Transcript:
Electronic or scanned transcripts from each post-secondary institution that you have attended. Transcripts must be up to date and contain the transcript legend (usually printed on the back of a paper transcript). Transcripts submitted without a legend will not be accepted. An official English translation must accompany all documentation not written in English or French.
The on-line system also requires that each transcript, inclusive of legend, be uploaded as a single PDF file, which may not exceed 4MB in size. A resolution of 300 PPI is recommended; if your transcript is in color, you may also need to scan as grayscale. Please be sure that each transcript file is complete and readable before submitting.
Note that while electronic materials suffice for the admissions review process, you will be required to submit official hard copy transcripts if you receive an admission offer. The offer will be conditional on verification of these official transcripts.
Personal Statement:
A personal statement approximately one page in length describing any special areas of interest in astronomy, and any other information that would help us in getting a fair picture of your background experience.
Recommendation Letter:
At least three letters of reference from professors or supervisors who are able to speak to your ability and your potential to engage in doctoral level research. (Letters from people we know would be especially useful). It is recommended that you confirm your referees’ availability to provide a reference prior to submitting their contact details. Letters of reference are confidential and applicants will not have access to them.
Once you have submitted the contact details in the “Referees” form and have paid your application fee, the online system will automatically email an applicant reference request to your referees including a link to use for submission of the reference. You are able to resend an applicant reference request to a referee (the system limits this to one time a day). Please follow up with your referees to make sure that they have received the request. They should check their spam mail folders for the reference request if they have not received it.
Note that for referee e-mail addresses you should use institutional ones, as the online system will not accept personal email addresses (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail). Please contact the Graduate Office if the institution utilizes Gmail or the like as the official email address, or if you need to correct, update or change referee information.
Other Document:
If applicable, you should provide a one-page list of publications and research contributions (e.g. scholarly publication, conference presentations, and other evidence of scholarly activities; please differentiate between refereed and non-refereed publications).