Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission into the undergraduate criminology program at York University are outlined as follows:

Direct Entry From High School

Criminology is a direct-entry program (direct from high school), which is available as a 120 credit Honours BA, an “unlinked” Honours (Double Major) BA, a “linked” Honours (Double Major) Interdisciplinary BA, and an Honours (Major/Minor) BA (with Criminology being the Major). Direct-entry admission to the program requires at least six Grade 12 U or U/C courses, including Grade 12 U English. The minimum average for admission to the program will normally range from 80% to 85%, to be determined on a yearly basis according to demand and available teaching resources.

Additional Resources:
Admissions Office

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Transfer Students From College or Other University

Students transferring from a CAAT require an overall Grade Point Average of at least 3.5 on a minimum of 8 academic semester courses completed over 2 semesters to be eligible for admission to the proposed program. (Advanced standing credit for CAAT transfers will be granted according to the Faculty norms.)

Students transferring from another Faculty or University require a Cumulative GPA of at least 6.0 (B), or equivalent. As well, students transferring from another Faculty or University must have achieved at least a grade of B (6.0) in any course(s) deemed equivalent to the 1000-level Introduction to Criminology core course to be admitted to the program.

Additional Resources:
Admissions Office
Transfer Credits

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Change of Major for Current LA&PS Students

Given that the majority of Criminology courses are restricted to Criminology majors, the only way to take these courses is to become a CRIM major. Unlike other programs or majors at York, where there are few restrictions on changing majors, becoming a Criminology major is a competitive process. This reflects the high demand for the program and thus restrictions on our ability to accommodate new students. With this in mind, each year a limited number of spots (normally 25) are made available for current York students wishing to transfer into the Criminology program. All decisions on internal transfers are based exclusively on GPA. While the specific cutoff varies from year-to-year depending on the strength of the applicant pool, students with a GPA of 6.3 or higher should stand a good chance of gaining acceptance to the program. Please note: students must possess an overall GPA of at least 6.0 in order to be eligible to apply.

The application window for the Criminology program normally runs from February 1 to May 1 of each calendar year. In order to apply for transfer to the Criminology program, students must complete the following steps between February 1 and May 1, 2013:

(1) Submit a change of major request through the registrar’s office website; and

(2) Send an e-mail notification to the Criminology Program Office (crimprog@yorku.ca) that you have applied for transfer into the program (students who fail to notify the program directly via e-mail will NOT be eligible for admission).

All students will be informed of the results of the application process (via the online request tool) on or before June 15, 2013. Applications submitted after May 1, 2013 will NOT be considered and students will need to wait until the following February to reapply.

All successful applications will then be required to enrol in our first year course, CRIM 1650 6.0 “Introduction to Criminology.” In addition, students may choose to take two of our required second year courses: CRIM 2652 and CRIM 2653. However, in order to move forward in the Criminology program and take additional courses, students must achieve a minimum grade of B in CRIM 1650 as well as maintain an overall GPA of C+ or above (this is a standard requirement for all honours students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies). Students who do not meet either of these criteria will be removed from the program and will have to choose another major (e.g. Social Science).

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Continuation and Graduation in Criminology

In order to progress from the first to the second year of the Criminology program, students must achieve a minimum grade of B in CRIM 1650 6.0 “Introduction to Criminology.” In order to remain a Criminology major through the four years of the program, students must also maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 5.0 (C+). Students who do not satisfy the grade and average requirements noted above will be removed from the Criminology program.

Additional Resources:
GPA Calculator
Petitions Procedures (PDF)
Deferred and Aegrotat Standing (PDF)
Late Withdrawal/ Waiver of a Required Withdrawal or Debarment (PDF)

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