assessment using a secure, online reporting system. An encrypted link in the email will allow them to populate the assessment report online and submit it directly to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office (GARO) electronically.

We recommend that you contact each of your referees to confirm their willingness to complete an assessment on your behalf.

We strongly encourage your referees to complete the online assessment report provided in their automated email, however, should your referee not wish to complete the electronic version, letters of reference may be supplied in lieu of assessment reports and should be submitted in ONLY one of the following two ways in order to be considered official:

  • Mailed in a sealed envelope signed by the assessor across the back seal.
OR Please note, applicants are not be permitted to see these documents.

GRE - Graduate Record Examination (maybe required)

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is REQUIRED for applicants coming from a University outside of Canada or the United States. If you hold a degree from a recognized Canadian or U.S. post-secondary institution, you are NOT required to take the GRE. The department code for GRE is 1801.

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) CANNOT substitute for the GRE.

GRE scores entered as part of your online application are unofficial.

If offered admission, you are required to have your offiicial GRE scores sent directly from the testing agency to the University of Victoria, so that GARO can verify the information received for admission purposes.

English language proficiency (maybe required)

You need to demonstrate English language proficiency to attend the University of Victoria if English is not your first language. You may do so by completing one of three English language proficiency tests below:

  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
    • We only accept Academic IELTS
    • Minimum overall band score: 6.5
    • No individual component can have a score lower than 6.0
  • Michigan English Test (MET)
    • A minimum score of 64 will be accepted as proof of English proficiency
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
    • A minimum score of 90 from the internet-based TOEFL (iBT) (with at least 20 points in each section) is required
    • TOEFL iBT test taken at a test centre or the iBT home edition will be accepted
    • University of Victoria's TOEFL institution code is 0989
    • Department code for TOEFL is 84

Official test score reports must be sent directly to the University of Victoria by the testing agency. Scores older than two years are not acceptable.

You are exempt from this requirement if:

  • you hold a recognized degree from a designated English-speaking country
  • you have spent the last three years prior to coming to the University of Victoria in an English-speaking country
  • you have a degree from a recognized institution at which the language of instruction is English

Current résumé or CV (required by all)

MA and PhD applicants are required to supply a current résumé and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) providing an overview of experiences and other qualifications.

PhD applicants only - Statement of research interests

A PhD applicant must provide a personal statement of research interests that

  • Explains your motivations for pursuing a doctorate degree in economics.
  • Provides a detailed description of your research interests.
  • Identifies up to three faculty members from the Department of Economics with whom you share close research interests that would serve as potential supervisors. Please refer to the list of faculty who are currently willing to supervise PhD students

PhD applicants that do not include all of the above in their statement of research interests WILL NOT be reviewed.

This personal statement is much more important for admission at UVic than at most other universities. Faculty members that you identify as potential supervisors will review your application and play a central role in its evaluation.

To be admitted to the PhD program, it is essential that you demonstrate with conviction that you have thought seriously about your chosen field of research and the reasons why you are interested in working with the professors you identify.

PhD applicants only - Writing sample

PhD applicants are required to supply a writing sample in the form of one recent research paper.

Phillips, Hager, and North Scholarship, Women in Economics and Cynthia Johnston Economics Scholarship (optional)

Phillips, Hager, and North Graduate Scholarship for Research in Environmental and Resource Economics

Application to the Phillips, Hager, and North Graduate Scholarship requires a one-page research proposal. For more information, please see the "Will I be considered for financial assistance" heading under the Financial Matters FAQ tab.

Women in Economics and Cynthia Johnston Economics Graduate Scholarship

Application to the Women in Economics and/or the Cynthia Johnston Graduate Scholarship requires a one-page report. For more information, please see the "Will I be considered for financial assistance" heading under the Financial Matters FAQ tab.

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, prospective students are urged to consult the latest University of Victoria Calendar, or contact the in the Department of Economics.