Admission glossary

A sequential process that visualizes the current stage of your application in the portal. It serves as guideline for your application from submission, review to final decision.

If the icon highlighted is green (with a checkbox), you have fulfilled that status. The icon which is highlighted (in blue) indicates your application’s current status.

Indicates that the application has been submitted and payment has been received.

Refers to the list of documentation/materials required to review your file in the admission system. Note that documents may vary per program requirements.

Applicants are responsible for monitoring the status of their own application. When providing documents, please do so in the precise manner described. Applicants failing to complete their files run the risk of file cancellation.

Please submit ONLY what has been requested. Do not submit, or ask others to submit, any additional documents, including reference letters, personal statements, or extracurricular information. Additional documents may slow the processing of your file and will not increase your chances of admission.

*Consult the different checklist items in the next section below (section III).

Status describing when an application is under assessment. Your application appears to be complete and is in the queue for review by an admissions officer.

No action is required of you at this time. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to check your file status regularly on the applicant portal as an admissions officer reviewing your file may request additional documents.

Note: If an updated version of your documents or further documentation is required by the admission officer, you will be notified by email. In the portal, your application moves back to the “Provide supporting documents” status until the outstanding checklist item is fulfilled.

This status refers to the process of receiving an official admission outcome after reviewing your application. A decision has been made upon your current application. The decision letter is available under the status.

Note: If your application is cancelled you will no longer see the status icons. The only status you will see is “Cancelled”.

*See decisions in more detail in the section below, Section II.

Once you accept your offer of admission, and pay for the deposit fee, you will be required to fulfill your conditions of admission (if applicable) and as outlined in your decision letter.

Conditions of Admissions mean that admitted applicants must complete additional tasks or provide specific documents before being fully eligible to enroll. These requirements are displayed in the applicant portal, if appropriate.

For more information about this section, consult the following link or access it from your offer of admission letter: https://www.mcgill.ca/accepted/nextsteps/finalmarks

In the initial review your application was deemed more competitive than those already refused but less competitive than those already admitted, placing your application in the pending status or “grey zone.” Gradually during the cycle, as we fill the spaces in each program, the “grey zone” will shrink, and the final admission threshold will be determined.

The pending status will appear in the applicant portal and your application will remain in the “In Review” status.

No action is required of you at this time. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to check your file status regularly on the applicant portal as an admissions officer reviewing your file may request additional documents.

1. How do I know my “pending status” has changed? Once a decision in rendered towards your application, we will communicate with you by email and update the application status in the portal.

Every year McGill receives many more applications that it can accept, thus admission is extremely competitive. It is not yet possible to offer you admission.

We have placed your name on a waiting list so that you may be considered if space becomes available. We admit applicants from the waitlist in order of merit depending on available space in each program. This is why we create waiting lists for some academic programs. You are on such a waiting list.

You will be informed by email about the waiting list offer which directs you to the applicant portal. You can accept or refuse your place in the waiting list from the portal.

If you receive a waiting list offer and would like to remain on the list, please accept the waiting list offer in the applicant portal by the deadline date in your waiting list offer.

1. Accepting the waiting list offer
   
   After accepting the waiting list offer, a waitlist letter is generated in the applicant portal, your application is flagged as waiting list and it appears under the “in review” status. This means, we have received the confirmation that you wish to remain on the waiting list and will advise you if a space becomes available.
   
   At this time, there is little for you to do other than to check the applicant portal regularly for changes. Offers of admission are released in order of merit. See Estimated decision release dates for decision time-frames. Note that decisions may take longer for certain programs or for applicants with extenuating circumstances.
   
   Wait list considerations:
   
   Note: Accepting a waiting list offer will not impact the outcome of any other application response. As well, accepting an offer of admission will also not impact the eventual outcome of the waiting list.
   
   Many candidates ask: "what are my chances?" or "where am I ranked on the list?" Our waiting lists are not ranked, and we cannot predict outcomes. If space becomes available, we then sort applicants on the list.
   
   While on the waiting list, please do not send or ask others to send extra documents to be added to your file, including expressions of interest to study at McGill. This will not be part of the evaluation and may slow the further processing of your file.
   
   Admitting from waiting lists may begin at any time, and continues throughout the months of June, July and August. Please consult your waiting list letter on the applicant portal for further information.
2. Refusing the waiting list offer
   
   If you refuse the waiting list offer, your application will show the message “Cancelled by applicant.” No further steps are required.

Great news! You have been admitted to the program. If you have applied to another program, that decision will arrive separately. Please consult your letter of admission on the applicant portal for the next required steps. Please note that the electronic letter of admission on the applicant portal is the official version and no other letter will be issued.

The offer letter is available in the portal as follows:

Important: Your application is not considered to be accepted until you formally accept your offer of admission and pay your tuition deposit.

All admitted applicants that accept the offer of admission and pay the tuition deposit will need to arrange for official documents to be sent by your education institution(s) according to the details in your applicant portal (e.g. Final official exam results; Final official transcripts, Proof of graduation, etc.).

If you were admitted while you were completing your diploma, you are expected to maintain a the level of academic performance similar to what that you were achieving at the time of admission. While there is no fixed grade standing or percentage that you must attain in your final examinations, you are expected to continue to strive for excellent results. If grades fall significantly or should you fail a course or courses, you will likely be called upon to explain the circumstances. Without a reasonable explanation for the change, you may be at risk of losing your offer.

If you are a pre-university student, you are expected to continue your strong performance and to earn your diploma or leaving credential.

In the applicant portal, after accepting the offer of admission and paying the tuition deposit, your official offer letter becomes available. You can download a copy of your letter by clicking on the view your letter link or the display button as showed in the portal.

Important: If you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you will receive an unofficial admission letter. Only at the time you accept your offer letter and pay the tuition deposit that the letter will become official for immigration purposes.

Once you have received and accepted your offer letter, you have the option to defer your application for up to one academic year. Deferral requests can only be sent from the applicant portal. Please note that you are asked to provide a reason for the deferral request.

Requests for deferral are reviewed and decided by the Admissions deferral team. As you wait to hear from us, “deferral requested” status appears in the applicant portal. While the admissions deferral team reviews your request, no further information is needed at this stage.

If your deferral request is granted, you will be informed by email of this decision and a new application will be created for you indicating the new deferred term which you will need to accept. Note: you can only defer ONCE.

If the deferral request is refused, you will be informed by email and the status for the original application and term will remain active. You must decide if you will accept or decline the original offer.

All admitted applicants that accept the offer of admission and pay the tuition deposit will need to arrange for official documents to be sent by your education institution(s) according to the details in your applicant portal (e.g. Final official exam results; Final official transcripts, Proof of graduation, etc.).

You will be notified by email that a decision has been made. You can consult the refusal letter in the portal as shown below:

Each year, McGill University receives a very large number of applications from excellent candidates for a limited number of spaces. This means that admission is highly competitive and regrettably we must refuse many motivated, high-achieving applicants.

Rest assured that our admission decisions have taken into account the various elements of your application including your general level of academic achievement, results in specific prerequisite courses, and any additional required information submitted

Reasons for refusal include:

• Refused–Academic Requirements Not Met
  
  Admission decisions are based on demonstrated academic or performance (in the case of Music) based merit, including grades, test scores, auditions and other specific program requirements. Unfortunately, your results do not meet this year’s standards. It is not normally possible to reconsider refused applicants on repeated courses or improved final grades due to timing and limited space.
• Refused-Ltd Space Available
  
  All McGill programs attract many more applicants than their enrolment capacity. Accordingly, admission is very competitive, and we must refuse a certain number of strong, motivated applicants like you each year.
  
  You may have been on a waiting list, however in the final analysis, we could not admit you.
• Refused-Language Requirement Not Met
  
  We refused your application because you do not meet the English proficiency requirements for this program.
  
  Certain programs take into account French proficiency. French requirements must be demonstrated with a test and grade requirements that consider the grades in the transcript.
  
  Due to space limitations and timing, it is not normally possible to reconsider applicants who retake tests to improve their scores. Please note that there may be factors in addition to your English, which disqualified your application. Therefore, providing a higher English/French test score will not necessarily qualify you for admission.
• Refused-Missing Prerequisite
  
  You are missing academic prerequisites for your program. Please note that in many cases, math and science courses completed more than five years ago are considered to be out-of-date and may not be used as prerequisites.
• Refused-Ineligible
  
  You may be presenting inadequate academic credentials; such as, having studied at a non-accredited school or not having completed all graduation requirements (e.g., not having completed the Chinese high school diploma, the Huikao). Another example of an ineligible basis of admission is the Quebec Secondary V diploma. It is wise to verify eligibility with your school before applying.

• Offer Withdrawn
  
  Previously, McGill admitted you; we must now withdraw that offer.
  
  Some situations in which an offer would be withdrawn:
  1. Your grades have fallen significantly, or you have several failures in key courses without an acceptable explanation;
  2. You have not provided the required academic documentation to us in a timely manner;
  3. We have identified unexplained irregularities in, or omissions from your application.
  McGill reserves the right to withdraw or reinstate an offer or otherwise modify an admission decision without prior notice.
• Offer Withdrawn after Deadline
  
  The deadline to accept the offer of admission is indicated in the applicant’s portal under the decision letter. Admission to McGill is extremely competitive and we have many other applicants who are waiting to receive an offer. Once the deadline to accept has passed, offers are withdrawn and given to applicants on the waitlist. Accordingly, it is not possible for us to reinstate your offer of admission.
• Cancelled by University
  
  Your application for the program specified has been cancelled as it was either:
  1. Incomplete after the document submission deadline or;
  2. Applicant did not accept the waiting list offer. Your application will be cancelled.

The application checklist is a list of outstanding items/documents required to complete your application. Typically, ❌ appears next to an unreceived checklist item and green check mark ✅ means the checklist is received. Note that it can take up a few minutes to see a checklist status change after uploading documents.

Applicants failing to complete their files run the risk of file cancellation. Please submit ONLY what has been requested. Do not send or ask others to send additional documents (including references, personal statements or extracurricular information). This will slow the processing of your file and will not increase your chances of admission.

When all required checklist items on the applicant portal show a green check mark ✅, this means that your file has been placed in our “in review” queue or status and will undergo assessment by an admissions officer. Outstanding items will be marked with an ❌; you must fulfill all your checklist items.

Feature in the applicant portal allowing you to submit files and documents so they can be stored and processed within the application.

Note: If you are not asked to upload documents, this tool will not be available.

Most commonly used document formats are accepted. However, please note that ‘form fill PDF’ or password protected documents cannot be accepted. If your source document is formatted this way, we recommend that you print to PDF and upload the new version.

It allows you to access the recommenders entered into the application to view submission statuses and interact with recommendation requests. This option is only available for programs requiring referees/recommenders.

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Section in the applicant portal that allows applicants to make changes to your personal information.

What can be changed? Preferred language, mailing and permanent address, primary phone number and mobile phone number. After hitting the Submit button, changes will be implemented in your applicant portal.

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Section in the applicant portal that allows applicant to make changes in the portal access.

What can be changed? Email address and change password.

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Applicants who have submitted and paid in the portal have the option to communicate directly with our admission teams by submitting the undergraduate contact form.

Note: If you use this resource, please wait for a response from us. Do not submit more than one form at a time as receiving multiple requests may slow down our processing time.