Information for applicants to the Program

The Department of Psychology receives from 200 to 400 applications for admission to graduate study each year; ten to twelve students may be admitted. Applicants are required to have completed a BA or BSc with a concentration in psychology if applying to the MSc program, or have a MA or MSc with a concentration in psychology if applying to the PhD. Successful applicants normally have an upper second or first class average (e.g., 3.5 on a 4-point scale or a minimum B+) in their recent academic work, with a specialization in psychology. Students with an Honour’s degree or equivalent research experience are preferred.

In addition to meeting the standards and requirements of Graduate Admissions and Records and the Department, a student can only be admitted if there is a faculty member available for, and interested in, acting as the student's supervisor. Excellent applicants are sometimes refused admission because no faculty member is able to accept an additional student, or no faculty member has compatible research interests.

Students applying to the clinical program will be required to participate in an interview with clinical faculty prior to being accepted for admission.

To see some of the UVic campus, check out this virtual tour. For information about Victoria and its many Summer activities, visit UVic's My UVic Life webpage.

Application deadline: November 30th


Applicants must arrange for submission of:

  1. My UVic application through Graduate Admissions.
  2. Names and email addresses of two academic or professional references familiar with your work. The names and email addresses of two assessors are required when you submit your application; UVic will send those individuals a form on which they will assess you on a variety of dimensions. Your assessors will also be invited to provide a letter of reference. It is important that you contact your assessors in advance to confirm their willingness to provide such an assessment. (NOTE: Applicants with a Masters or Honours degree are expected to use their thesis supervisor as one of their assessors).
  3. Unofficial transcripts for all previous academic work; official transcripts will only be required once an offer of admission has been made
  4. A statement of intent (no more than 2 pages single-sided and double-spaced should be uploaded at the time of application)
    • identifying the primary area of specialization desired (Individualized, Cognition and Brain Sciences, Social Psychology, Lifespan Health and Development, Clinical Lifespan or Clinical Neuropsychology).
    • describing areas of research interest
    • naming at least two specific faculty members with whom the applicant wishes to work (see Faculty Directory to learn more about faculty members’ research and activities and determine which faculty members are available to supervise new students)
    • giving details of other relevant information such as courses in progress, job responsibilities, research experience (and clinical experience if applying to the clinical program)
    • indicating whether financial support will be required in order to pursue graduate study.
  5. Applicants whose first language is not English, and who have not resided in a designated English-speaking country for three years immediately prior to the entry-point applied for, must provide proof of english language proficiency. Please note that the Psychology Department requirement is higher than the Faculty of Graduate Studies. For the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) applicants must receive an overall score of at least 600 on the paper-based test, or 100 on the Internet Based TOEFL (IBT) with minimum section requirements of 20 on Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Applicants taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) must achieve an overall score of at least Band 7, with no score of less than 6.0 on each academic component. Applicants taking the Michigan English Test must achieve an overall score of at least 64.

All of the above noted admission requirements should be submitted by the November 30th application deadline.


All forms and documents are due Graduate Admissions and Records by November 30th. Keep in mind that substantial lead time is required to register for and take the English language proficiency tests (e.g., the TOEFL, if required) in time for those exams results to be received within the deadline. Please note that the GRE is no longer required for admission to Psychology.

The Department of Psychology makes every effort to communicate offers of admission by April 15th.

University of Victoria Fellowships (up to $17,500 for Master’s and up to $20,000 for PhD although actual values may vary in any given year) are awarded annually to incoming graduate students (awards are funded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and distributed through the department of Psychology). Normally, awards are available for those entering in September only. All new applicants are evaluated for University Fellowships; there is no additional application required. The university’s primary requirement for a fellowship is a minimum cumulative grade point average of 7.0 for the last two years (30 units) of undergraduate work and for any graduate work. This is approximately equal to A-, 80% or 3.5 out of 4.0. In any given year, a GPA of 7.5 (3.75/4.0) or higher may be required. UVic Fellowships can provide up to two years of support at the Master's level or up to a maximum of three years at the Ph.D. level. The funding offered varies across students and is specified in your offer of admission. Students are not allowed to hold another major award (e.g. SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) in conjunction with a University of Victoria Fellowship. Should a student be offered such an award after acceptance of a UVic Fellowship, the UVic Fellowship must be forfeited. See: UVic awards and fellowships for more information.

A limited number of teaching assistantships (TAs) are available (usually ranging from about $2000 to $4000 from Sept. to April). Some students may be employed by individual faculty members as research assistants (RAs). Students will normally discuss this possibility with their supervisors at the time of admission or after acceptance into the program.  University of Victoria Graduate Awards (minimum value of $1,000) are also available to all eligible graduate students and are awarded by the department annually (usually in the spring for the following academic year).

NOTE: National scholarships for graduate students are also available on a competitive basis from federal government funding agencies (NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC). There are separate competitions for master’s awards and doctoral awards. See external awards  for the websites of the above agencies for details. The President’s Research Scholarship (PRS) is also available to graduate students who hold a national scholarship (the number of PRS awards available in a given year depends on the amount available in the departmental graduate funding budget). Canadians and permanent residents are strongly urged to apply to these agencies; information is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website and from the Psychology Graduate Advisor. See: external awards for links to further information. Application deadlines may be as early as the beginning of October. UVic Fellowships will not be renewed if the student is eligible to apply for a national scholarship but does not apply.

For more financial information and tuition fees see graduate studies fees and funding


Non-Canadian students may be admitted to study in Canada either with a Study Permit or, more rarely, with landed immigrant status. They should consult the nearest Canadian consulate for further information about the requirements for obtaining and holding either status. Because application for landed immigrant status can usually be made only from outside Canada, they should give early priority to seeking this status.

Immigration officials normally require some evidence of financial support in the form of a commitment from the university (e.g., a fellowship award) and/or personal funds. Some sources of financial assistance are available without regard to nationality; these include fellowships and assistantships awarded by the University of Victoria. Immigration status is not a factor in these awards. If a student's spouse intends to work while in Canada she/he must obtain landed immigrant status. Landed immigrant status does not affect present citizenship in any way.

International full-time students are entitled to work only on campus with a valid Study Permit without the need for Work Permit. This includes working as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or with private businesses located on-campus.