Master of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics 

at U of T, Toronto

Yes, to appear for the University of Toronto admissions. the students are required to submit an English proficiency test score such as IELTS or TOEFL. For IELTS, the students should have a minimum score of 6.5 with no band lower than 6.0 in any strand. 

Results from IELTS (Academic) are considered for admissions at this university. 

To get admission at the University of Toronto, International students are required to satisfy admission requirements. For MS programs international students require an appropriate bachelor’s degree or its equivalent with a final-year average of at least mid-B from a recognised university. However, some general admission requirements are common for most of the master’s courses and will depend on the country of origin of the student. University of Toronto admission requirements for Indian students:

• Minimum GPA: First Class/Division or 8.0/10 or 7.5/10 from the Indian Institute of Technology
• Bachelor’s Equivalent: Bachelor’s degree, requiring a minimum of four years of study or completion of both a Bachelor’s (3-year) degree and Master’s degree.
• Masters Equivalent: MPhil, MTech, MEng, MSc
• GRE/GMAT
• Letter of Recommendation
• Interview
• Statement of Purpose
• IELTS/TOEFL/DET

The University of Toronto is very popular among International students for a variety of reasons. Its acceptance rate stands at 76.8% which tells us that it is not a very selective university to get into. However, by meeting a few U of T admission requirements, Indian students can bag their offer letters. 

Please refer to the list of documents required at this university: 

• Academic transcripts (Class 10, 12, and any university transcripts)

• Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo/PTE)

• Standardized test scores (if needed)

• LORs (for PG programs)

• Statement of Purpose or essays (for some programs)

• Portfolio/Audition (for Architecture, Fine Arts, Music)

• Valid passport

University of Toronto is public research university and is Canada’s top university. U of T has been consistently ranked among top 20 universities in world by THE. QS Rankings 2024 ranked the university #21 in the world which is a significant improvement of 13 positions from last year’s #34. Meanwhile, THE Rankings 2023 ranked University #18 in the world. THE has been consistently ranking the university at #18 position in world for last four years.

According to QS Rankings 2024, Univ of Toronto has a ranking of #21 and Univ of Waterloo has a ranking of #112. Check the table mentioned below.

The University of Toronto offers on-campus accommodation campus to international students but students can choose to live off campus as well. Other than the tuition fees a major portion of your expenses in the university will go towards your accommodation, food, and other stuff and on campus,  these expenses might range from CAD 8,000 to CAD 15,000 per academic year. Also, your living expenses in Canada will depend on various factors such as your lifestyle, type of accommodation you choose and your personal expenses. However, off-campus living may cost you up to CAD 15,000 or more.

Both the universities – McGill University and the University of Toronto are great universities and the decision to choose between these universities is dependent on personal preferences, about the specific program, the culture and environment, etc. However, some of the points according to some of the reviews over an unofficial source are:

• University of Toronto’s admissions standards are somewhat lower than McGill University, particularly in some programs like Business 
• McGill students tend to have a stronger sense of school pride / spirit
• McGill University is much more international when it comes to the diversity of students, especially if you look beyond students from India and China

To further elaborate the comparison, here are the rankings of both of these universities:

Both Universities are very selective at granting admissions to students & only consider highly qualified individuals. The universities are neck & neck in terms of their acceptance rates, with the University of McGill acceptance rate standing at 48%, while that of University of Toronto is around 43%. It can be said that University of McGill is marginally easier to secure admisisons at as compared to University of Toronto.

Candidates interested in admissions at either institute must perform really well in past academics & university level exams & maintain a professional resume that stands out from the rest to have the best possible chance of securing a seat.

As per student reviews over an unofficial source, here are a few of the things that the University of Toronto students can do over the weekends:

• Exploring the city at night. Since Toronto is a huge city and going on walks through Harbourfront, near the CN Tower, etc. are good options
• Check out Chinatown and Kensington market
• Explore new coffee shops
• There are great places to study other than Robarts Library. Hart House is a great place to study
• Go to the art gallery or museum