Prospective graduate students

Required Application Materials

Before your application will be considered completed and ready for review it must include the following:

• Transcripts of previous degrees
• Cirriculum Vitae (CV)
• Statement of Interest
• Three references

Unofficial transcripts can be used for the purpose of application. Official transcripts will only be requried to be submitted if offered admission to the graduate program.

Statment of Interest

There is no official formatting requirements for the statement of interest. Some format examples include short essays, formal letters, or less structured pieces of writing. While there is no word or page limits, typical statements submitted by applicants are between 1-2 pages. The purpose of the statement of interest is for reviewers to get a sense of who you are and why you are interested in the program you are applying for. Applicants can introduce themselves, explain their research interests, and include any information that may be relevant in evaluating their application as a whole. You do not need to have a full research proposal prepared for your statement of interest but there should be enough detail to determine how well your research plans or interests fit within current research being done in the department. 

Application Review Process and Timelines

Applications are typically reviewed beginning after each respective submission deadline. Only complete applications will be reviewed. If applications are missing materials or references after the submission deadline has passed, applicants can contact the graduate program assistant (bpk_programs@sfu.ca) if a deadline extension is required. Applications that are completed after the submission deadline, however, will normally not be reviewed until after the first round of applications completed by the submission deadline have completed the review process. Late applications will likely be delayed in recieving official descisions post-review, and may not be able to be considered for entrance awards or scholarships.

Review Process

Completed applications are reviewed by the graduate program committee. Once reviews are completed the committee will discuss applications and come to a decision on whether or not applicants will be recommended for admission to graduate studies. Applicants that are recommended for admission will be submitted to graduate studies for a final review. Graduate studies will send official offers of admission to successful applicants.

It is often not possible to provide exact estimates of the time it will take from the start of the review process to when official decision will be sent to applicants. Applicants can anticipate waiting at least 3-4 months before hearing back with an admission decision. In some cases the graduate program committee may determine that further information is needed from either the applicant or intended supervisor and so require additional follow up. Applicants will be contacted if the committee requires any further information or documentation in addition to their application. If you have received offers from another university and would like to know the status of your application to aid in decision making, please contact the graduate program assistant (bpk_programs@sfu.ca).