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Admissions

Applications for Admission in Fall

You can start your application in the Graduate admission website:
Graduate admission website (opens in new window) 

You can check if the program is still accepting applications in the application deadlines page (opens in new window) .

Further information about deadline dates, English language proficiency and the online application can be found on the Graduate Admissions website (opens in new window) .  

To review a listing of all required documents, please refer to the following page on the Graduate Admissions website: Prepare Your Application (opens in new window) .

Admissions Deadline

Check if the program is accepting applications in the application deadlines page.

Domestic Applications - OPEN

You should submit your application, including all supporting documents, via the online portal by the First Consideration Deadline:

January 19, 2024.

Applications will be accepted until the program has filled all available spots in the program and the waitlist.

International Application - CLOSED

You should submit your application, including all supporting documents, via the online portal by the Preferred Deadline :

December 10, 2023

Applications will be accepted until the First Consideration Deadline: January 19, 2024, at which point the program will review applications received and may close admissions.
 

Admissions Timeline

Generally the program will begin reviewing applications after the first consideration deadline in January. Offers of admission will begin mid-to-late-March and continue throughout the spring and summer until the program is full.

Information Sessions

Admissions Q&A - Graduate Studies at The Creative School

Admissions Q&A session

Do you have questions about applying to one of The Creative School graduate programs? Join our graduate program administration team to get answers.

Dates:

  • March 21 at 12pm
  • April 2 at 3 pm
  • April 19 at 12pm
  • April 30 at 12pm

Program Information Session

 

Admission Requirements

  • Four-year (honours) Bachelor's degree, or equivalent
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 / 4.33 (B), or equivalent, in the final half of the program

If you have not completed two or more years, full-time, at a Canadian university, you will be required to provide certification of English language proficiency:

  • through one of the accepted examinations listed on the YSGPS admissions website (opens in new window) . Scores are valid for two years from the test date.
  • If you have completed two or more years at a university at which English was the primary language of instruction,  or have completed a graduate degree at a university where English was the primary language of instruction, applicants are required to provide an official statement from their institutions Registrar's office confirming the use of English as the Medium of Instruction for the duration of their study.

It is important to understand that meeting the minimum English proficiency requirements does not guarantee admission. 

You are required to submit a brief statement (about 500 - 700 words in length) that should address the following:

  • your reasons for graduate study in Documentary Media;
  • a proposal of the project you plan to complete in the program;
  • how your previous studies and experience have prepared you for the MFA program; and
  • your career objectives and how the MFA program relates to them.

 

Please submit an updated Resume/CV and highlight how your previous studies and experiences have prepared you to study in the Documentary Media MFA program at Toronto Met.

 

Two Letters of Recommendation are required for each application. The two recommendations should be from academic referees - former professors or research supervisors familiar with the applicant’s abilities.

One recommendation may be substituted with a professional letter from a previous employer.

Referees names and contact information are entered during the online application process. They will be contacted directly via email by the Graduate Admissions Office for the recommendation.

It is your responsibility to make sure your Referees know to look for an email from Image Centre, where they will be able to submit your letter of recommendation.

Depending on your area of interest, please submit work in ONE of the following three disciplines below.  If you are currently working in more than one discipline, you may submit a combination of the three disciplines.

Note:  Applicants who have had only minimal experience in Film, Photography or New Media may submit a written sample of a piece of original, creative nonfiction (maximum length 1500 words) in addition to or in lieu of a visual portfolio.

 

I.  Submitting Photographs or Photo-based Images

 

Please us method A or B for portfolio submission:

A) Web-based Image Portfolio:

For the Portfolio section of your application, upload a short .pdf document with your name and the website address (URL**) of your images formatted as indicated below.  In this document also include a brief statement about the project or projects and an image list.  Please ensure the URL provided is accurate and working.

  • 10-15 digital images, in jpeg format with a resolution of 72 dpi and with maximum dimensions of 2000 pixels on the longest side. Files should be no more than 1 mb in .jpeg format.
  • An image list including the corresponding number, title, dimensions, and date for each piece.
  • The submitted .pdf file names should include a title, and begin with the number that corresponds with your image list (ex: 01title.jpg, 02title.jpg).

**NOTE: For any links please make sure to include the full written link, in case the clickable link does not work.
ie: www.youtube.com/my-portfolio-12#4#6

OR

B) Uploaded Image  Portfolio (.pdf format):

For the Portfolio section of your application, upload a .pdf document with your name, a brief statement about the project or projects and the 10 – 15 images incorporated with the image list.  

  • 10-15 digital images saved in a single .pdf document
  • An image list including the corresponding number, title, dimensions, and date for each piece.

 

II.  Submitting Film and Video Materials

Please include the following:

  • The portfolio should consist of an excerpt of a film or video work 5 minutes in duration posted as a public Vimeo or YouTube file**. If the file is not public, make sure to include the corresponding password.
  • An additional 5 minutes may be included, and will be considered as part of the portfolio review process if your application reaches the shortlist stage. The excerpt should be from a project in which you have had a significant amount of creative control.
  • The uploaded .pdf portfolio document should include your name, the title of the work and the link to the Vimeo or YouTube** video and password (if required), a brief synopsis of the work, the circumstances of production, and the role played by you in its production.

**NOTE: For any links please make sure to include the full written link, in case the clickable link does not work.
ie: www.youtube.com/my-portfolio-12#4#6

 

III.  Submitting Interactive/ Web-based Work

Please include the following:

  • Provide a URL** where the portfolio of work can be found.
  • Documentation of an interactive piece can also be presented in photographic form (see I.  Submitting Photographs or Photo-based Images above) or via Vimeo or You Tube (5 min). If the file is not public, please provide the corresponding password.
  • Upload a .pdf document including a brief statement about the project. 

**NOTE: For any links please make sure to include the full written link, in case the clickable link does not work.
ie: www.youtube.com/my-portfolio-12#4#6

Financing Your Studies

Fees for both international and domestic students will be posted on the fees section of the Registrar's Office website (see link below). 

Tuition is calculated by year for each program, it is not dependent on the number of courses taken per term.

As per the 2023 fee schedule, tuition fees for the program are as follows:

  • Domestic: $10,814.11-$12,064.13
  • International: $26,609.99

Tuition is a yearly charge, which is broken into three payments, each due at the beginning of each term (September, January and May).

The allocation of scholarships will be on a competitive basis and will be consistent with TMU’s policies concerning access, equity and research integrity, and the criteria established by the Documentary Media Graduate Program Committee.  The Committee will oversee the evaluation of candidates and selection of award winners.

You will be automatically considered to the following scholarships based on your admissions application:

  • Toronto Met Graduate Scholarship (TMGS): valued at $15,000.
  • Toronto Met Graduate Fellowship (TMGF): maximum value of $12,000.
  • Toronto Met Graduate Development Award (TMGDA): maximum value of $10,000.

Scholarships and Awards

The Yeates School of Graduate Studies (YSGPS) website contains a comprehensive list of Scholarships and Awards, Additional Support, and External Funding Programs that will help you fund your education at Image Centre.

For questions about financial assistance, such as the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), please cosult the Student Financial Assistance office website.

Career Boost, Graduate Assitant, Research Assistant, Lab Monitor and Exam Invigilator opportunities are available to current students. Visit the Image Centre Careers website to apply. 

Zone Learning

Zone Learning is a new model of experiential learning built to prepare students for the 21st-century workplace. Offered only at Toronto Met, it lets students apply their degree coursework to the development of startups, causes, companies, projects or ventures.

Admissions Awards 

No application required, awarded based on your admissions application.

  • Toronto Metropolitan Graduate Fellowship (TMGF)
    Value ranges from $2,000 to $6,000.
  • Toronto Metropolitan Graduate Development Award (TMGDA)
    Value ranges from $2,000 to $6,000.
  • Ontario Graduate Fellowship (OGF)  
    Value is $12,000 for one year.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) / Toronto Met Graduate Scholarship (TMGS)

  • $15,000 award for one year.
  • Eligible applicants will be notified by the program to submit an application around February/March. 
  • For students with an A- in each of the last two years of completed study.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship (SSHRC CGS-M)

  • $17,500 award for one year.
  • For Domestic applicants with an A- avg. in each of the last two years of completed study.
  • Application deadline is Dec 1; award is granted for the following Fall term.

Admissions - Quick Links