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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for Graduate Studies at the U of A

Are you ready to begin the process of applying to a ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ graduate program? On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know to successfully prepare and submit your application to any of our graduate programs.

Ready to apply?

Read and complete all of the steps on this page before you start your application.

Step 1: Start early.

Applying to a graduate program at the U of A takes time. In general, we recommend beginning the process as early as one year before you wish to begin your program of study.

 Application Deadlines

Deadlines vary by program and term.

  • Some deadlines as early as 12 months before the program begins.
  • Many departments make funding decisions six to nine months before you might begin your studies.
  • If you are an international student, you will also need to allow time to apply for a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) and a study permit. To learn more about meeting immigration requirements to study in Canada, visit the Studying in Canada page.

Contact the department to confirm the deadlines for your program before starting your application.

Find out how to contact the department by finding your program page »

Step 2: Choose your graduate program.

The U of A offers more than 500 graduate programs in 300 research areas. To learn more about our programs and find yours, visit the Graduate Programs page.

Step 3: Review graduate entrance requirements and contact the department.

General entrance requirements

The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) has general entrance requirements that apply to all applicants.

Learn more about our general entrance requirements:

Program entrance requirements

Your program may have specific requirements and deadlines. To review your program’s requirements, find your program page. Each program page will also have contact information and a link to the department site if you have further questions about the program.

Thesis-based programs

If you are applying for a thesis-based program, please note that some programs require you to identify and contact a potential supervisor before applying.

Applying to one of these programs?

Please refer to the undergraduate programs page.

Step 4: Prepare your application documents.

Before beginning your online application, ensure you have prepared all of the required supporting documents.

 Changes to Graduate Application Portal

We are transitioning graduate applications to a new application portal. While we make this transition, some graduate programs may have applications open in two portals, called “GSMS” and the “Graduate Admissions Portal”. The portal you will use to complete your application will depend on the term you are applying for. Find out which application portal to use ↓

If you are applying in GSMS, you will need to have copies of your supporting documents prepared in digital PDF format before you can submit your application.

If you are applying to the Graduate Admissions Portal, you will submit and pay for your application before uploading your supporting documents. It is your responsibility to submit your supporting documents before the application deadline.

Below are some helpful links for preparing your documents.

Your program may require additional documents, including:

  • CV
  • Statement of intent
  • Writing samples
  • GRE, GMAT, other test scores
  • References:
    • You will be required to submit the name, title, organization and email address of all your references.
    • An email with a secure link will only be sent to your references after you submit and pay for your application.

Generative AI in Graduate Applications

GPS is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity in our graduate application process. As such, we strictly prohibit the use of Generative AI applications (e.g., ChatGPT, etc.) or any other form of artificial intelligence-assisted writing tools in the preparation and submission of application materials, including personal statements, statements of purpose, writing samples or other parts of the application. All submitted documents must be the original work of the applicant, reflecting their own thoughts, ideas and experiences. Any detected use of AI-generated content will be considered a violation of academic integrity and may result in application rejection or other consequences.

Step 5: Apply online.

Read and complete all of the steps on this page before you start your application. Then ensure that you set aside at least an hour to complete your online application. Ensure that you set aside at least an hour to complete your online application.

We recommend using the latest version of one of these browsers for your application:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari

Please clear your browser cache before starting your application.

 Find Your Graduate Application Portal

We are transitioning graduate applications to a new application portal. While we make this transition, some graduate programs may have applications open in two portals, called “GSMS” and the “Graduate Admissions Portal (GAP)”. The portal you will use to complete your application will depend on the term you are applying for.

If you are applying for entry to a graduate program in:

Have questions?

Scholarships

Have you applied for external scholarships?

You will be automatically considered for U of A entrance scholarships once you've applied for admission, but it's great to access your own external funding.

See Scholarships + Awards for some helpful tips, including information on scholarships and awards, international student funding and postdoctoral fellow funding.

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