How to Apply to the Doctor of Philosophy Program (2024-2025)

Thinking of applying to a graduate program in linguistics or french literature?

Applications to the Department of French must be submitted through the School of Graduate Studies online application website. PLEASE NOTE: Those who apply without realizing that they do not meet the published admission requirements will not receive a refund of their application fee.

The Department of French will consider your application only after you have entered your personal and academic information in the online application, submitted the application fee and completed your online application package with all supporting documentation. You may pay online by VISA or MasterCard. You should meet the School of Graduate Studies admission requirements and our department admission criteria You must ensure that your application contains all the relevant documentation, otherwise your file cannot be forwarded to the Admissions Committee.

Application deadline: January 15, 2024             
Documentation deadline: January 31, 2024

For your application to be considered, your dossier must include the following documents by January 31st, 2024:

  1. All applicants are required to upload one electronic or scanned transcript from each post-secondary institution attended. Scanned copies of transcripts must be up to date and must include the transcript “legend” which is usually printed on the back of the paper transcript. You will not be required to submit official paper copies of your transcripts until after the Admissions Committee makes its decision. If admitted, you will be required to submit  one copy of the official transcript of your academic record from each university attended which must be sent by your Registrar directly to the Graduate Department of French (50 St Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 1J4), in a sealed envelope.
  2. Two academic letters of recommendation must be submitted by respondents. You will need to provide two email contacts. Please contact your referees in advance to confirm the contact information. After payment, your referees will be contacted by email and asked to submit their recommendation electronically.
  3. Your MA thesis or a chapter of written work in French done as part of your MA must be submitted electronically to the SGS online admissions application. If you do not have an electronic copy of the file, please forward a photocopied document directly to the Graduate Department of French.
  4. A Statement of Purpose in French (max. 500 words) which outlines the area in which you intend to pursue your research in French literature or French linguistics must be submitted electronically to the SGS online admissions application.
  5. A copy of your curriculum vitae.

Purpose and Priorities 

The UofT School of Graduate Studies requires students who apply to graduate school to pay a $125 Application Fee. The Department of French encourages applications from people who identify as Black, or Indigenous. The Application Fee Waiver Program will further encourage these applicants by potentially waiving their application fees. 

Application Fee Waiver Program. 

We are continuing the Application Fee Waiver Program to support our equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) initiatives. People who receive an Application Fee Waiver will not need to pay the graduate application fee of $125 that is normally charged when you apply to the University of Toronto (UofT).  

To potentially receive an Application Fee Waiver, please submit all supporting documentations before 5 PM Eastern Time (10 PM GMT) on December 15 and send a confirmation email to the graduate counsellor.

Both doctoral and master's students in the Department of French must apply for a Teaching Assistantship. Applications (two documents) are available to download (PDF iconTA Application_2024-25.pdf and PDF iconTA Questionnaire_2024-25.pdf). Print the forms and send them to the address listed on the forms.

In the Faculty research interests section of this site, you will find a list of current Graduate Faculty and their research interests in our Fields of Study page. This should be of use to you in determining potential supervisors for your Doctoral Dissertation.

NOTE: Most courses in the Department of French are taught in French. However, as English is the primary language of instruction and communication at the University of Toronto, applicants must demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English. Applicants from universities outside Canada where English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada do not have to demonstrate proficiency in English.

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