Admission Requirements | Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Admission Requirements

Master’s Admission

Minimum Degree: Normally, the minimum requirement for admission to a master's program is successful completion of an undergraduate degree/ baccalaureate, in an honours program or the equivalent, from a recognized university.

Minimum Admisson Average: 70% (B-) average is required in the last two years of full-time equivalent study. 

Calculating Admission Average: 

  • North American Degrees;
    • A four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized institution. 
    • Typically, the last 20 one-semester courses consist of 10 Credits/60 Units/60 Hours  
      • For in-progress degrees, the total number of credits with grades that are used may be lower. E.g. 8 Credits/48 Units/48 Hours may have grades while 2 Credits/12 Units/12 Hours will be in progress. 
  • International Degrees;
    • Country-specific degree equivalent to Guelph's four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized institution. 
    • Typically, the last 4 full-time semesters (or 6 full-time semesters for full-year education systems) equivalent credits. 

Doctoral Admission

Minimum Degree: Normally, the minimum requirement for admission to a doctoral program is the successful completion of a graduate/master’s degree from a recognized university, including demonstration of strong potential for research.

Minimum Admission Average: 73% (‘B’ standing) average in the entire graduate/master’s program.

Calculating Admission Average:

  • Admission is based on the completed grades (to date) in the equivalent and relevant graduate/master's program.  

    • If an applicant has multiple Master's degrees, the recognized degree with the most relevant academic discipline to the proposed field of study will be used. 

    • Programs may recommend admission using previous Doctoral programs, if applicable. 

    • Grades from the graduate/master's degree will be calculated in their entirety. 

  • Applicants who are applying to the DVSc program with a DVM degree (or equivalent) must have achieved a minimum overall of 73% ( or High Second-Class Honours).  

Degree and Grade Conversions

Degree Conversion

  • The International Credential Guideline (ICG) may be used to determine international degree equivalency and potentially assist with determining the last two years of credits. 

  • Transcript evaluation services are not accepted for credentials assessments. However, World Education Services (WES) evaluation reports are accepted as certified copies of official transcripts.

Grade Conversion

  • Scholaro may be used for country specific grading scales. The platform may also be used to determine Guelph's minimum grade requirement equivalent of 70% (B -) which is 3.0 on the US 4.0 scale. 

  • Admission averages are calculated using the recently completed required credits, moving backward per credit until the equivalent of the last two years of full-time study is achieved. 

Additional Admission Requirements

References

  • Normally, a minimum of two academic references is required.
  • Each referee must submit a complete Referee Assessment on the applicant's behalf. Learn more about references. 

English Proficiency:

  • If your first language is not English, you will be required to submit the results of a standardized language test.
  • Please review the English language test chart for acceptable tests and required scores. 

Program Specific Requirements: 

  • Some departments may have additional or higher admission qualifications.
  • We recommend reviewing our Application Documents page then visiting the Academic Programs website for program specific admission requirements.

Upgrading Information

  • Applicants who do not meet the minimum admission average or do not hold the appropriate degree may explore one of the following alternatives to be considered for admission to a graduate program at the University of Guelph. 

    • Applicants may complete additional courses using our upgrading policy and are encouraged to contact the academic program of interest to discuss their qualifications and potential courses to enroll in.  

    • Graduate courses used for admission may not be used for transfer/advance standing credits towards U of G degree completion. 

    • Alternate admission criteria may apply in exceptional cases at the discretion of the academic program and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.