Application Process
- How to apply
- MD/PhD personal essay
- MD/PhD reference letters
- Academic curriculum vitae (CV)
- Interviewing
- Application assessment
- Important application dates
How to apply
Review our three admissions categories.
Application materials check-list
| Undergraduate | Graduate | Current MD Student | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD application materials | MD admissions | MD admissions | Not required |
| Three MD/PhD reference letters | Uploaded to OMSAS | Uploaded to OMSAS | Emailed to MD/PhD Office |
| Academic Curriculum | Uploaded to OMSAS | Uploaded to OMSAS | Emailed to MD/PhD Office |
| MD/PhD personal essay | Completed on OMSAS | Completed on OMSAS | Emailed to MD/PhD Office with current MD Student MDPHD Application |
| TOTAL COMBINED # OF REFERENCE LETTERS SUBMITTED WITH MD AND MD/PHD Applications | 3 MD references and 3 MD/PhD reference letters | 3 MD references and 3 MD/PhD reference letters. MD/PhD letters must include your graduate supervisor. | 3 reference letters, including a reference from your graduate supervisor, if applicable |
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?
Tips for Writing your CV: We have developed hints and tips for writing your academic CV. These can be used alongside the CV instructions.
MD/PhD Reference Letters
You are required to submit three letters of reference. These are separate from the references used for your MD application, and should reflect the following guidelines:
Purpose: these letters are submitted in addition to the 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 reference letters 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 three letters must be from your graduate supervisor. You can use the same referees for your MD references and your MD/PhD reference letters, but the content of these letters should differ according to the parameters listed in this section.
Content: there is no template or form provided for reference letters. Letters should be written on the referee’s letterhead and include the name of the candidate. Your referees should comment on the following candidate attributes, with specific examples, when composing their letters:
- potential for success as a clinician scientist
- capacity to succeed in both an undergraduate medical and a PhD curriculum
- self-starting behaviour
- contribution to the research in which the candidate was involved, including publications, if any
- capacity to learn from others
Submission: MD/PhD reference letters are now submitted on-line through OMSAS.
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 6, 2023.
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 2023-2024 interviews will be conducted virtually. Dates are not yet set.
2024 MD/PhD Interview Format
Approximately 48 applicants will be invited to synchronous MD/PhD interviews in 2024. There will be no asynchronous MD/PhD interviews in 2024. Approximately 8 applicants from these interviews will be offered admission to the MD/PhD Program for 2024.
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.
Synchronous vMPI interviews
Approximately 48 applicants will be invited to participate in virtual, synchronous MD/PhD interviews. Details about the format of these interviews will follow
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. If you are applying in the third year of a four-year degree program, you must provide proof that you have completed the requirements of that year of your degree prior to the date of enrolment in 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.