McGill.CA / BSc Programs in Neuroscience

McGill's Open House

Each year in late October, McGill hosts its annual Open House. This event is hosted for people who are interested in applying to the Neuroscience program to speak to Advisors and upper-year students before they apply. Prospective students will have a chance to visit the campus and ask important questions before they submit their admission application.

For more details you can refer to the Open House website.

Be sure not to miss out on this opportunity to connect with us!

Applying to McGill's Undergraduate Neuroscience Programs (Bachelor of Science)

For current McGill students: the application for Fall 2025 for the major in neuroscience will open April 1, the deadline to apply is May 15.   The Honours application will open in early April and the deadline to apply will be May 15.  

Note that is it not possible to apply for the winter term, only fall.  

Are you interested in pursuing an undergraduate program in neuroscience? 

For detailed information on the Major Program please refer to Major program page.

For detailed information on the Honours Program please refer to Honours program page.

Applying to the Major Program

The Major in Neuroscience is a competitive entry program with admission limited to 50 students per year.  For more detailed information on the program structure and content, consult the Major program page. 

Applicants from Quebec CEGEPs:

CEGEP students are eligible to apply directly to the Bachelor of Science - Neuroscience Group when they submit an admissions application to McGill. Refer to Undergraduate Admissions for details on the application process, including deadlines and requirements.

Applicants from other schools (including Quebec high school):

All other students must complete one year of study in another program at McGill (and complete the Program Prerequisites listed in the eCalendar) before applying to enter the Neuroscience major. These students will normally apply to the Bachelor of Science – Biological, Biomedical, Life Science (BBL) Group. Refer to Undergraduate Admissions for details on the application process to the BBL Group, including deadlines and requirements.

Applicants from McGill (after completing one year of study at McGill via the Inter/Intra-Faculty Transfer process):

Prerequisite requirements

Applicants must have:

  • Consulted the Inter/Intra-Faculty requirements section of the SOUSA website.
  • Completed the Program Prerequisites outlined in the eCalendar.  Note that if you have course equivalencies from AP examinations, IB Higher Level subjects, Advanced Level subjects, etc. these will satisfy the prerequisite requirements, please refer to the Advanced Standing website for further details.
  • Obtained a CGPA of at least 3.20
  • Note: meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the Major Neuroscience program.
  • Students who are applying after their U1 year are required to complete all the program prerequisites before applying and are recommended to take BIOL 200, CHEM 212, NSCI 200, NSCI 201 in their U1 year if they have the prerequisites for the 200-level courses but it not required to remain eligible to apply to the program.  

Application procedures

The Neuroscience Major is a limited-enrolment interdisciplinary program. Students should register for and follow the curriculum of an alternate program until receiving confirmation of acceptance into the Neuroscience Major. Students will be informed of the decision concerning their admission after the grades for the Winter semester have been recorded and the applications assessed (late June).

Current McGill students who wish to apply to the undergraduate Major in Neuroscience are required to complete two (2) separate applications:

1) The Neuroscience application. Applications for Fall will open in April 1 and the deadline to apply is May 15.  Please note that late applications will not be permitted.  Applicants will be  expected to submit a short 2000 character statement (maximum of 330 words) answering the following questions: why are you interested in the neuroscience program? Which stream are you thinking of pursuing and why? An excellent statement will answer the questions directly, will discuss your previous exposure to neuroscience in specific detail, and will discuss your goals within the program and afterwards.  

2) The Inter/Intra-faculty Transfer application on Minerva.

  • Information and deadlines for this application can be found on the SOUSA website.

Applying to the Honours Program

The Honours Neuroscience Program is a limited-enrolment program. For more detailed information on the program structure and content, consult the Honours Program page. 

If students are admitted to the honours program, then they will take courses that cover all three of the neuroscience streams while also pursuing an honours research project.

The application to the Honours Program occurs after completion of the 1st year of the neuroscience program.

Prerequisite requirements:

  • Applicants must have taken a minimum of 27 graded credits in their U1 year;
  • Applicants must have a CGPA of at least 3.5, and must have obtained minimum grades of B+ in both NSCI 200 and NSCI 201, as well as a minimum grade of C in BIOL 200, BIOC 212 or BIOL 201, and CHEM 212.
  • Open only to students pursuing the major in neuroscience program. 

Note: meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the Honours Neuroscience program.

Application procedures:

The application is made via the Honours webform .  Please note that applications for Fall will open in early April and the deadline will be end of day on May 15 (11:59 PM).  Late applications will not be considered. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions in early July (after the grades for the winter semester have been recorded and applications have been processed).   

While waiting for a decision on the major application, students can opt to declare a minor in neuroscience. Students are suggested to take the following classes for the U1 academic year: BIOL 200, CHEM 212, PHGY 209 or NSCI 200 (Fall term), BIOL 201, NSCI 201 (Winter term).

Applying for the Minor Program

Bachelor of Science students can declare the minor program in Minerva.  The minor program is open only to Faculty of Science students.  Please refer to the Changing Programs page for further details.   

Contact information

Email for prospective students: prospective.neuroscience [at] mcgill.ca

Resources for Personal Statement

Career and Planning Services (CAPS) website. 

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