Minimum Requirements

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to apply for admission to NOSM University’s Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Program (MD Degree):

Citizenship

Applicants must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (landed immigrant) of Canada before the application deadline to apply.

Proof of citizenship will be required as a condition of an offer of admission.

Academic Eligibility

The minimum admission requirement is a 4-year undergraduate university degree, or equivalent, from a recognized institution in any discipline. We do not give preference to any one (1) particular discipline over another.

If an applicant’s 4-year degree is completed through a transfer of credits from a college, they must have completed a minimum of 10 full course credits, 20 half course credits, or a combination of at the university degree level at the time they apply.

Applicants from Quebec

Applicants from Quebec are eligible to apply if they have completed the DEC (diplôme d’études collégiales) from Quebec (CEGEP) and a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in Quebec (3 years of university after the DEC). Completion of the DEC and the three years leading to a bachelor’s degree from a Quebec university are considered the equivalent of a four-year degree for the purposes of applying to NOSM University.

Applying During Final Year of Studies

Applicants may apply in the final year of their 4-year degree program; however, applicants are required to complete the program and provide proof of receiving their degree by June 30 of the potential enrolment year.

Full-Time/Part-Time Studies

NOSM University accepts applications from students who have pursued their undergraduate studies on a full-time basis, part-time basis, or with a combination of full-time and part-time studies.

Advanced Standing or Transfer

Due to the integrated nature of the curriculum, we cannot accept transfer students.

Those who are accepted to NOSM University must complete the full four (4) years of the medical program.

Overall Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation

The minimum required overall GPA is 3.0 on the 4.0 scale. Grades will be converted to a 4.0 scale according to the OMSAS Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table. The GPA is calculated on all converted undergraduate course grades completed at a recognized institution as of the application deadline.

While this meets the minimum criterion for admission consideration, be aware that applying to the UME program is extremely competitive given the rising level of applications for a limited number of positions; a higher GPA would provide you with a more reasonable chance of admission. Please visit our Class Profiles page to review the entering class average GPA for the last five (5) years.

The following are included in the GPA calculation:

Grades for supplementary, spring, summer, and part-time study and distance education courses
If you repeat a course, and both course grades appear on your transcript, both the past grade and the repeated grade will be included in the GPA calculation

We will not consider the following in the GPA calculation:

Courses reflected on the transcript as “Pass” with no grade indicated
- For applicants attending a program where “Pass” or “Credit” is given in some courses in lieu of a letter or numerical grade, independent grades from a minimum of ten (10) full-course, twenty (20) half-course credits, or a combination of course credits are required.
Individual grades received for course work taken as part of a graduate degree

Applicants are required to verify their average in the “Document Tracking” section of the OMSAS application. We may also review this average.

Applicants who have foreign transcripts (from outside of Canada or the United States of America), including graduate work must refer to the International Transcripts – Credentialing International Grades section on the Transcripts webpage.

Applicants with a Graduate Degree

Applicants with a graduate degree (Masters/PhD) will not be considered for admission as part of a separate applicant pool. They will be assessed based on the minimum requirement of a 4-year recognized undergraduate university degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the 4.0 scale.

To ensure compliance with the 3.0 cut-off, it is only after the initial GPA calculation that an additional 0.2 will be added to the undergraduate GPA.

To be eligible for the addition of 0.2 to their GPA, applicants must meet one (1) of the following two (2) requirements:

1. Their graduate degree is conferred and OMSAS has received their final transcript by December 1 of the application year.

2. Their Registrar’s Office or Graduate Studies Office sends an official letter to OMSAS by December 1 of the application year stating that they have met all the requirements of their graduate degree and are eligible to graduate. The letter should be emailed to professional@ouac.on.ca. We will not accept any letters sent directly to us.

Please note that any offer of admission for those choosing option 2 would be conditional on the NOSM University Office of Admissions receiving an updated transcript via OMSAS by June 30 of the potential enrolment year.

Applicants will not receive the additional 0.2 for more than one (1) graduate degree.