SFU.CA Burnaby | Surrey | Vancouver

When & How To Apply

Application and supporting materials deadlines:

Financial Aid:

The ranking of students for Graduate Entrance scholarships (GEs) and Graduate Fellowships (GFs) are done at the same time. Students wishing to be considered for these awards must submit the forms at the time of application. Graduate Entrance scholarship and/or a Graduate Fellowship can download the forms from the Graduate Studies website.

Submitting an Application

To make an application, please submit the following material by or before the deadline noted above. Please send hard copies of these materials (unless otherwise noted below) to Urban Studies, Simon Fraser University, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3, Canada:

  1. Applications for Graduate Study must be completed online (see the Graduate Studies website). An application fee will be assessed as follows: $90 for applicants with Canadian transcripts and $125 for applicants with international transcripts. If applying for both the M.Urb and GDUS in the same application cycle, separate applications, fees, and supporting materials are required for each program.
  2. A one page statement of interest that should explain the applicant's motivation for acquiring advanced urban analytical skills and their learning objectives. M.URB applicants should also include a potential focus for their independent research project.
  3. An official transcript from all universities/colleges attended, including institutions where students may have attended on transfer. Transcripts should be mailed to us directly from the granting institution.
  4. We strongly recommend that international applicants from beyond North America have their foreign academic credentials assessed by a recognized Canadian entity and provide this assessment as part of their application. Note that a comprehensive evaluation report, rather than a basic report, should be supplied. Without such a credential assessment it is difficult for the Admissions Committee to accurately understand and evaluate applicants' academic transcripts. One such credential evaluation service is offered by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (http://www.bcit.ca/ices/).
  5. Three confidential letters of reference, of which two should normally be from an academic source (mailed to us directly from the referee).
  6. Resume/Curriculum Vitae.
  7. Graduate Entrance scholarship and/or a Graduate Fellowship application form (downloadable from the Graduate Studies website).
  8. Applicants whose post-secondary degree(s) have been awarded in a nation where English is not an official language must meet or exceed the minimum satisfactory score on a standardized English language test acceptable to the University. The minimum scores and acceptable tests for graduate admission are available in the University Calendar. This requirement applies irrespective of the language(s) used in instruction at the applicant's university.

Students applying to transfer from the Graduate Diploma to Masters program:

Students wishing to apply to transfer from the Graduate Diploma to the Masters program must complete (and adapt) the Application to Transfer form in place of the online Application for Graduate Study and also submit materials noted above in points 2-6. Take note that one of the three reference letters submitted with a transfer application should be from a continuing faculty member at SFU who is willing to be a prospective supervisor.