Applicants must have three years of full time study already completed, focusing on life sciences. The school has a low acceptance rate, with 8.3% of students being successful in their application. 86% of those accepted are from Ontario, 12% are Canadian from other provinces, and 4% are international students. The average GPA requirement is 3.95, and a minimum MCAT score of 125 per section is recommended. Interviews take place between February and April each year and are mandatory.
In 2020, the school had 3940 applicants to its Medicine program, and from this pool granted 631 interviews. Of the 631 interviewees, around 250 will go on to matriculate at the university. The majority of applicants did a 4 year undergraduate degree prior, while 40% already held a graduate or professional degree. Only 6% had completed a 3 year bachelor’s degree. 80 applicants came from McMaster, and around 60 came from the University of Toronto itself.
Looking at the minimum requirements, we find that the undergraduate minimum is 3.6, with more than 3.9 (as stated) being average. A 3.0 is the minimum for graduate degrees. Applicants must also complete four essays, an autobiographical sketch, three further statements, and provide three letters of reference. There is also an ‘academic explanations’ essay, that allows you to explain gaps in your academic performance and provide context for them. The MCAT score is not used competitively at Toronto, and therefore is used only as a minimum filter – i.e. you must have the minimum score, but beyond that it is not used to rank your application. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that the admissions team won’t refer back to it if they’re struggling with a decision.
The interview is an MPI, or Modified Personal Interview. This consists of four independent interviews assessed by four separate interviewers. Each will be of around 12 minutes’ duration. Interviewers might be doctors, academics, medical students, or patients.