Admission requirements
A Holistic, mission-based admissions approach
Training innovative, inclusive physicians starts at recruitment. With that in mind, TMU has developed intentional application and admissions processes that have the school’s mission at their core, and that reflect community and societal needs.
The school uses a multifaceted, holistic approach to identify students who demonstrate academic excellence, and possess the necessary interpersonal skills and personal attributes required to excel in the medical profession. The TMU School of Medicine is founded on equity, diversity and inclusion and aligned with the principles set forth in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to engage in decolonization and reconciliation in the Canadian context. Our admissions process will seek to identify applicants who are academically excellent and recognizes those who have lived experience and/or are committed to advancing these principles.
Our admissions process is also designed to identify and select applicants interested in primary care practice, particularly in medically underserved areas, including the Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities.
Non-academic requirements
- Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or protected persons
- Ordinarily resident in Ontario
- Autobiographical sketch
- Supplementary questions
- References / confidential assessment forms
- English proficiency
- Regional connection
- Exceptional circumstances consideration
- Pathway-specific requirements
- Essential skills and abilities required for entry to a medical program
Before you apply
- Admission requirements
- Admission categories
- Accomodations in the admissions process
- Admission policies and procedures
Academic requirements
Completion of a minimum four-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university in any program/discipline is required prior to the start of Year 1 of the MD Program. Applicants from part-time undergraduate studies can also apply, provided that they complete their undergraduate degree prior to the start of Year 1 of the MD Program and transcripts are submitted by the established deadline.
TMU reserves the right to be the final arbiter of what is equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree.
A minimum OMSAS-calculated Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 is required for TMU’s MD Program for the 2026 admissions cycle.
In line with our holistic admissions approach, GPA considerations will be one of a number of factors outlined in the application process to inform selection/ranking decisions.
Please note: Meeting these requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Admission is highly competitive, with limited seats available each year.
The TMU School of Medicine has intentionally refrained from mandating a specific program of study or undergraduate prerequisite coursework for candidates applying to the MD program in order to attract a diverse range of applicants with varied educational experiences.
As well as assessing applicants on their academic achievements, our holistic admissions process will value lived, learned, and work-related experiences without preferential treatment for specific degrees.
Transcripts from graduate and professional studies are required to validate/confirm educational activities and provide a greater overview of an applicant’s journey.
Please note, however, that graduate studies are not factored into the OMSAS GPA calculation.
Several professional studies are considered undergraduate-level, including—but not limited to—Optometry, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Law. Any professional studies/courses included in the OMSAS GPA calculation will be factored into TMU’s minimum OMSAS GPA requirement.
Applicants are required to submit official transcripts by the application deadline for each university, college, CEGEP, junior college, graduate school or other postsecondary or professional institution attended. This includes studies that are currently in progress and all institutions that were previously attended, including any exchange programs, or studies that resulted in a withdrawal or dismissal
To be considered an official transcript, the transcript must be sent directly from the institution's registrar’s office to OMSAS. The transcript must be printed on the institution’s official transcript paper, or be imprinted with the institution’s seal and/or bear the appropriate signatures, or be sent electronically, where that procedure is established.
Applicants who have completed studies outside of Canada or the United States must have their academic credentials/foreign transcripts assessed for Canadian equivalency by World Education Services (WES). Further details regarding the assessment of international grades are available on the OMSAS website.
The WES evaluation must include a course-by-course evaluation, along with an overall GPA calculation. If a WES evaluation contains a copy of the official transcript that has been evaluated, applicants are not required to submit a separate copy of that transcript.
The WES evaluation, along with the accompanying transcript, must be sent directly to OMSAS from WES and be received by the application deadline.
Non-academic requirements
Applicants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents (landed immigrants) of Canada, or protected persons under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by the application deadline to be considered for admission to our program.
- Permanent residents must submit a copy of the front and back of their current/valid permanent resident card by the application deadline.
- Convention refugees (protected persons) must submit a copy of their refugee protection identity document (RPID) by the application deadline.
- Canadian citizens are not required to submit citizenship documentation at the time of application, but will be required to provide such documentation as a condition of acceptance/registration.
The TMU School of Medicine does not accept applications from international applicants.
Effective July 1, 2025, all publicly assisted universities in Ontario are required to reserve no less than 95% of their annual admissions to medical health education programs for Ontario residents and the remaining 5% for Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons/convention refugees who may or may not be Ordinarily Residents in Ontario.
The new regulations (www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r25130 (external link) ) define “medical health education program” and “ordinarily resident in Ontario” as follows:
Medical Health Education Program:
An undergraduate program of postsecondary study that leads to the degree of Doctor of Medicine, Medicinae Doctor or an equivalent basic degree in medicine (but not the combination of such a degree with a Doctor of Philosophy) and where the enrolment of students in the program is funded, at least partially, by the government of Ontario.
Ordinarily Resident in Ontario:
A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) who fulfills the following criteria:
- They or their spouse have lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months after the age of 14, and either:
- received an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or
- have not subsequently lived for 12 or more consecutive months in any other Canadian province or territory since completing the most recent 12-month period of residency in Ontario.
- In determining whether an individual or their spouse has resided in Ontario or in another province or territory of Canada for 12 consecutive months for the purposes of point 1, the time that the individual or spouse spent in full-time studies at a postsecondary institution is not included unless:
- the individual or spouse was in a full-time, in-person degree program in Ontario; and
- the degree program is one that is ordinarily completed in 4 or more academic years.
Applicants will be required to indicate in their OMSAS Application whether they are an Ontario resident based on this definition.
Applicants must submit an autobiographical sketch (ABS) that provides a detailed and comprehensive list of employment history, volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, research, awards and accomplishments, and other relevant activities since the age of 16 (maximum of 32 ABS entries).
For each activity mentioned in the ABS, applicants are required to provide the name, address, telephone number and email address of a contact who can verify their involvement in that activity. Applicants may use the same verifier for multiple activities where appropriate.
The TMU School of Medicine reserves the right to confirm the information provided in the application/ABS by contacting any of the listed verifiers
Applicants are required to submit responses to three (3) supplementary questions (short essays) on TMU’s “School Submissions” page within the OMSAS application.
Any reference to an activity (e.g. employment, volunteer, extra-curricular, research, etc.) must include the corresponding ABS entry number in parentheses—for example, "During my employment as a scribe (ABS #20).”
Questions and word counts may differ per stream/pathway. Please refer to the Admission Categories section for further details.
Applicants must request a Confidential Assessment Form (CAF) from three (3) separate referees. A CAF serves as a structured reference letter.
TMU School of Medicine does not require any additional references/Confidential Assessment Forms beyond the standard three (3) that are required as part of the OMSAS application.
For each applicant, a CAF must be completed by:
- One (1) academic- or employment-related referee
- One (1) non-academic referee
- One (1) referee of choice
Applicants are encouraged to select referees who have extensive personal knowledge of them and are not family members or friends. Referees should be in a position to answer the following questions:
- Would this applicant make a good physician?
- Rate the applicant on each of the following attributes:
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Professionalism (e.g., commitment to ethical practice, standards of behaviour, accountability to others)
- Empathy (e.g., demonstrating consideration of others’ perspectives)
- Identify and comment on 1 area of improvement for the applicant.
- Share any other information you feel may be relevant to a medical school’s admission.
It is the applicant's responsibility to contact their referees and to ensure that all CAFs are submitted by the application deadline.
The MD Program is only offered in English; therefore, TMU School of Medicine MD students must be proficient in spoken and written English. Although English language proficiency testing is not an application requirement, applicants’ written and spoken communication skills will be evaluated in the admissions process.
Please note that a connection to the Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities is not required in order to apply. We look forward to welcoming a diverse cohort of students committed to serving communities such as these, both from the region and beyond.
The TMU School of Medicine campus is located in Brampton, and the school’s primary clinical partner is William Osler Health System, a hospital system serving Brampton/Peel Region. We understand that many applicants to the TMU School of Medicine will have a connection to Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities; this may include any of the following:
- Previous/current residence
- Attending school (elementary/secondary/postsecondary/graduate)
- Employment/volunteer history
- History of extracurricular involvement of any kind
We also understand that many applicants will have an interest in serving culturally diverse and medically underserved communities.
For the purpose of regional connection, we define Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities as follows:
- Peel: Brampton, Mississauga, Caledon
- Bolton
- Dufferin County
- Halton: Milton, Burlington, Oakville, Halton Hills
- North Etobicoke
- West Woodbridge
Please refer to the visual map below (external link) for the School of Medicine's defined boundaries for the Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities.
Note that these boundaries are firm for the purposes of regional connection and no exceptions will be made.
All applicants will be required to complete the TMU Regional Connection Form within their application and describe any connections to the Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities and/or their interest in practicing in communities such as these, that represent the future of Canada.
Applicants with a connection to the Brampton/Peel Region and surrounding communities will also be required to submit supporting documentation to verify their connection to the area.
Examples of supporting documentation that confirms a connection to the Brampton/Peel Region or surrounding communities include, but are not limited to:
- report card/record of attendance or registration from an academic institution that the applicant has attended in the region (does not have to be an official document, can be a screenshot etc.);
- letter from an employer or other organization in the region that confirms their location and the applicant’s length of time/involvement with the organization;
- utility bill;
- mortgage, rental or lease agreement;
- driver's license;
- bank or credit card statement; and
- other documentation that clearly shows previous or current residence in the region.
Applicants are asked to use their discretion in selecting documentation to verify their connection, based on the criteria provided. TMU cannot validate document selections via email.
Although only one document is required to confirm an applicant’s connection (we suggest submitting one that supports the most significant connection), applicants can provide multiple documents if they wish. Documents can be submitted individually or combined into a single file.
Documents must be submitted via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) in OMSAS by the application deadline, using the “TMU Connection to the Region” document type.
Note: Documentation should not include any sensitive information such as a Social Insurance Number, licence or health insurance number, bank/credit card number or security information, or other personal details. If the documentation contains any of the above, applicants are asked to redact the information from their documentation before submission.
TMU School of Medicine recognizes that some applicants may have encountered exceptional circumstances that created barriers along their journey to pursuing their medical education. In alignment with our commitment to ensuring an inclusionary and equitable approach for admissions, applicants may be considered for admission under exceptional circumstances, based on criteria set forth by the UGME Admissions Council (UAC).
If an applicant has faced barriers that impacted their academic achievement (such as, but not limited to, sociocultural, familial, medical, and/or financial circumstances), they may outline these experiences in the TMU Exceptional Circumstances section of the application for consideration by describing the following (500 words maximum):
- The exceptional circumstances that created barriers for the applicant and how these have impacted them. Specific course(s), semester(s), or program(s) affected should also be included.
- The time frame during which the applicant was affected (e.g., date range, stage/year of their academic journey, etc.).
- How the applicant has overcome or adapted to these circumstances, and how they feel prepared to enter medical school.
All applicants who would like their exceptional circumstances to be considered in the admissions selection process MUST SUBMIT supporting documentation via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) using the “TMU Exceptional Circumstances” document type.
Applicants whose academic performance was impacted by an unaccommodated disability and who intend to request OMSAS Disability-based Consideration for GPA Changes (external link) are not required to submit a separate request for TMU Exceptional Circumstances consideration.
To be considered under exceptional circumstances, applicants must still meet the degree requirement of a 4-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university in any program or discipline. Requests for exceptional circumstances consideration from applicants who do not meet this requirement will NOT be reviewed.
Please refer to the Admission Categories for further information regarding pathway-specific eligibility requirements and any applicable documentation for each stream or pathway.
In alignment with all Ontario medical schools, the MD Program and TMU School of Medicine have endorsed, as a reference, the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine's (COFM) guidelines on "Essential Skills and Abilities Required for Entry to a Medical Degree Program." Applicants for and Students enrolled in the MD Program must possess the ability to satisfy Essential Skills for admission to, retention in, and graduation from the program.
All MD Program applicants and enrolled students are expected to review the guidelines to assess their ability to meet these standards, as well as all other registration and program requirements established by the MD program.
The Ontario Faculties of Medicine are responsible to society for providing a program of study that graduates Doctors of Medicine with the knowledge, skills, professional behaviours and attitudes necessary for postgraduate medical training and independent practice in Canada. Graduates must be able to diagnose and manage health problems and provide comprehensive, compassionate care to their patients. For this reason, students in the MD program must possess the cognitive, communication, sensory, motor, and social skills necessary to interview, examine, and counsel patients, and competently complete certain technical procedures in a reasonable time while ensuring patient safety.
In addition to obtaining an MD degree, and completing an accredited residency training program, an individual must pass the licensure examinations of the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) in order to practice medicine. Therefore, MD programs have embedded expectations of competencies both knowledge- and skills-based. Prospective candidates should be aware that cognitive abilities, physical examination proficiencies, management skills, communication ability, and professional behaviours are all evaluated in timed simulations of patient encounters.
All students must therefore have the required skills and abilities described in the following Section on Technical Standards. These are standards that are necessary for success in the MD program, and to be sufficiently competent to participate in supervised residency training.
All individuals are expected to review this document to assess their ability to meet these standards. Students with disabilities that could negatively impact their capacity to meet these standards should notify their University so that appropriate accommodations may be arranged. Where a student has a disability, the University will assess the needs of that student and whether those needs can be met short of undue hardship, including any cost and issues of patient care and safety.
A candidate for the MD degree must demonstrate in a timely fashion the following abilities as they relate to the competencies.
- Observation: A student must be able to participate in learning situations that require skills of observation. In particular, a student must be able to accurately observe a patient and acquire all relevant sensory information.
- Communication: A student must be able to efficiently elicit verbal and non-verbal information pertinent to the patient’s medical history and physical examination. A student must be able to communicate effectively with patients, families and any member of the health care team. A student must also be able to summarize coherently a patient’s condition and management plan verbally and in writing.
- Motor: A student must demonstrate sufficient motor function to safely perform a physical examination on a patient (e.g. palpation, auscultation and percussion). A student must be able to use common diagnostic aids or instruments either directly or in an adaptive form. A student must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general and emergency medical care to patients.
- Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: A student must demonstrate the cognitive skills and memory necessary to engage in clinical problem solving.
- Behavioural and Social Attributes: A student must consistently demonstrate the emotional health required for full utilization of her/his intellectual abilities. The application of good judgment and the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients is necessary. The development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, families and other members of the health care team are also required. The student must be able to tolerate the physical, emotional, and mental demands of the program and function effectively under stress. Adaptability to changing environments and the ability to function in the face of uncertainties that are inherent in the care of patients are both necessary. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that physicians must demonstrate and are expected qualities of students.
Disability is defined by Section 10 (1) of the Ontario Human Rights Code. COFM is committed to facilitating the integration of students with disabilities into the University and medical communities. Each student with a disability is entitled to reasonable accommodation that will assist her/him to meet the standards. Students must be prepared to provide supporting medical documentation in a timely manner and to cooperate with the University in determining an appropriate accommodation.
Information Provided by COFM
First Approved: November 2003
Revised: October 2016; Approved by UE: COFM October 11, 2016; Approved by COFM Deans October 26, 2016.