Admissions
Please contact the University of Toronto Mississauga Student Recruitment & Admissions Office:
https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/future-students/
Contact Information:
Phone: 905-828-5400
Email: uoft.me/askutm
Campus Address:
Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Toronto Mississauga
3359 Mississauga Road
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
L5L 1C6
Office Location:
Innovation Complex, Room KN 1270
High school pre-requisites
No, there is no prerequisite required for PSY100Y5, and there are no Mathematics prerequisites for other upper-level PSY courses other than PSY201H5 (Introduction to Quantitative Research in Psychology I).
4U Advanced Functions or Calculus math course is only required for enrollment in any PSY program.
Transferring from another University / U of T Campus
You need to go through the 'Apply for Transfer Credit' option to transfer to the University of Toronto Mississauga: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/future-students/transfer-credits
You cannot apply directly to the Psychology Program until you've been admitted to the University and all of your previous university credits (including Psychology courses) have been transferred over. Only after they have all been transferred should you contact the Psychology department for further advising. In most cases, students are NOT admitted to the Psychology program until they have taken a full year at the University of Toronto Mississauga. They are welcome, however, to take psychology courses that year as long as they have the prerequisites from their previous university accepted by the University of Toronto Mississauga as transfer credits.
It is important to be aware that there is a maximum number of course credits allowable when transferring from another university. The University of Toronto does not normally accept as degree candidates students who have completed more than two years (10 full credits) at another university.
You must apply for an internal transfer. For further information review the below webpage:
Non-Degree Students
You need to apply as a Non-degree Student https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/future-students/admissions/non-degree-visiting
Note that you cannot take any UTM courses until you have been admitted as a non-degree student. Once you have been admitted, please consult the Undergraduate Advisor for further academic advising and on policies and procedures for non-degree students. (Please also see the question below about non-degree students enrolling in our courses).
As a non-degree student with a previous degree or psychology background, you can take our PSY courses as long as you have obtained the equivalent of the appropriate prerequisites in your previous studies. Please bear in mind that our PSY Program students get first priority when enrolling in PSY courses and that you will have to wait until the priority is dropped.
Enrolling in Courses
Psychology Minor, Major Specialist
PSY100Y5 (Introduction to Psychology) is the only specific university course required to apply for a program of study (Subject POSt) in Psychology in the first year. In addition, you must take at least 3.0 other courses to apply to any UTM program. All Psychology programs require completion of at least 4.0 Full Credit Equivalents (FCEs) before applying.
Neuroscience Specialist and Exceptionality in Human Learning Specialist
If you are interested in the Neuroscience or Exceptionality in Human Learning program, there are additional required first-year courses. Please check the UTM Academic Calendar for further information: https://utm.calendar.utoronto.ca/
Consider this helpful resource for first-year students: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/new-students/course-enrolment
Generally, all course enrolment is done using ACORN/ROSI at www.rosi.utoronto.ca on the Student Web Service (SWS). Note that prerequisites will be checked and enforced.
300 level courses: Priority is given to PBS program students to enrol first and then the course becomes available to UTM and other students later. Dates can be found in the Important Dates section on the Office of the Registrar website:
https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/dates
300-level laboratory courses and 400-level seminars: Departmental approval is required and the course is restricted at all times to UTM PSY students. Preference is given to Specialists and Majors with high GPAs. The course will appear on students’ ACORN/ROSI records with a status of INTerim until the department has had an opportunity to review students' requests and APProve or REFuse the course. Fee charges will not appear on the student invoice until an APProved status is assigned.
PSY400Y5, 442Y5, and Independent Research Projects (e.g., PSY403H5): Enrolment through ACORN/ROSI is not available. Students must enroll through the department. Departmental approval is required. Enrollment requires written application several months ahead. Please consult the department for further information and refer to the Courses Requiring Application section of the Department website.
All of our courses, with the exception of 300-level lab courses and all 400-level courses, have waiting lists that are reflected directly on ACORN/ROSI. If you try to enrol in one of these courses and it is full, ACORN/ROSI will ask you if you wish to be added to the waiting list, to which you can respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you request to be added to the waiting list, you will be able to check your position. If a space becomes available and you are first on the waiting list, you will be automatically enrolled in the course. Note that the Department cannot advance individual students on the waiting list. Student's position on the waiting list is based on first-come, first served sequence.
Please note that waiting lists are closed the same date as the last day to add classes (approximately 2 weeks after the course begins).
The decision to stay on a waiting list is yours and yours alone. For further guidance, students may speak with the Psychology Undergraduate Advisor, however the decision is up to the student.
Once a course has filled to capacity, there is no way for you to take the course unless you are automatically moved into the course from the waiting list. The Department does not have the ability to enrol students beyond the stated course cap (regardless of how many seats are empty in the classroom). Additionally, the instructor of the course has NO control over enrolment caps and has no authorization to admit students.
If you truly need a specific course to fulfill your program requirements for graduation, we will help you and find a space for you. Please take note that this RARELY happens. Each of our programs provides many options within each group of required courses, and you will likely have the prerequisites for several. We can only assist you in obtaining a space for a specific course if you can demonstrate that you only have the prerequisites for that option. We cannot assist you if you have other course options available, even if these other options are not attractive to you.
If you are in this position, please first carefully look through all available courses and their prerequisites. Using ACORN, try to add all courses (for which you have prerequisites) that will fulfill your program requirements.
If you have thoroughly examined all your options, please book an appointment with the Academic Advisor and Undergraduate Program Administrator to obtain assistance.
Please note that we can only help if you have made consistent progress in your program (i.e., you do not expect to take the majority of your courses in your final year) and you are requesting assistance during your final year or term at UTM and have a graduation request registered on ACORN/ROSI. We also reserve the right to admit you to a course for which you do not have the prerequisite but need to graduate instead of admitting you to the course you desire.
Note: A helpful link to track your progress can be found on the Office of the Registrar website: https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/registrar/graduation/progress
Review: Academic Calendar
In most circumstances, NO. Waivers will ONLY be considered if the class is NOT full and if you have an alternate background either from a similar U of T course or from another university.
You may request a waiver of prerequisite by filling out a Prerequisite Waiver Form available through the Undergraduate Advising Office (Room 4098 Deerfield Hall) or at http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/undergraduate-studies/course-information/prerequisites.
Please do NOT enroll in any course for which you do not have the appropriate prerequisites as you will be taking a spot that a student who has the prerequisites may want and as a result, you will be removed without notice.
All third-year courses offered by Psychological and Brain Sciences are restricted to in-program students during the priority enrolment period
Note: If you are not currently registered in a department-administered program, you will be denied access to the course and must wait to enrol once the priority period is lifted. Please consult the UTM Timetable and Registration Guide for details and specific enrolment dates:
Yes, any stats course that is viewed as equivalent to PSY201H5 or PSY202H5 may be used in its place as a prerequisite for those courses that require one or both of these courses. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences will accept statistics courses from other departments so that students planning on completing a double Major need to take statistics courses offered by only one department to satisfy both programs. Please consult the Psychological and Brain Sciences program section in the UTM Academic Calendar for a list of acceptable courses. https://utm.calendar.utoronto.ca/
While we provide preference to Specialists we encourage Majors who have GPAs above 3.0 to apply using the same procedures available to all UTM PSY students.
Yes, if you have the prerequisites and a very strong academic record you are welcome to apply. Admission is competitive.
- Review the PSY400Y5 Undergraduate Honours Thesis minimum admission requirements.
An Individual Project course is an intensive laboratory or applied research project for students seeking training and/or exposure complementary to that provided for by regular classroom courses. It is a student's responsibility to obtain prior consent of a supervisor from Psychological and Brain Sciences who will closely observe and then evaluate the project.
A project proposal might be requested by your proposed supervisor. The proposal should include a description of the method of evaluation of the work. Check with your supervisor if this is required.
An enrolment form (see below) must be signed by your supervisor and submitted for approval to the Academic Counsellor of Undergraduate Studies. Once approved, the project will be entered by the department onto ROSI/ACORN.
Prerequisites: PSY201H5/equivalent, 1.0 FCE in a PSY course at the 300 level, GPA of 3.0.
Enrolment forms are available at the Psychology Office (Room 4098 Deerfield Hall) or at:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/psychology/undergraduate-studies/research-course-credit/independent-projects
Please complete and submit an enrolment form to the Academic Counsellor, Jodie Stewart, no later than the first week of September if you are starting in the Fall, or the first week in January if you are starting in the Winter. If you are doing a summer project, please have your form completed and submitted by the end of April.
Although ACORN/ROSI may reflect your request for a course, you may not have the relevant prerequisites. Prerequisite checks are made prior to and at the beginning of each term. If your student record does not show the appropriate prerequisites for the course(s) you enrolled in, you will be removed.
If you are a transfer student (before transfer credit assessment was finalized), a non-degree student or a visiting student, you may be asked to provide a copy of your previous university transcripts to room 4098 Deerfield Hall to prove that you have the appropriate background for the course you are taking.
If you are a St. George or UTSC Psychology student, you MUST meet the UTM prerequisites before enrolling in and taking a UTM course even if they are different at your home campus.
You should not enrol in courses that meet at the same time. You should drop one of the courses if you accidentally enrol in conflicting courses. Instructors are not required to provide lecture recordings.
Also review our: Special Consideration Request Process for term tests/work, note that course conflicts are not a valid reason for submitting a SCR.
Program Selection
**IMPORTANT NOTE**
First-year students newly admitted in the Psychology Stream are NOT in our program. You have to apply to the program upon completion of 4.0 University credits.
You will need to obtain these credits BEFORE you apply to any UTM PSY program. This requirement is NEVER waived for any reason. A transcript, and sometimes a course description may also be required as proof especially in cases where the course was taken AFTER the student was admitted to the university and/or if the course was taken outside of Ontario.
There are a number of ways that you can obtain these credits during your first year or during the summer following your first year. These include:
The Peel Board of Education offers continuing education courses
If you're outside the Peel Region, you may check with your local School Board of Education regarding the availability of senior-level classes.
You can also take high school correspondence courses through The Independent Learning Centre.
These courses can be done on your own schedule, however, please note that some students find it hard to take Math and Biology courses without some kind of teacher instruction while others do not. You will have to judge for yourself if you will do better in a classroom environment or if you can handle the self-study method.
Another correspondence school is www.virtualhighschool.com. (this option is available for international students)
Once these credits are completed, final transcripts from the course administrators (not student) should be emailed to: transfer.utm@utoronto.ca and utmpsych.utm@utoronto.ca.
Review our Admission Requirements or consult the Psychology section of the UTM Academic Calendar to review the programs we offer and to learn about program admission requirements.
Review the Office of the Registrar Program Selection page for information about applying to programs (Subject POSts).
The first round of Subject POSt (program) enrolment begins in March.
You must apply during the second Subject POSt request period, which usually begins in mid-June. While we will make every effort to make admission decisions early, please be advised that applying late (i.e., not during the first round of enrolment) may mean that you will not find out whether you've been accepted until the end of August. This could affect course enrolment for you.
Students missing the first-year prerequisites for a Psych major (i.e. 4.0 credits, 64% in PSY100 and CGPA 2.0) can choose to apply after second year if they have a psychology average of at least 64% (based on a minimum of 1.5 completed credits in psychology) as well as an AGPA of at least 2.0. Both these requirements are based on all courses taken during students' most recent academic year (including Summer, when applicable). Review the UTM Academic Calendar for details.
No, the Psychology Department does not make exceptions. We expect students to meet ALL requirements in order to be accepted. If you scored poorly in PSY100Y5, you may either take it again (but receive NO academic credit for it) or take second-year courses and meet the second-year admission requirements.
Review: Admission Requirements
This is also outlined on the UTM Academic Calendar.
Students missing the second year prerequisites for applying to a Psych specialist can choose to apply after their third year instead, as long as they have a psychology average of at least 77% (based on a minimum of PSY201H5 and PSY202H5 and the next most recent 1.5 credits completed in psychology) as well as an AGPA of at least 3.0. These requirements are based on all courses taken during students' most recent academic year (including Summer, when applicable). Review the UTM Academic Calendar for details.
Please review our admission requirements for the PSY program you applied for and make sure you meet ALL of them. If you do happen to meet all of the minimum requirements we may have no record of you taking Grade 12 Advanced Functions and/or Biology or its equivalent, in which case you need to submit a transcript to prove that you have taken the course. It is important that you promptly contact the Psychology Undergraduate Director if you have any questions about the status of your PSY Program application.
Because students transfer to UTM from all over the world, for the sake of fairness, only grades obtained at the University of Toronto are used to determine eligibility for admission to PSY programs. As such, whether or not you obtained the required grade at another university will not affect your admission into the PSY program. You will need to meet the admission requirements by meeting the required grades in courses taken at UTM.
ERSPE1160 Psychology Specialist
ERMAJ1160 Psychology Major
ERMIN1160 Psychology Minor
ERSPE1883 Exceptionality in Human Learning Specialist
ERSPE2470 Neuroscience Specialist
Guidance for Undergraduate Students
Missing Classes, Assessments, or Assignments
Review the Department's Special Consideration Request process:
Review your course syllabus for exemptions to use, as Instructors may exclude one assessment from the one-time absence declaration.
Review the University Registrar's Office Policies and Guidelines for the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool.
ACORN Help: How do I declare an absence?
The University’s expectations on this matter are articulated in the Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious Observances.
As noted in the Policy, the University welcomes and includes students, staff, and faculty from a wide range of backgrounds, cultural traditions, and spiritual beliefs. The Policy is outlined by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students and an overview can be found here.
Support when you feel distressed
If you are: feeling desperate and hopeless, worried you might hurt yourself, someone else or having suicidal thoughts, alone with no one to talk to
If you have: made a plan, the means to hurt yourself or someone else (e.g. pills or a weapon), attempted suicide or hurt yourself before
Talk to someone right NOW
24/7 emergency counselling services
9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline | Call or text 9-8-8
Support available in English and French for anyone across Canada who is thinking of suicide or who is worried about someone else.
U of T Telus Health Student Support (formerly U of T My SSP) | 1-844-451-9700. Outside of North America, call 001-416-380-6578.
Culturally-competent mental health and counselling services in 146 languages for all U of T students.
Additional Supports:
Concerns About Coursework or Grades
- Learn more about effective writing techniques from U of T’s online resources, from planning to revising.
- Visit the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre
- Academic Resources
- Get advice from your instructors or TAs during their office hours
- Other: Academic Culture & English (ACE@UTM) is a fee-based English language transition program for students admitted to UTM who require additional English language support in order to meet the University of Toronto’s English language requirement.
- Review Re-grading Term Work guidelines in the UTM Academic Policies Handbook
- Consult your course syllabus to determine any course specific details of regrading policies
- Reminder only re-grading of term work worth at least 20% of the course mark may be appealed beyond the instructor
Getting into Graduate School and/or Gaining Research Experience
The Psychology Department does not match students up with research supervisors. You may seek out research experience by contacting individual Faculty members about opportunities in their labs. Academically, we offer the Research Opportunity Program (ROP – PSY299Y5), 300-series laboratories (PSY309H5, 319H5, 329H5, 379H5, and 399H5), Independent Research Projects (e.g., PSY403H5) and the Thesis course (PSY400Y5). A very limited number of additional opportunities as research assistants, laboratory volunteers etc. are available by contacting individual faculty members. Students can also look for these types of opportunities at the U of T Career Centre website or with the various affiliated hospitals or co-operating institutions.
MA/PhD programs generally require an Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology or equivalent. If you already have a previous degree, you usually need to take only "enough" Psychology courses to have your studies be considered equivalent to an Honours degree in Psychology. Please consult the graduate schools you are interested in to clarify this.
Please note that the UTM Department of Psychology does NOT issue any letters or statements which claim that your studies are considered equivalent to an Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Toronto. The number of Psychology courses necessary to apply to graduate studies varies from one graduate school to another. For example, at the University of Toronto, where we have a Research/Experimental Psychology M.A./Ph.D. program, we require only 6.0 full courses in Psychology, while some other schools may require as many as 10 courses. For information on entry requirements, you will need to contact each graduate school to which you wish to apply. Information on the different psychology graduate programs in Canada can be found on the Canadian Psychological Association website at www.cpa.ca.
If you already have an undergraduate degree from a university other than the U of T and wish to take courses at U of T in order to upgrade before applying to graduate school, the first step is to apply as a Non-degree student through the Office of Admissions and Awards. Returning students should contact their College Registrar's office for details on taking further courses. Please be forewarned that Non-degree students hold LAST priority in obtaining admission to all courses and keep in mind that Psychology is a popular discipline at our university
For more information about applying to graduate school, please visit the School of Graduate Studies website: https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/future-students/