Frequently Asked Questions

In general, CSI receives approximately 80-100 doctoral applications and 40-50 domestic MA applications each year (we do not accept international MA applications at this time). Approximately eighty percent of the doctoral applications were from international students.

The exact number varies from year to year, but typically 4 domestic doctoral students, 1 international doctoral students, and 10 new MA students join CSI each year.

Each year CSI admits one, and in rare cases two, international students to the PhD program. Due to our current structure for financial support, we are not able to consider international MA applicants.

Both the MA and PhD programs are full-time. No part-time options are available.

The MA program is 12 months in duration. The fall and spring terms are dedicated to coursework; the summer term is dedicated to completion of either a major research paper or an internship.

For the PhD program, CSI does everything possible to facilitate completion of the program within 4-5 years. Six years is the maximum length permitted, after which students must apply for a formal extension in order to remain in the program. Good academic standing, including satisfactory progress on the dissertation, will be considered as part the decision. The maximum number of extensions permitted is four.

No, both the MA and PhD programs are dedicated to the critical study of cinema rather than training in filmmaking as a practice.

We generally begin accepting applications in mid-October for the following academic year. The deadline for this cycle is January 7, 2025.

Yes, there is an application fee of $130 CAD. No, the application fee cannot be waived.

Although the system allows for 5 referees to be indicated, please ONLY request 3 letters. We will allow 1 non-academic reference maximum.

The application fee must be paid before certain document slots are opened, and before the referees are contacted. Please pay the full application fee to activate these functions.

No, this is not one of our admission requirements.

No, both of our programs begin in September.

CSI participates in collaborative specializations with Diaspora and Transnational Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and Sexual Diversity Studies. Please see the website of the collaborative program you are considering and review the application requirements detailed there. You must apply to these specializations separately. Sometimes adding these specializations involve additional coursework, and in some years their mandatory courses may conflict with Cinema's, in which case it may not be possible to pursue the collaborative specialization.

At a minimum, eligible candidates must have achieved the equivalent of an B+ standing in their final year and meet the English language requirements. Other factors include the quality of the academic references, the writing sample, the letter of intent, the interest and availability of appropriate supervisors, background in cinema and media studies courses, and evidence of language proficiency.

We do not consider portfolios.

Yes, you may still apply, but you should have significant training in cinema and media studies. For applicants to the MA Program we require the successful completion of 6.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in cinema studies or a cognate discipline. For applicants to the PhD program, we require a MA degree in cinema and media studies or a cognate discipline that is deemed appropriate to the intended area of research.

In such cases, we recommend that you take several fourth-year courses offered by your local universities as a non-degree student. Succeeding in these courses will help demonstrate that you are capable of succeeding in our MA program.

You may contact individual CSI faculty to discuss potential topics of research and the possibility of supervision, but doing so is not required. If you do, please research our faculty to see whose research interests align with yours and contact two or three faculty members at most. Please also see the faculty webpages to see if a particular professor states that they are not currently accepting supervisees.

Students applying with degrees completed in other countries sometimes have difficulty assessing their credentials. The University of Toronto has an equivalency list, which can help with a basic assessment, available at the SGS Portal.

You can check online to see the status of your application. The online admissions system will only show your documents as being "received" once your documents have been manually processed, NOT when they arrive in the system. Documents will be processed in the order they are received.

It is not uncommon for outstanding applicants to be refused admission. Admission to our program is very competitive, and meeting or exceeding the admission requirements does not guarantee admission. We cannot provide individualized feedback on your application, but we recommend that you review each component of an unsuccessful application carefully in order to assess its relative strength and the way it complements other materials in the application. For example, does your letter of intent provide a clear and compelling statement regarding your background and/or interests, and their fit with CSI’s program? Are the intentions in that letter evident in any other materials in the application? Is your writing sample adequately focused on the study of film and media? If so, does it work in tandem with your letter of intent to communicate your investment in a particular area of inquiry? Are your letters of recommendation from people who can speak to your strengths in adequate detail? Does one (or more) of them provide context for the writing sample?

See the web page dedicated to Student Accounts for detailed information about tuition and other expenses. One page to check is this for past and present costs.

All MA and PhD students are offered a base funding package of tuition plus a stipend. This may also include Teaching Assistantships and/or Research Assitantships. This varies between the MA and the PhD; this amount may be supplemented by internal and/or external awards.

MA students have 1 year of base funding.

PhD students have 4 years of base funding.

All students are asked to apply for external awards (CGRS-D, OGS) each year. Also, CSI provides resources in support of external award applications. Other potential sources of funding can be found on the web page dedicated to Scholarships and Awards.

Fifth-year and sixth-year doctoral students are eligible for the Doctoral Completion Award, the value of which varies from year to year. See our page on Tuition and Funding for the latest details.

Canadian students should consider applying for OSAP, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, various SSHRC programs, SGS University Wide Awards, and Restricted Departmental Awards. Deadlines are as early as October of the year preceding registration. International students should seek financial support from their home countries and should also apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

For domestic students considering the MA program, it is highly recommended that if you have an A- average, to apply for the Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship - Masters (a link will be provided when available). The deadline is typically December 1 each year.

For students considering the PhD program, it is highly recommended that if you have an A- average, to apply for the Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral through your current university. Inquire with your department. If you have already graduated, you can apply directly through the CGRS-D program. For University of Toronto students, the internal deadline at the Institute is usually mid-September.

The School of Graduate Studies publishes a list of important dates for the current academic year.

Our Graduate Program Assistant will guide you in course selection starting in June. You may begin to sign up for courses for both fall and winter electronically, on the university’s system (known as ACORN), in the second half of the summer. Students interested in taking graduate courses offered by other Departments should consult with the Associate Director, Graduate Studies, and will sometimes need to complete an Add/Drop Course(s) form.

There are residences on campus dedicated to graduate students generally. Please visit Student Life’s web page dedicated to Housing to learn about various housing options. You should apply for admission to a graduate residence as early as possible.