TMU Medical School Requirements

Ontario’s healthcare system is set to benefit from a new medical school at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in 2025, joining the existing 17 medical schools in Canada. TMU’s proposed MD program aims to address the critical shortage of primary care doctors in the province, particularly in underserved communities. As the school prepares to welcome its first cohort, prospective students are eager to learn more about the requirements for admission.

Although the exact requirements for TMU’s medical school have still not yet been officially released, there are hints from their various update posts and leaked OMSAS data, in combination with current Canadian medical school requirements, that can give us an idea of what it might look like.

Academic

Pre-requisite courses
Minimum number of years of undergraduate study required
GPA

Non-Academic

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
CASPer Test
Supplementary Application
Letter of Reference
Interview

Prerequisite Courses

All medical schools in Canada require at least 3 years of undergraduate study to be completed before an applicant can matriculate into their school. Some even require 4 years of undergraduate study to be completed. According to leaked OMSAS data TMU applicants must have completed a minimum 4-year undergraduate degree in any program or discipline prior to the start of Year 1 of the MD Program.

Most medical schools in Canada have little to no requirements for prerequisite courses, contrary to their American counterparts. This allows Canadian medical schools to have a wide depth and breadth of students from different backgrounds who become physicians. We expect TMU to follow this trend and have no prerequisite course requirements as they have publically stated that “Admission will be based on academic performance, progress towards an undergraduate degree in any discipline, and academic, extracurricular and professional experience.”

GPA Calculation and Requirements

Most Ontario Medical Schools have no bias toward in-province (IP) over out-of-province (OOP) applicants. However, Premier Doug Ford has stated that he intends for newer medical schools to prioritize “taking care of our students, our kids first.” This statement was made in relation to another new Ontario medical school, York University. This has been confirmed for TMU as well in the leaked OMSAS document stating that TMU be biased specifically toward residents of the Peel and Halton regions. This is because the university wants students who graduate from their program to serve the communities they studied in. The peel region is defined as:

Brampton, Mississauga, Caledon
Bolton
Dufferin
Milton, Burlington, Oakville, Halton Hills
North Etobicoke
West Woodbridge

Minimum GPA to Apply	Minimum (Non-Competitive) GPA Required	Lowest GPA Admitted
3.3	3.3	3.3

Cumulative GPA, or the total GPA of all years of study, being used as an admission factor has been the trend for all Canadian Universities. In fact, many universities have begun phasing out weighted GPAs from their admissions. This is confirmed in TMU’s decision to accept only cumulative GPAs.

Surprisingly, although all other medical schools weigh GPA competitively in their application process, TMU has stated they will not. A minimum OMSAS GPA of 3.3 is the only thing recquired which aims to minimize barriers to entry and create an inclusive and diverse learning environment that welcomes. GPA considerations are only evaluated as part of our initial screening to determine eligibility and will not be factored into selection or ranking decisions.

MCAT and CASPer

MCAT and CASPer Overview:

The CASPer test has become increasingly more heavily weighted at Canadian medical schools, while the MCAT has been rumoured to begin phasing out of the admission process at many schools. This has been confirmed by TMUs recent announcement that the MCAT is not required for admission

CASPer Required	MCAT Required	MCAT Scores Considered
Most Likely	No	N/R

CASPer Test: The Canadian Professional Health Sciences test must be taken in August of the year of application submission. Both the 90-minute situational judgement test and the snapshot are usually required. The CASPer SnapShot is required within 10 days of completing the CASPer exam.

Supplementary Application

Most medical schools in Canada require applicants to fill out a supplementary application. In Ontario universities, most applicants must follow the OMSAS autobiographical sketches (ABS). The purpose of the ABS is to get a brief understanding of who the applicant is as a person and what they have learned from their experiences that would make them a better physician. TMU will most likely look at all 32 activities submitted to the ABS, completed since the age of 16, in the following categories:

Employment
Volunteering
Extracuricular Activites
Awards/Accomplishments
Research
Other

Quality is more important than quantity in this section of your application.

You will be required to provide verifiers for all activities. They may be contacted.

Reference Letters:

Most Ontario universities require three letters of recommendation from applicants. Applicants are not allowed to use family members, friends/colleagues of family members, neighbours, or someone who may be perceived as their peer as a referee. Additionally, the references must meet the following criteria:

One academic/employment-related reference
One non-academic reference
One reference of your choosing

Your references will be asked the following questions:

Would this applicant make a good physician?
Rate the applicant on their communication skills
Rate the applicant on their problem-solving skills
Rate the applicant on their professionalism (e.g., commitment to ethical practice, standards of behaviour and accountability to others)
Rate the applicant on their empathy (e.g., demonstrating consideration of others’ perspectives)
Identify and comment on 1 area of improvement for the applicant
Share any other information you feel may be relevant to a medical school’s admissions committee.

Special Considerations:

In addition to regional connectedness to the Halton and Peel regions, 3 other factors are heavily weighted in the admission process for TMU medical school, indigenous background, black students, and equity-diversity deserving students. Each pathway will accept 25% of applicants, meaning only 25% of the admitting class will be through general stream admission.

Indigenous Application Pathway

If you identify as Indigenous, you may elect to apply through the Indigenous Admissions Pathway. These applications are considered by a diverse Committee of Indigenous People, and you will be guided through an alternative process developed entirely by Indigenous Peoples to reflect a culturally appropriate, holistic evaluation for entrance to the MD Program. You must submit a supplementary essay of 500-1,000 words where you self-identify as Indigenous and reflect on your connection to your community, your lived experiences that demonstrate suitability for a career in medicine and how you envision contributing as a future leader in Indigenous healthcare.

Black Pathway

If you identify as Black, you may elect to apply through the Black Admissions Pathway. Applicants will be evaluated by members of Black communities who will implement specific measures for a holistic and equitable review. You must submit a written statement of 500-1,000 words indicating how your life experiences and your connection to your Black ancestry and community have impacted or influenced your educational path and goals.

Equity-Diversity Pathway

If you identify with 1 or more of the following groups, you may elect to apply through the Equity-Deserving Admissions Pathway. Applicants will be evaluated by members of equity-deserving communities who will implement specific measures for a holistic and equitable review.

Individuals who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and/or gender or sexual minorities
Individuals with disabilities and/or neurodivergence, and/or those who are living with chronic health conditions
Individuals who have faced familial and/or socio-cultural barriers, such as loss of both parents, long-term involvement with the child welfare systems and/or precarious housing
Individuals with lived experiences of poverty or low socio-economic status
Mature students and students from non-traditional pathways
Racialized immigrants and the children of racialized immigrants (including children born in Canada)
Racialized people
Other equity-deserving group (applicant must provide eligibility rationale)

You must submit a written statement of 500-1,000 words describing how your lived experiences or positionality have significantly influenced your educational pursuits, and how this influences your aspirations to become a physician.

Medical School Interview:

Mandatory	By Invitation	Number of Applicants Invited	Entering Class Size
Usually	Always	Unknown	Estimated: 88

Shortlisted applicants (including those applying through our 3 admission pathways) will progress to a comprehensive file review that includes:

The Autobiographical Sketch
Reference Letters
Supplementary Questions
Pathway Specific Documentation

Applicants to the General Admissions Stream, Black Admissions Pathway and the Equity-Deserving Pathway who are invited to interview will undertake a Multiple Mini-Interview: During the MMI, applicants will move between 6-8 interview “stations” in a circuit. This interview assesses the non-cognitive qualities of an applicant, which could include empathy, critical thinking, cultural competency, ethical decision making and communication skills.

Applicants selected for an interview from the Indigenous Admissions Pathway will take part in a talking circle, rather than an MMI.

If you are looking for interview practice, check out our posts on both MMI Practice Questions and Standard Interview Practice Questions.

Offers of Admission Decision:

Offers for admission are usually based upon a mix of academic achievement, supplemental application, and results of the interview process. Most medical schools do not disclose any information about how each of the admission requirements is combined in the decision-making process.

TMU has stated their proposed MD program will use a distinctive holistic admissions process in which principles of anti-racism, accessibility, EDI and Reconciliation are embedded throughout. It will be designed to purposefully admit equity-deserving students and to identify and select applicants who are interested in primary care practice, particularly in medically underserved communities.

Requirements for other Medical Schools in Canada:

If you would like an in-depth analysis of the medical school requirements for other universities in Canada click here. Or if you want information on a specific university click on any of the following links: