Application Process

• How to apply
• MD/PhD personal essay
• MD/PhD references
• Academic curriculum vitae (CV)
• Interviewing
• Application assessment
• Important application dates

How to apply

Review our three admissions categories.

Application materials check-list 

MD/PhD personal essay

You are required to submit one original personal essay that is 250 words or less, responding to the following question:

Reflecting on your personal and research experiences to date, how does your experience relate to your decision to pursue a physician scientist pathway, and the kind of ideas that you wish to pursue in your PhD?

MD/PhD References

You are required to submit three MD/PhD references. These are separate from the references used for your MD application, and should reflect the following guidelines:

Purpose: these MD/PhD references are submitted in addition to the MD references that are part of the standard OMSAS MD application in order to help the admissions committee assess your research performance and suitability for an MD/PhD Program. The MD/PhD admissions committee does not review your MD references.

Referees: at least two of the references should be from individuals, preferably at the faculty level, who can comment on your scientific ability and potential. If you are a graduate applicant, one of these references must be from your graduate supervisor. You can use the same referees for your MD references and your MD/PhD references, but the content of these references should differ according to the parameters listed in this section.

Reference Form:  submit three MD/PhD references using a common MD/PhD reference form for OMSAS applicants applying to Toronto, Ottawa, Queen’s and Western.

Content: Your referees should comment on the following candidate attributes, with specific examples, when composing their letters:

• potential for success as a physician scientist,
• performance in research including initiative, perseverance, technical skills, data interpretation, etc.,
• capacity to succeed in both an undergraduate medical and a PhD curriculum,
• self-starting behaviour,
• contribution to the research the candidate was involved in, including publications, if any, and
• capacity to learn from others.

Submission: MD/PhD references are now submitted on-line through OMSAS.

Current MD Students: refer to our tailored instructions on our MD/PhD Program Admissions webpage.

OMSAS must receive all these required references by October 1, 2024.

Notes:

• The same referees can provide your regular MD application references and MD/PhD references (e.g., graduate supervisor, if applicable). The MD/PhD Admissions Subcommittee does not review your MD application references. To send the MD/PhD reference form to your referees, enter their contact information in the designated fields within your OMSAS application.
• All MD/PhD applicants must submit an academic CV.

Academic curriculum vitae (CV)

The academic CV is an important tool to evaluate your research experience and research potential. Please be as clear as possible about your specific contributions and time spent on a research project, abstract, presentation or publication.

After you submit your OMSAS application, you will receive your OMSAS number. Then you can upload your academic CV directly to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM). The deadline for receiving the academic CV is October 4, 2024.

Academic Curriculum Vitae Template

MDPhD CV Helpful examples

Tip for Submitting CV: After you submit your OMSAS application, you will receive your OMSAS number. Then you can upload your academic CV directly to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM). 

Interviewing

The 2024-2025 interviews will be conducted virtually. Please note that there are no alternative dates.

2025 MD/PhD Virtual MPI Dates:

• Saturday, March 8, 2025 - synchronous vMPI interviews
• Sunday, March 9, 2025 - synchronous vMPI interviews

2025 MD/PhD Interview Format

Approximately 48 applicants will be invited to synchronous MD/PhD interviews in 2025. There will be no asynchronous MD/PhD interviews in 2025. Approximately 8 applicants from these interviews will be offered admission to the MD/PhD Program for 2025.

The Modified Personal Interview (MPI) was developed by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and launched in 2014. The virtual MPI (vMPI), an adapted version of the traditional MPIs, was introduced in 2020 by the MD Program in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and related university closure. Virtual synchronous MPI interviews will be used for admission to the University of Toronto’s MD/PhD Program.

How we assess applications

Applicants to the MD/PhD Program are first reviewed by the Enrolment Services Office for the MD Program to ensure that applicants meet the MD Program admissions requirements. They are then reviewed by the Admissions Committee for the combined MD/PhD program to select applicants for interview. While there is separate adjudication by each program, there is close coordination and sharing of information between the two offices.

Applications are reviewed by members of the MD/PhD Admissions Committee by early January, and highly ranked candidates are invited to interview. Typically, our interviews take place in the first two weekends of the MD interviews. MD interviews are normally arranged to coincide with the MD/PhD interviews. Interview dates will be posted on the MD page.

A student must be acceptable to both the medical school and MD/PhD Program in order to receive an offer of admission to the MD/PhD Program. A four year undergraduate degree is required for all applicants to the MD/PhD Program. 

Offers of admission are made on a rolling basis following completion of the interviews. All MD/PhD Programs in Ontario have agreed that they may not require a response to an offer prior to a date to be set for 2025.