The Full Guide to Ontario Medical School Prerequisites Part 1
There are six medical schools in Ontario, Canada: Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (McMaster University), Northern Ontario School of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, University of Toronto, and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (Western University. In addition to the shared requirements of English-language proficiency, autobiographical sketch (ABS), and references, each school has their own individual prerequisites that applicants must complete in order to be considered. Note that in addition to differences in prerequisites, each school may also consider each component (e.g. GPA or MCAT) of the application differently. The list below is a summary of the prerequisites as of 2021. Applicants are encouraged to visit the medical schools’ website for updated information.
1. Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (McMaster University):
- Completed 15 full courses or 30 half courses of undergraduate university course work;
- Achieved a minimum overall Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS) grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 on the 4.00-point scale;
- Completed the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) within five years of the application year with a minimum of 123 in the Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) component;
- Completed the Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal (CASPer) test.
2. Northern Ontario School of Medicine:
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident prior to application deadline;
- Completed a four-year undergraduate university degree;
- Achieved a minimum overall OMSAS GPA of at least 3.00 on the 4.00-point scale
- Responded to supplementary questions on the OMSAS application.
3. University of Ottawa:
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident prior to application deadline;
- Completed at least three years of full-time undergraduate studies (five courses per semester each year) leading to a bachelor’s degree;
- Completed coursework in humanities/social sciences (full year), biology (full year), organic chemistry (half year), chemistry (half year), biochemistry (half year), and statistics (half year) with a minimum grade of “B”, along with a laboratory component in two of science courses listed above;
- Achieved a minimum cumulative OMSAS GPA (calculated by the most recent three years of full-time undergraduate studies) of 3.50 on the 4.00-point scale (minimum GPA is usually higher in the selection process!);
- Completed the CASPer test.
