► The MA NON-THESIS Program will NOT be offered in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Application Deadline
The application due date for the Department of Anthropology is December 1. We do not accept applications for Winter or Summer admissions. All our application materials are now uploaded online. Some universities issue only paper transcripts; in that case, you will need to plan time for these to be delivered to you and then scanned and uploaded to our admissions system (SLATE). Slate requires you to submit and pay the application fee before you can upload the supporting documents. However, all supporting documents and reference letters must be uploaded by the application deadline.
The Applications Package: Required Documents
Applications to McGill's Graduate Program in Anthropology must be submitted online. For detailed instructions on how to apply and how to upload required supporting documents, please see the Applying to McGill guide.
All applicants must submit the following:
- Online Application Form, including ranked choice of potential supervisors in the Department of Anthropology. Please note that students are not admitted without a willing supervisor, so we strongly recommend that you reach out to prospective supervisors in advance of your application. Faculty members may not be accepting students that application cycle, or they might not see a good academic fit with your proposed project and their expertise.
- Personal Statement/Research Statement: 1 to 2 pages, single spaced (approx. 500-1000 words) describing 1) your proposed research project for your thesis or dissertation, in as much detail as possible; 2) which faculty member(s) you would like to work with, explaining your fit within the department; 3) your significant qualifications, qualities or circumstances as an applicant; and 4) (optionally) your interest in the discipline of Anthropology, our graduate program specifically, and how a graduate degree would contribute to your educational and professional goals.
- A current curriculum vitae (CV) that details your education, research experience and any publications, relevant professional experience, and relevant coursework. In Canada, photographs and personal details such as date of birth are not typically included in CVs, as they are in some countries.
- Two letters of reference, at least one of whom should be an academic who can evaluate your academic performance and potential. If you have a former or current supervisor (e.g. undergraduate honors thesis or MA), it is typically expected that they will write one letter. One reference may be from a professional (i.e. non-academic) if they are able to comment on relevant skills and experiences.
- A sample of your written work of no more than 15 pages, written in English or French, e.g. a graded essay, chapter of your undergraduate or M.A. thesis, or an article or conference paper you have written.
- Transcripts from ALL institutions attended after secondary school (including those involving transfer credits and any exchange transcripts, in addition to the main institutional transcripts). To be eligible for admission at McGill, your cumulative CGPA(s) must be 3.0 or above. Most students we admit have a significantly higher CGPA, especially at the doctoral level, where most students have a CGPA of 3.7 or above. This is in line with eligibility requirements for funding from the provincial agency, FRQSC.
- If you are not a native English speaker, and you did not graduate from a university or college where English was the first language of instruction, you will be asked to provide proof of language competency. This can be in the form of the TOEFL Internet-Based Test score of at least 86 overall, with no less than 20 in each of the four component scores. The McGill Institutional Code is 0935. It can also be in the form of a band score of 6.5 submitted electronically by an IELTS test center. McGill does not accept paper Test Report Forms, nor IELTS results uploaded by students.
- Please note that the GRE is not required for admission to the Anthropology program.
Application Status
Offers of admission are generally made in late February and March, though some additional offers may be made into April. Offers of admission and funding letters will be made available in the Slate platform.
After Receiving an Offer
If you receive an offer of admission, go over it and the details of the funding letter carefully. It is wise to meet with your potential supervisor to discuss the offer and ask any questions you may still have. Please accept or decline your offer in Slate and inform your potential supervisor as soon as you have reached your decision, so that the department can make additional offers, if necessary and finalize its cohort as soon as possible. Remember that accepting an offer is making a commitment; do not accept an offer if you do not intend to join the program in the fall. And last but not least, please remember to personally thank those who have invested their time and effort on your behalf, and inform them of your future plans.