Admission Requirements

Visit the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies website to apply.  

Final 2025 application deadlines*
Domestic applicants: June 2, 2025
International applicants: March 28, 2025

*Applies to students who have an interest in working with a Faculty Supervisor whose home department is within the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Faculty of Health Science or Faculty of Science. Applicants with an interest in working with a Faculty member whose home department is Psychology must have submitted an application no later than Friday, January 10th for fall 2025 entry.

Our program uses a rolling admission deadline. Applications will be reviewed on a continual basis, as they are received from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS). We strive to inform students of their academic eligibility within 6-8 weeks of our program office receiving all required documentation, including references. Our program cannot pre-evaluate copies of transcripts to ascertain if you should apply.

International Students: We strongly encourage International applicants to apply early due to anticipated timelines for visa processing. An early application can be especially important, as funding to accept new International students can be limited for some supervisors. We strongly recommend you contact prospective supervisors prior to applying and incurring the $150 application fee.

Following the recent announcement by the Government of Canada regarding study permits the Universities International student office is working to understand the details and information will be posted to their website as it becomes available.

If you have any immigration-related questions pertaining to your admission and arrival in Canada, Western International’s immigration advisors are happy to help. Please visit Western International’s website, make an appointment with an advisor, or contact the advising team at iesc@uwo.ca.

COVID-19 Statement: We recognize the serious challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for student learning, faculty teaching, and academic performance assessment. Our review committee will always consider an applicant’s combination of academic record, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and test scores (if applicable) in making our admissions decisions. Such a review will take into account the significant disruptions of COVID19 when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials.

Applications will first be reviewed for academic eligibility.  An eligible applicant will not be admitted into the program unless a supervisor agrees to accept them.  An applicant is not required to have a supervisor to apply, but it is encouraged.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact Faculty members whose research areas are of interest to them.  We strongly encourage applicants to contact Faculty supervisors as early as possible, emailing them a copy of their transcript and CV, conveying how their research interests align with that Faculty members work.

Students that are deemed academically eligible but do not secure a supervisor will not be admitted into the program.

Both our Master's and PhD programs are full-time research based programs. Attendance in-person is required.

Master's Program

Admissions requirements for a MSc in Neuroscience is a four-year Bachelor degree (Honours preferred) from an accredited institution. A minimum grade of 80% over the final two years is recommended; this is equivalent to a high second class standing at some universities. Before admission, it is highly recommended that all students complete courses in biological and natural sciences at the university level. Courses in biological sciences at second year levels will be useful for successful completion of the required Principles of Neuroscience course. Students from multiple disciplines will be considered for admission. 

PhD Program

The admission requirement for a PhD in Neuroscience is a Honors or Masters degree in Neuroscience or in a related field with a strong research component, or an MD, DDS or DVS degree with some specialization in neuroscience. A minimum grade of 80% over the final two years is recommended; this is equivalent to a high second class standing at some universities. Direct Entry PhD applicants will require a minimum 85%. 

At present, only candidates with a degree from recognized universities are admitted directly into the PhD program.  All others interested in the PhD program are first admitted to the MSc program. They may subsequently transfer to the PhD program within the first 18 months, provided that their progress is excellent and that they have a project that could be developed into a PhD thesis. 

Master's and PhD Program

International applicants must provide a TOEFL score of at least 100 (Internet-based test) with no individual score below 25, a minimum IELTS score of 7 out of 9 or the Duolingo English Test with a minimum score of 120.

Proof of English Language Proficiency will be waived for students who have attended a post-secondary institution for 2+ years in a country where English is the primary language. 

Our graduate program is highly interdisciplinary and students enter with a variety of academic backgrounds. Some students admitted to the program will be required to enroll in Neuroscience 9000: Fundamentals of Neuroscience. The course better prepares new graduate students in Neuroscience that may lack training in the biological sciences and hence lack a fundamental knowledge of the language of neuroscience. This course combines graduate level skills training with learning about fundamentals in Neuroscience, with an emphasis on sensory systems and cellular/molecular Neuroscience. Enrollment in this course will better prepare students for the required Neuroscience 9500 course. It will not count towards the required credits for degree completion. In consultation with potential supervisors, applicants identified by the Program Committee to require this course are notified through their admission offer letter.