Application Procedures

Overview

Applications for admission to the Faculty of Dentistry are made online.

All documents, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, must be submitted by the deadlines given below. The on-line application fee is $100 which is payable by credit card when submitting your application on the web. The results of all prerequisite courses must be submitted to this Faculty prior to June 30th for August registration.

Selection Process

The selection of applicants is based on transcripts, reference letters, personal statement, résumé and interviews. The Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) not being a requirement anymore, DAT scores will not be considered.

Accepting an offer

Successful applicants must respond within two weeks to the offer of a place in the entering class.

For students accepted into the four-year program, notification of acceptance of the offer must be accompanied by a deposit of $500 which will be applied against tuition. Fifty percent (50%) of the deposit fee is refundable up to June 15th for out-of-province and Québec residents applying to the D.M.D. program.

For students accepted into the Dent-P program, notification of acceptance of the offer must be accompanied by a deposit of $400 which will be applied against tuition. Fifty percent (50%) of the deposit fee is refundable up to July 15th.

Deferred admission

Admission into the first year of our DMD program may be exceptionally deferred for a period of one (1) year at the discretion of the Admissions Committee. A deferral request can only be made once the offer of admission has been accepted and the deposit paid. If your request for deferral is granted, your registration deposit will be transferred to the deferred term.

You must submit your request in writing and address it to our Chair of Admissions. This letter of a maximum of two pages should set out the reason(s) for the request. You must submit your request no later than July 15th. Deferral admission is not granted for the DENT-P and Advanced Standing programs.

Extenuating Circumstances

If you have experienced any serious medical or personal difficulty(ies) that had a significant impact on your academic performance, you may claim 'Extenuating Circumstances (EXTC)' in your application.

You will need to provide a 500-word letter explaining, from you point of view, the situation that was outside of your control which you feel might have an impact on your candidacy (please reference any supporting documentation where applicable). The letter should also provide information such as: when, specifically, this situation occured (start date - end date); how has this affected you and your candidacy; and what you would like the Admissions Committee to take into consideration when reviewing your application.

You must also provide any supporting documentation such as medical notes, accident reports, etc. to support your case.

Your letter and supporting documents must be submitted in one PDF file and uploaded via Minerva to the appropriate checklist item

Need Help? undergrad [dot] dentistry [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Send us an email)

Deadlines

• November 1st - Deadline to submit the online application to the 4-year DMD program;
• November 15th - Deadline to submit all required documents for the 4-year DMD program.
• March 1st - Residents of Quebec applying for the 5-year (Dent-P) program

Supporting documentation should be provided as soon as it is available and no later than the deadline date. McGill reserves the right to return or cancel without advance notice any late, incomplete or unpaid applications. Late applications, if accepted, are not eligible to be considered for entrance scholarships.

Interview dates for entry in fall 2013

• March 10th, 2014 for non-Quebec residents applying to the 4-year program
• March 11th, 2014 for residents of Quebec applying to the 4-year program
• April 9th, 2014 for residents of  Quebec applying to the 5-year program

Candidates to our DMD program invited for an interview should receive an email by the end of February at the latest.

Selection process

Selection of students by the Admissions Committee is based upon academic achievement at the time of application and an assessment of personal characteristics and accomplishments.

Academic achievement is determined from the academic record in undergraduate studies. While completed graduate degrees are taken into consideration, applicants should know that the undergraduate CGPA is the major consideration in measuring academic performance. As an indicator of the GPA that is competitive, here are the average GPAs for admitted dental students in the past three years: 2012:3.71; 2011: 3.76; 2010: 3.84.

The assessment of an applicant's academic performance for Cegep-level applicants is based on the overall R score (cote de rendement au collégial). As an indicator of the cote de rendement that is competitive, here are the CRC averages for admitted Dental Preparatory students in the past three years: 2012: 34.74; 2011: 34.07; 2010: 33.50.

The initial assessment of personal qualities and achievements is made from a study of the personal statement and the résumé submitted by all candidates. The personal statement should give the committee a clear image of the applicant and the personal characteristics and experiences which make him/her particularly suitable for the study of dentistry at McGill University.

The assessment of the personal statement and the résumé, together with the reference reports from those referees chosen by the student, form the basis for a decision on whether an applicant possessing the academic performance criteria is to be invited for an interview. The files of candidates who are not invited for interviews are not considered further.

Once the interviews have been completed all the components of the application process – GPA's for applicants to the D.M.D. program, Cote-R for applicants to the Dent-P program, scores assigned to the personal statement, the résumé, the reference letters and interview performance – are aggregated. Places in the entering class are offered to those whose assembled scores are the most competitive.

Candidates applying for the four-year program will be notified as soon as possible after March 31st whether they have been accepted, placed on the waiting list, or not accepted. Acceptance is conditional upon receipt of a Bachelor's degree. Decisions for the Dent-P Program will be mailed by the end of April.

Successful applicants must respond within two weeks to the offer of a place in the entering class.

For students accepted into the four-year program notification of acceptance of the offer must be accompanied by a deposit of $500 which will be applied against tuition. Fifty percent (50%) of the deposit fee is refundable up to June 15th for out-of-province and Québec residents applying to the D.M.D. program.

For students accepted into the Dent-P program notification of acceptance of the offer must be accompanied by a deposit of $300 which will be applied against tuition. Fifty percent (50%) of the deposit fee is refundable up to July 15th.

Required documents

Official copies of transcripts can be sent to the McGill Documentation Centre:

McGill University
Enrolment Services
Student Records
3415 McTavish Street
Room MS 13
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H3A 0C8

PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR McGILL I.D. NUMBER WHICH WAS ASSIGNED TO YOU ON ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS.

1. Transcripts of all previous university education
   

   Applicants must upload a copy of their unofficial transcripts via their Minerva account. These transcripts will be used for the preliminary review of their application. If offered admission, at that time, students must make arrangements with their college and/or university to send official transcripts to McGill. Please note that unofficial copies of transcripts must include the following information: name of the University, name and type of program, grades and credits as well as semesters.

   Important: Our Admissions Office reserves the right to require offcial academic records at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between unofficial and official record(s) are found. Official transcripts sent to McGill University become the property of the University and will not be returned or forwarded to other institutions.

   Quebec CEGEP students and current and former McGill University students are not required to send transcripts by mail. McGill's admitting office obtains these directly.

   Candidates applying to our Advanced Standing program can personally submit official or certified copies of their university academic transcripts. Those written in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by a certified translation.

2. Aggregated Academic History Workbook
   

   Please download the workbook provided below and complete it with your academic history, including your course history. A guide has been provided (see below) to help you in completing this workbook. Table 2 of the workbook is to contain your entire history of higher-learning (e.g. post-secondary, undergraduate, graduate, etc.). This includes advanced secondary programs such as APs from CollegeBoard, the International Baccalaureate from IBO, CEGEP programs, and the like. Table 3 need not contain graduate course history.

   WORKBOOK: mcgill_dentistry_workbook_v3-0-b27.xlsx

   The workbook was created in Microsoft Excel 2007, with validation protocols included, and its tables are compatible with most current spreadsheet software (see guide for alternatives). When filling out the 'Apply_Program' and 'Apply_Category' sections in Table 1, do not use the drop down menus. Simply type in the appropriate information as explained on pages 7-8 of the guide.

   When completing Table 3, please make sure to use the dropdown menus to fill in the cells instead of typing in or pasting the information.
   
   GUIDE: mcgill_dentistry_ddsr_data_entry_guide_en_v3-0-r02.pdf

   This guide includes how to convert grades into McGill-compatible grade points (see page 24). If your institution uses a different grading system, you can consult the resources presented in the guide.

   Please make sure to rename the file by replacing "mcgill" with your McGill ID number and "dentistry" with your name (for example: 260999876_BROWN_Jason_workbook_v3-0.xlsx). When ready, please submit your workbook to undergrad [dot] dentistry [at] mcgill [dot] ca with the subject line 'DDSR SUBMISSION'. Also include your name and McGill ID number in the body of the message. Please allow up to 10 business days for your document to show as received on your application checklist.

3. A Minimum of Two Reference Reports
   • one from a science professor, a teaching assistant or a lab demonstrator who can attest to your academic abilities; and
   • one from a non-academic referee who supervised you while working/volunteering in a health care or social service setting.

   You must send a copy of the Confidential Reference Report [.doc] to your referees to be completed. Please note that Confidential Reference Reports cannot be uploaded on Minerva as they need to be sent directly by your referees (see instructions at the top of the page).

   You can submit up to four reference reports, but one needs to be from a science professor and one from a non-academic referee who supervised you in a health care or social service setting. A social service setting is often community-based and offers several types of services to help the population (often underprivileged financially, psychologically and/or physically).

   If would like to add a fourth referee to your checklist, please send us his/her name and coordinates to undergrad [dot] dentistry [at] mcgill [dot] ca. Also, if you need to change one of your referees, please send us the information using the same email address. Do not forget to include your McGill ID number.

   The reports must be sent in a PDF format directly by the referee via a professional email address to undergrad [dot] dentistry [at] mcgill [dot] ca.

4. Personal Statement
   

   The Admissions Committee makes its initial assessment of your personal qualities and achievements from your personal statement. This essay should enable the Admissions Committee to develop a fuller understanding of you, as an applicant, and the personal characteristics and experiences which make you particularly suitable for the study of dentistry at McGill University.

   The personal statement assists the Admissions Committee in its appraisal of an applicant's suitability for our dentistry program. Candidates are invited to discuss any information about themselves that might assist the Committee in this task.

   The personal statement form can be completed in English or in French. Do not exceed the space limitations and change the font size.

   Download and complete the Personal Statement template [.pdf]. The document is a three-page interactive Adobe form. After completing the form,you will need to print your final version, scan and save it to a personal directory as a PDF document before uploading it to Minerva.

5. Résumé
   

   Applicants are asked to provide a résumé highlighting their:

   • academic background and achievements;
   • work experience, time worked during studies and duration;
   • volunteer and community work;
   • extra-curricular activities, sports, hobbies, and other significant interests.

   If you have worked during the school term, the number of hours worked per week should be indicated on the résumé. Candidates need not limit the résumé to one page. It is in the interest of the candidate to share with the Committee his or her academic and non-academic contributions and distinctions. However, the résumé should not be more than three pages long.

6. Proof of Proficiency in English
   

   To determine if you need to provide proof of proficiency in English, please visit this section of our website. Your test results must be reported directly to the University by the test centre; consequently, candidates' copies of results, unless certified, will not be accepted as proof of English language proficiency. It is your responsibility to ensure that the official test results in an official format are forwarded directly by the testing service to McGill Enrolment Services - Students Records (see coordinates at the top of the page).

Online application

Fall 2014 admission to our DMD and DENT-P programs is now open.

Important information when starting your application:

1. Our DMD program is found under the application type of 'Undergraduate/Professional' (do not select Postgrad Med/Dent Education as this is for post-doctoral studies);
2. When asked about your educational background, you should select the highest level of education you have or will have achieved prior to starting your program of choice. For example, if you are in the final year of your Bachelor's degree, select Bachelor's Degree / Equivalent as this is your anticipated level of education (by the time you are admitted, should you be admitted).

The on-line application fee is $100 which is non-refundable and payable by credit card when submitting your application on the web.

Supporting documents

The following documents must be submitted in addition to the online application:

1. Transcripts of all previous university education
(CEGEP students: remember to include your Permanent Code Number with your application)
2. Aggregated Academic History Workbook
3. A Minimum of Two Reference Reports
4. Personal statement
5. Résumé
6. Proof of proficiency in English (if applicable to your situation)

Please refer to the "Required documents" section of this website for more information and instructions regarding those documents. Be sure to include your name and McGill ID number with each submission. ID numbers are usually returned to you by email after 24 to 48 hours of your application submission.

Applicants to our DMD and DENT-P programs must UPLOAD supporting documents via Minerva. Please read the guidlines before using this new service. All documents can be uploaded except for letters of reference; those can be sent in a PDF format directly by the referees to undergrad [dot] dentistry [at] mcgill [dot] ca.

Do NOT mail or fax a copy of the documents that you have already uploaded to your application—doing so will slow down the review of your application.

Quick guide to applying online

Application status

A notice acknowledging receipt of your application will be sent by e-mail (or regular mail when no e-mail address is provided) upon the successful completion of the on-line application forms (including payment). Your acknowledgement notice will provide you with your McGill ID number as well as a PIN that you can use to log on to the Minerva web site.

At this web site, you will be able to check the status of your application, as we receive and record your supporting documents. You will be able to verify which documents (if any) are still missing. Please remember that you are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete. You should make arrangements to provide all the outstanding documents by the applicable deadlines.

Track your application and accept your offer to McGill

• Log in on the Minerva website with the official McGill ID and PIN provided in the acknowledgement notice from McGill via email and traditional post.
• Click on Applicants.
• To view the status of your application, select the link under Admissions Term on the Application Summary form.
  The system confirms the receipt of your supporting documents, your acceptance to McGill, and your residence status (where applicable).
• To accept or decline your offer to McGill, click on the Accept link on the Application Summary form.
• Log out.

Candidates applying for the four-year program will be notified as soon as possible after March 31st whether they have been accepted, placed on the waiting list, or not accepted. Acceptance is conditional upon receipt of a Bachelor's degree. Decisions for the Dent-P Program will be mailed by the end of April.