McGill Panama Field Study Semester (MPFSS) Program Application

Important application and program information

The deadline to apply for the Winter 2027 MPFSS program is September 21st, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The program is capped at 22 students. Only current undergraduate students can participate in the program. Selection to the program is based on academic performance and demonstration of interest and preparedness. Students must be willing and able to cooperate in groups. Selection may also reflect the program's goal of having a balanced interdisciplinary student body.

Program prerequisites

• A working competency in Spanish. This may have been obtained through life experiences, courses taken before attending McGill, HISP 218 or HISP 210 at McGill, or courses at other institutions.
• A course in statistics, or research or quantitative methods. Many majors include such courses as requirements.
• CGPA of 3.0 and higher is recommended. The program is aimed at 400-level (final year undergraduate) students.

How to apply

McGill Students

If you are currently registered as a McGill student, follow these steps to apply for the MPFSS program:

1. Prepare the following documents:

   • Letter of Intent (French or English; PDF format only; maximum 2 pages).

   • C.V. (French or English; PDF format only; maximum 2 pages).

   • Unofficial or Official McGill Transcript (PDF format only).

2. Complete the Field Study Semester Programs Application here.

Non-McGill students

If you are a Non-McGill student, you must apply for admission to McGill if you are accepted to the MPFSS program. Please note that you will need to pay the program fee, and the Quebec/Canadian or International tuition according to your profile. Detailed instructions will be sent to you via email. You must be registered in a degree program at your home university and have completed at least two semesters of study to be eligible.

To apply to the MPFSS Program, follow these steps:

1. Fill in the Non-McGill Students Field Study Semester Application here.

2. ifso.science [at] mcgill.ca (Email FSIO) expressing your interest in applying to the program and include the following items as attachments:

   1. Letter of Intent (PDF format only; maximum 2 pages; French or English). Please make sure to talk about your Spanish competency and/or training and list the statistics, quantitative or research methods courses you've taken. 

   2. C.V. (PDF format only; maximum 2 pages; French or English).

   3. Official or Unofficial Transcript (PDF format only).

   4. Letter of Permission from your educational institution to participate in the program. 

3. After FSIO has received your email with the items above, we will email you a form to complete with your information.

We will not review your application until we have received all the above listed required items.

Selection criteria

Applications are assessed by the MPFSS professors based on multiple subjective criteria, including the following:

• Cumulative grade point average
• Program and year of study
• Proficiency in Spanish
• Successful completion of an appropriate course in statistics
• A careful reading of the applicant's letter of intent

The pool of applicants varies from year to year, and because of this, the relative weighting of these criteria may also vary from year to year.