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Grad Admission FAQs and Contacts

Before you apply


For applicants

  • How do I check the status of my application?

    Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email from us within two to three business days, with instructions on how to log in to the graduate admissions portal. Here, you will be able to see the status of each of your documents, notes from your admissions officer (if applicable) and the final admission decision.

  • How do I upload my documentation?

    Once your application is received by our office, you will receive an email with a link to upload your documentation. Uploaded documents are not considered official. If you are accepted to a graduate program, you must arrange to have an official transcript mailed to our office.

  • How many letters of recommendation do I need?

    Most of our graduate programs generally require two letters of recommendation. However, we encourage you to review your program page for specific requirements. Your referees will receive a confirmation email from the university once the letter has been submitted successfully. 

    To learn more, see letters of recommendation.

  • Will the university reach out to my referees to obtain a letter of recommendation?

    We do not send requests for their letter of recommendation to your referees. It is your responsibility to input your referees' contact information under the Referees section of the OUAC application. Once you have done this, you can then proceed to send the Recommendation Request email directly to the business/institutional email you have provided for your referee. Note that personal email addresses (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, 163, etc.) are not acceptable.

    Once your referees submit the recommendation form, you will not be able to change or update the Referees section of the OUAC application.

    If you see that your checklist item is not updated with receipt of your Letter of Recommendation, you must follow up with your referee to ensure they submit their recommendation as soon as possible. At this time, you can log back into the OUAC application and review the status of your request. Here you can resend the email, updated your referee contact information, or change your referee.

    Upon receipt of a letter of recommendation, the university may contact the listed referee to verify authenticity.

    To learn more, see letters of recommendation.

  • What is a degree parchment?

    degree parchment is the document issued to you at your convocation ceremony. The degree generally includes your name, the date the degree was issued, the name of the degree, and the seal or crest of the institution.

    To submit your degree parchment(s), a photocopy must be submitted to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The submission must confirm that you have completed all degree requirements.

    We do not accept degree certificates or provisional degree certificates.

  • I submitted my documentation but my checklist hasn't been updated. What do I do?