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Admission Requirements

Preparing your application to graduate studies at York University and/or other interested universities requires research and planning. Some students start preparing their plan for graduate studies as early as two years before they submit their application. Select the program information below to help guide you on what the admission requirements are.

Please note the graduate funding available for Critical Disability Studies applicants.

Graduate Tuition and associated fees are calculated per term (4-month period). To review the cost of one term, select the Graduate fees dropdown menu and select (Faculty of Graduate Studies - MA or PhD)

For all applicants:

  • Graduate applicants can upload “unofficial” transcripts through MyFile. Transcripts provided in this way are sufficient for determining conditional admission to graduate programs.
  • Include all pages of each postsecondary transcript, when you upload it into the myFile portal. This initial step does not complete the process of submitting official transcripts for a graduate school application. Some institutions will send digital versions of official transcripts. Please direct each institution to study@yorku.ca with the candidate’s name and York ID number.
  • Official transcripts (printed copies) are mailed to:

York University
Office of Graduate Admissions

P.O. Box GA2300
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON
Canada M3J 1P3

  • Send all official transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended, including universities and colleges, are shared to the Admissions Office at York University to satisfy the requirements of a full offer of admission.
  • Current or past students York University are not required to submit York transcripts.
  • Provide a statement of interest (maximum 2 pages in length; single-line spacing) demonstrating commitment to advanced research in the field. The statement should include a discussion of the applicant’s background, interests, skills, career goals and research interests. Typical questions to be addressed in the statements include but are not limited to:
    1. Briefly explain why you have specifically chosen the MA  or PhD Program in Critical Disability Studies
    2. Indicate your particular interests in the field of Critical Disability Studies. Summarize the potential topic on your MA Major Research Paper (MRP), or your PhD Dissertation and suggest a potential principal supervisor who you would like to work with.
    3. Explain how the MA or PhD Program in Critical Disability Studies will relate to your career goals.
    4. Suggest three elective courses offered by our program that you are interested in enrolling in. (Please note that elective courses will be offered every year and are subject to the availability and scheduling of the course director.)
  • submitting one sample of scholarly written work that the applicant has written, as the sole author, for a course or in an employment context
  • provide two academic referees from university faculty. You should name people who are capable of speaking to your experience and interest in the field of Critical Disability Studies.
  • Applicants who have been out of school for 5 years or less should provide at least two names. One as an academic referee from university faculty and a professional reference.
  • provide a current CV or Resume.
  • provide English language proficiency test result, if required

Applicants are strongly recommended to apply separately for various York University, Tri-Council, provincial or external scholarships.

English Language Proficiency Tests

Proof of language proficiency is required for applicants who meet the following criteria:

  1. their first language is not English; AND
  2. they have not completed at least one year of full-time study at an accredited university in a country (or institution) where English is the official language of instruction
  3. If you wish to make an inquiry about language tests or scores that were submitted for your graduate application, please visit the Graduate Admissions website.

International Academic Credentials

International students can review how their academic credentials were achieved overseas compared to York University.  Please verify the minimum admission requirements listed by country. However, there is no definitive answer to the admission eligibility until the entire application package has been reviewed.

Applicants must

  • have completed an Honours Bachelor's Degree with a B+ average or equivalent in the final 2 years of full-time equivalent university study (or approximately the last 20 half-year university credit courses) upon the commencement of the program.
  • International applicants can refer to the international credentials information for your country.
  • Review English proficiency minimum scores

Number of Recommendations

  • 2 Recommendations

Other Requirements

  • Official Transcripts
  • Statement of Interest
  • Resumé/CV
  • Sample(s) of scholarly written work

Applicants must:

Number of Recommendations

Number of Recommendations

  • 2 Recommendations

Other Requirements

  • Official Transcripts
  • Statement of Interest
  • Resumé/CV
  • Sample(s) of scholarly written work

Peter Mackey

Peter Mackey

Peter Mackey Critical Disability Studies Entrance Scholarship

Incoming doctoral students may be eligible for our Peter Mackey Critical Disability Studies entrance scholarship.

This entrance award will be given to newly admitted students to the Critical Disability PhD Program who self-identify as a person with a disability and demonstrate the array of experiences acquired within their pursuit of higher education at the doctoral level, their interest in critical disability studies, and what they hope to accomplish with their education upon graduation. For an application, please email to gradcds@yorku.ca before August 31st.


Critical disability studies scholar Peter Mackey was known for his kind heart

Learn More

The Graduate Program in Critical Disability Studies at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.