SGS ADMISSIONS POLICY WORKSHOP

SGS ADMISSIONS POLICY WORKSHOP School of Graduate Studies University of Toronto January 22, 2014 10:00 - 12:00

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW • General Information Victoria Hurlihey 2. International Degrees Michael Godwin 3. Assessing the Academic Record Scott Moore

1. General Information Victoria Hurlihey

ADMISSIONS RESOURCES FOR ADMINISTRATORS Policy & Procedure Admissions Manual Student Services and ROSI Manual Applications SGS Admissions Application: Graduate Administrators' Manual International Admission & Foreign Credential Advice International Credentials Equivalencies Database (ICED) Restricted Access: User name: gradunit Password: Has not changed, although, if you do not have the password, contact your Student Services Officer.

MINIMUM SGS ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Masters Programs: • An appropriate bachelor's degree that has appropriate breadth, depth and, where appropriate, an affinity to the graduate program to which the applicant is seeking admission as determined by the School of Graduate Studies. • An average grade equivalent to at least mid-B or better, normally demonstrated by an average grade in the final year or over senior courses. • At least two letters of reference. • Other qualifications as specified by a graduate unit.

MINIMUM SGS ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS Doctoral Programs: • An appropriate master's degree or, in some programs, an appropriate bachelor's degree with high academic standing from a recognized university. • An average grade equivalent to a B+ or better in a previous master's degree program. Where relevant, demonstrated research competence equivalent to at least a B+ grade will be considered. • Direct entry from a bachelor's degree to a PhD program may be available when permitted by the graduate unit. For direct-entry applicants, an average grade equivalent to A- or better in courses in the relevant discipline is required. • At least two letters of reference. • Other qualifications as specified by a graduate unit.

NON-STANDARD ADMISSIONS For Applicants Who: • Do not meet minimum admissions requirements • Hold degrees from institutions that are not recognized • Hold degrees that are not accepted as equivalent to a U of T degree • Have support of the unit’s admissions review committee Link to the SGS Non-Standard Admission Case Form Non-Standard Cases are approved by the SGS Admissions and Programs Committee (A&P Committee)

REVISED GUIDELINE: QUALIFYING YEAR Applicants who do not meet SGS minimum admission requirements may be advised by the graduate unit to complete a number of qualifying undergraduate courses. Normally consists of • a minimum of 2.5 FCE made up of undergraduate 3rd or 4th year courses • at least a mid‐B average in the qualifying courses with no grade lower than B‐. Graduate units may set higher minimum standards and specify the nature of courses to be taken. Applicants who complete qualifying courses are not guaranteed admission and must re‐apply. Such applications are considered non‐standard and need to be approved by the School of Graduate Studies. Qualifying courses are not eligible for transfer credit towards graduate programs.

MATURE STUDENTS • Applicants who graduated 5 or more years ago without achieving sufficiently high standing for admission to a graduate program • May be considered for non-standard admission • Must prove that, since graduation, they have done significant intellectual work and/or made a significant professional contribution that can be considered equivalent to a higher academic standing. The mere passage of time in a profession in and of itself is not sufficient New language will be in effect September 1, 2014

MATURE STUDENTS Professional development activities or work experiences must be equivalent to academic work conducted at a university – examples include: • Publications and/or research which is professionally relevant (including published papers, technical reports or patents) • A record of outstanding advancement in one’s profession (e.g., progressive leadership roles, • management of projects and personnel, professional or scientific citations and awards) • Professional designations, diplomas or certificates • Training or courses taken subsequent to the undergraduate degree and/or being an instructor of professional development courses to others in one’s profession • Development of new skills over, and above what would normally be expected in one’s profession.

ADMISSION FILE RETENTION Records schedules: www.sgs.utoronto.ca/facultyandstaff/Pages/Managing-Student-Records.aspx

2. International Degrees Michael Godwin

INTERNATIONAL DEGREES Different educational cultures and expectations • Student may only receive one copy of official documents • Course grades may not be provided • Look for conferral date on the transcript, degree certificate, or official notification from the institution • Some countries or institutions withhold transcripts for various reasons

THE APPLICATION • Transcripts - original language and official translations • English-Language Proficiency Test score • Reference letters • Writing samples

REVIEWING TRANSCRIPTS • Student name and date of birth • Name of institution - is it recognised? • Type of degree - is it an appropriate admitting degree with high academic standing from a recognised university? • Does U of T offer a comparable degree? • Is degree conferral date clear? • Are all grades and courses listed? • How many years did a program take to complete?

REVIEWING TRANSCRIPTS Potential Problems: • Transcript may not breakdown courses by session / year. • Grading scale may be mixed.

TRANSCRIPT FRAUD:IS THIS TRANSCRIPT OK? • Are there erasures, irregular characters, etc.? • Check seals, size of paper, type of paper. • Compare grades on translations with originals. • Question applicant about irregularities. • Ask applicant to obtain clarification from the institution about irregularities. • Contact the institution for verification.

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTS (EPT) EPT results required: • First language is not English • graduated from a non-Canadian university where the language of instruction and examination was not English Accepted Tests: • TOEFL • MELAB • IELTS • COPE • International ESL – Academic Preparation Level 60 (Advanced), School of Continuing Studies

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TESTS (EPT) Offers conditional upon receipt of English-Language Proficiency Test • Graduate units are permitted to issue offers of admission conditional upon the applicant satisfying the English-Language Proficiency requirement by the deadline to register. • Failure to provide proof of language proficiency by the registration deadline will result in the withdrawal of the offer of admission. No exceptions or extensions will be permitted.

CLEAR OFFERS Clear Offers Are Made When: • Official transcripts and translations, including all grades, and confirmation of degree conferral and/or diplomas are received. • Institution is accredited. • Academic content meets SGS requirements. • Official and satisfactory English language proficiency score received. • Grades meet SGS and graduate unit minimum requirements. • Official GMAT/GRE score received, if applicable.

CONDITIONAL OFFERS Conditional Offers With Appropriate Severe Or Non-severe Conditions Can Be Made With: • Receipt of unofficial transcripts and diplomas (scanned transcripts), self-reported grades. • Receipt of unofficial translations. • Receipt of all grades except final year. • English language proficiency requirement can be satisfied before registration.

Non-Standard Admission All three-year Bachelor degrees, including three-year Bologna compliant Bachelor degrees, must be reviewed by SGS as a non-standard admissions case. Graduate units must complete a non-standard admission form for each non-standard admission case to be reviewed by the SGS Admissions and Programs Committee (SGS A&P Committee). Include the following documents with each non-standard admission case: • Supporting letter with rationale from the Graduate Coordinator. • Copies of supporting documents, including: • Online Application Form A; • Applicant’s Letter of Intent (if applicable); • Transcripts; • Letters of Reference; • Other Supporting Documents (e.g. EPT score, award certificates).

STATUTORY DECLARATIONS • Requested if official academic record(s) or official confirmation that a degree was conferred cannot be obtained. • Statutory declaration is an affidavit sworn before a notary public. • Consult your SGS Student Services Officer before asking the applicant to obtain a statutory declaration. • Should the graduate unit support admitting the applicant, submit a non-standard admissions case to SGS.

DEGREE STUDENT ON PROBATION • Used when an applicant’s credentials are not easily assessed. • Register for a period between four and twelve months • Normally used for applicants who have presented a statutory declaration. • Non-standard admission case to SGS.

SGS International Credentials Equivalencies Database (ICED) The SGS International Credentials Equivalencies database includes a listing of recognised universities by country. If a particular institution is not listed it does not necessarily mean the institution is not recognised. Contact your SGS Student Services Officer. • http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/facultyandstaff/Pages/International-Credentials-Equivalencies-Database.aspx

SGS International Credentials Equivalencies Database Country Entries Contain: • Minimum GPA Equivalent to SGS mid-B • Minimum GPA Equivalent to SGS B+ • Appropriate Admitting Degree • Language(s) of instruction • Sample of grading scales • Sampling of recognised institutions • Notes (e.g. Bologna, country specific)

3. Assessing the Academic Record Scott Moore

ASSESSING THE ACADEMIC RECORD • Name of student • Name of the institution with seal/stamp and/or official signature • Name of the degree program • Courses and grades for each year of study • Confirmation of degree conferral with date • Final standing in some cases

IDENTIFYING THE FINAL YEAR • Full-time students: • At least 4 FCE’s in the final year • Part-time students: • Fewer than 4 FCE’s in the final year • Consider the last five FCE’s completed at the senior level, regardless of content

CALCULATING THE FINAL-YEAR AVERAGE • Method 1: Using the SGS scales • If refined letter grades are available (e.g., A+, A, A-) use the SGS 9-point scale • If grades in the D range are included, use the 12-point scale

CALCULATING THE FINAL-YEAR AVERAGE • Method 2: Using the institution’s own grading scale • Refer to the transcript legend • Convert to U of T grading scale

COURSE WEIGHTING Average = weighted sum of grade points divided by number of the smallest course weight or the total number of credits

ESTABLISHING EQUIVALENCY TO A U OF T AVERAGE • Usually mid-B = mid-B, 75% = 75% • However, some grading scales do not match ours (Queens, York)

Content goes here.

LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE CONTENT • For degrees not offered by U of T (e.g., B.F.A., four-year B.Ed.) look for at least 75% liberal arts or science content • Applied bachelor’s degrees from colleges such as Humber and George Brown – SGS approval required.

U.S. DEGREES All universities and colleges in the U.S. must be accredited by a recognised accrediting body: • MSA/CHE - Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education • NWCCU - Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities • NCA - North Central Association of Colleges and Schools- The Higher Learning Commission • NEASC-CIHE - New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc./Commission on Institutions of Higher Education • SACS-CC - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Commission on Colleges • WASC - Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

LENGTH OF U.S. BACHELOR DEGREES • Usually four years in length • e.g., Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.) • “Associate Bachelor’s” degrees are only two years in length and not equivalent to a U of T bachelor’s

ACADEMIC YEAR • Traditional semester system • Academic year = 30 credit hours • Four-year bachelor’s = 120 to 124 hours of credit

CALCULATION OF GRADE AVERAGES • Most American universities use a four-point scale • Credit hours usually range from 1.00 to 4.00 • Most courses have a value of 3.00, while lab courses are usually 1.00

SGS ADMISSIONS POLICY WORKSHOP