Applicant Selection and Admission Offers

Applicant Selection and Admission Offer Process

Approximately 129 students are admitted to the MScPT program each year. The University of Alberta typically offers 85 seats at the Edmonton Campus, 24 at the Calgary Campus and 20 at the Augustana Campus. These numbers vary year-to-year for a variety of reasons.

All decisions are made by the MSc PT Admissions Committee, and include the following steps: 

1) Verifying Eligible Applicants

This means verifying if all documents were correctly submitted and if the applicant meets all admission requirements, including receipt of the applicant’s CASper Score.

Admissions GPA is then calculated for eligible applicants using the applicant’s most recent 60 credits taken before February of the admission year. 

 Applicants will be considered ineligible if they do not submit all required admissions documents, don’t meet all the admissions requirements, or fail to provide their CASper score to the University of Alberta. There are no exceptions. The applicant is responsible for making sure they follow the correct application process.  

 2) Selection for an Admissions Interview

Up to 15% of interview spots will be offered to eligible out-of-province and international applicants.

Eligible applicants will be considered for an interview using a combination of the following criteria:

  • The applicant has an Admissions GPA of 3.5 or higher. 
  • The applicant's CASper score.

The Admissions Committee may also consider:

  • The applicant's professionalism in any verbal or written correspondence with the University throughout the admissions process.

3) Final Admissions Offers 

Applicants completing the Admissions Interview will then be ranked using a combination of the following criteria:

  • The applicant’s CASper score.
  • The applicant’s Admissions Interview score and any evaluator comments.

The applicant’s admissions GPA is not considered in the final admission decision following the interview.

The Admissions Committee may also consider the applicant's professionalism in any verbal or written correspondence with the University throughout the admissions process. 

The top-ranked applicants will then receive an admissions offer. The number of offers to out-of-province and international applicants is capped at 15% of total offers.  

 

Campus Location Offers 

  • Out-of-province and international applicants are only eligible for the Edmonton campus.
  • Where possible, offers to Alberta applicants will be made to their first or second choice of Campus location. But the preferred choice of Campus is not guaranteed. 
  • If the number of Alberta applicants selecting the Calgary Campus as their first choice exceeds the number of available seats, offers to the Calgary Campus will be made using a random draw. 

Admission Offers

Following the interview, the Department of Physical Therapy will make one of the following admission recommendations:

Unconditional offer

 

The highest ranked applicants will be made an unconditional offer of admission.

Conditional Offer

 

Applicants who are ranked high on their GPA score, CASPer, and MMI, but who remain in the process of completing the pre-requisites and/or degree, will be made a conditional offer. The requirements and deadlines of the conditional offer will be determined by the Department of Physical Therapy (University of Alberta Calendar, 203.2.2, (2) c.)

Official documents (transcripts, degree certificates, etc.) may be required upon receiving a conditional offer of admission letter from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS). Documents must be sent directly from the post-secondary institution to the FGPS office.

Waitlist offer

 

Applicants with a combined score just below the cut-off for an admissions offer will be given the option of being placed on a wait list. The number of applicants placed on the wait list varies from year-to-year and will be determined by the Department of Physical Therapy.

In the event that a successful applicant subsequently declines admission, the next highest ranked applicant on the wait list will be offered this seat. Historically, wait list applicants have been made offers as late as one week prior to the start of the program.

Decline

Applicants whose combined score is not competitive will be notified in a decline letter.

Please Note: all offers/declines will be sent via email only. Due to privacy issues only the UofA email account will be used for all communications between applicants and the university.

Admission Offers for Indigenous Applicants

Applicants of Indigenous ancestry (First Nation, Inuit, Metis) are first considered in the general pool of applicants. If Indigenous applicants are not competitive for the general pool they may then compete for the seats reserved for Indigenous students. Applicants applying for the seats reserved for Indigenous students must meet the minimum GPA and CASPer score to qualify for an interview and must receive a passing score on the interview. Applicants applying for the seats reserved for Indigenous students must be Canadian citizens; preference will be given to Alberta residents.

 

The University Calendar provides a definition of an Indigenous Applicant: For the purpose of application and admission to the University of Alberta, and in accordance with the Constitution Act, 1982, Part II, Section (35)2, an Indigenous  applicant is an Indian, Inuit or Métis person of Canada, or a person who is accepted by one of the Indigenous peoples of Canada as a member of their community.

Indigenous applicants must be aware that proof of ancestry does not guarantee admission to any program. All positions at the university are competitive, and admission committees will make their selections from among the best-qualified candidates. Please refer to the University Calendar for examples of acceptable proof of Indigenous ancestry.

Date of Offer Letters

  • Initial offer letters from the Department of Physical Therapy will be sent to applicants via their University of Alberta e-mail in early May. 
  • Applicants are typically given two (2) calendar weeks to accept or decline the initial offer. 
  • If the applicant accepts the offer, the Department of Physical Therapy will forward a recommendation for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGPS). Official offer letters will be issued through the Graduate Admissions Portal.

Date of Waitlist Offers

  • Applicants on the waitlist will be offered seats as they become available.
  • Waitlist applicants are typically given one (1) week to respond to an offer, but the Department of Physical Therapy reserves the right to shorten this time frame when a more timely response is required (e.g. offers made close to the program start date).