Application Process
The Department seeks to admit students with the training, dedication, and passion to succeed in an MA or PhD program in Classics. Successful applicants, in addition to meeting the minimum admissions requirements outlined below, will be able to articulate why they want to study Classics at the University of Toronto. We are committed to fostering an intellectual environment where diversity of perspectives may thrive. To that end, we particularly welcome applicants from groups traditionally under-represented in Classics.
We accept applications in the Autumn and Winter for admission to degree programs beginning the following September. The application deadline is December 15, 2024 for admission to programs beginning in September 2025. The application for 2025-26 Program will open online, October 1, 2024.
If exceptional circumstances prevent you from applying by the deadline, please contact the Graduate Coordinator at grad.classics@utoronto.ca.
Applications to the Graduate Department of Classics must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). The Department is only able to consider your application after you have entered your personal and academic information in the online application, submitted the application fee, and completed the application in full (as described below).
After you access the SGS online admissions application and enter your contact information, you will receive an applicant identification number and a password by email. You can leave and return to your application at any point until you move to the payment stage, after which, you can check status the status of your application, submit supporting documents, verify our receipt of those documents.
Once you have entered your information, received your SGS applicant ID number, and paid for the application, you can submit your entire application online.
Fee Waiver Request for Diversity Applicants
We understand that the $125 application fee can serve as a barrier to some applicants. Because the fee is not charged by the Department of Classics itself, we cannot waive it. We also do not have the resources to pay for the hundreds of applications we receive annually without reducing the additional funding we currently provide to registered and newly admitted graduate students.
To assist as much as we can, we offer a limited number of application-fee-waivers. To participate, we invite applicants with (1) self-identified financial need AND (2) self-identified diversity considerations to complete the following by 12:00 PM EST on December 12, 2024:
- Start an application to the Department of Classics at the University of Toronto via the online system identified on our Admissions page and upload all transcripts (these may be unofficial).
- Submit a Diversity Statement identifying which equity-deserving group(s) the applicant belongs to. Send by email to the Graduate Coordinator, by 12:00 PM EST on December 12.
The Graduate Coordinator will aim to inform applicants about the success of their Application Fee Waiver by December 15, 2024. The department will send a list of such applicants to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), so that you will not have to pay a fee if you are among those who receive the waiver. The department anticipates the possible need for a lottery system once eligibility criteria are met. Equitydeserving groups include, but are not limited to, the following: people who are • Indigenous, • Black, • LGBTQ+, • have significant mental or physical disabilities/health concerns, • are members of other racialized groups not aforementioned, • any combination of the above.
Minimum Admission Requirements
Students are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies and under the Department of Classics’ additional admission requirements, stated below:
- Successful completion of an undergraduate program in Classics or a related field with a B+ average in the final year, and the equivalent of at least three and preferably four full years of training in either Greek or Latin and two full years of training in the other. Admission to the MA program in Ancient History with strong training in only one of the ancient languages is possible.
- Applicants may be admitted to either the one-year or the two-year MA program, depending on their level of preparation.
- Students who are otherwise qualified but who lack the required amount of training in Greek and Latin should consult with the Department about further preparation.
- Standard conditions: Successful completion of either a strong undergraduate program in Classics (with at least an A- average in the final year), or a strong MA program in Classics or a related field (with at least a B+ average overall and at least one A-). All students must have the equivalent of at least four years of training in each of Latin and Greek, and a broad preparation in the reading of ancient texts in the original languages.
- Advanced standing: Applicants may be admitted with advanced standing if they have completed the revised MA program at the University of Toronto (having graduated in the year 2000 or later) with grades of at least B+ in all components, and a grade of at least A- on the Graduate Research Paper.
Graduate Application Checklist
- Complete the online admissions application via the School of Graduate Studies platform
- Provide a scanned version of an academic transcript from every post-secondary institution which you have attended
- If admitted, you will be required to submit an official transcript in order to register
State:
- Where within the field of Classics your academic interests lie
- Your reasons for choosing to pursue an MA or PhD in Classics at the University of Toronto
- What you have worked on in the past and what you would like to work on in the future
Students interested in one of our Collaborative Specialization programs should apply to the Greek and Latin or Ancient History/Material Culture fields but note interest in the specialization.
Students who wish to be considered for the Diversity Fellowship should indicate in their outline of research interests:
- An explanation, in a few sentences, of the sense in which you consider yourself to belong to a group under-represented in the department or the field (e.g. on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.).
Applications for the Fellowship will be considered by the Admissions Committee and the successful applicant informed in their letter of admission. Application for the Fellowship will not be a factor in admission decisions.
Include:
- A list of Greek and Latin texts that you have read in the original language in an academic context.
- Please indicate only substantial portions read (i.e. at least a page, not small extracts).
- You can list texts read on your own (i.e. not within a classroom setting), but please mark them as such.
This information helps us to gauge your level of preparation in the ancient languages.
Include:
- A piece of polished scholarly writing, such as a paper written for a course or part of an undergraduate thesis (usually no more than 20 pages in length, exclusive of bibliography)
Submitted by:
- Two people who know you well in an academic context and can attest to your scholarly strengths, achievements, and potential
Recommenders can submit letters online, or if preferred, e-mail the Graduate Administrator directly by mid-December. We ask that they too respect the listed deadline.
Listing:
- Scholarly and other accomplishments
Applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English and whose post-secondary education has not been conducted in English must arrange to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or another of the tests accepted by the School of Graduate Studies, and must arrange to have the results sent to the University of Toronto. Further information about required minimum scores is available on the SGS English-language Proficiency Testing page. Please note that we must have official notification of these scores before we can make an offer of admission.
The Department of Classics does not use GMAT or GRE scores.
If you have trouble downloading the forms or any other problems with the application process, please contact:
Ms. Coral Gavrilovic, Graduate Administrator
(416) 978-5513
(416) 978-7307, fax
k.gavrilovic@utoronto.ca
Should you need to mail any documents to the department in hard copy you should send them to:
Graduate Applications
Department of Classics
125 Queen’s Park
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON M5S 2C7
Canada
Please note that email is the best means of communication with the Graduate Coordinator or Graduate Administrator.