MPP Admissions

The online application system will open on October 1. Click here to access the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ online application system. You will be prompted to create or have your eID ready to access the online application.

The application fee is $125 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, $145 for international applicants, and $180 for students who previously withdrew and now seek readmission.

Additional information on paying your fee can be found on the fee payment website.

Unofficial transcripts 

All transcripts uploaded by the applicant are considered “unofficial transcripts”.

Once your application has been submitted, you will be required to go to your online Student Centre and upload transcripts from each of the post-secondary institutions you have attended. If your transcript is in a language other than English, also upload an English translation completed by a Certified Translator.

International students are required to include provisional and degree certificates/diplomas (where applicable/available) along with your transcripts.

Transcript file(s), including English translations and/or degree certificates (if applicable), must be amalgamated into one PDF file per institution, and clearly outline the following:

• terms
• institution grading scale
• course weight (units/credits)
• grade

Official transcripts

Please do not request official transcripts from the post-secondary institutions you have attended at the time of application. If your application is successful, final official transcripts will be requested with your offer of admission.  

After you have received an offer of admission: 

Official transcripts must be sent directly from all post-secondary institutions you have attended (even if you did not graduate) to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 

Transcripts can be sent by email to gradtranscripts@ucalgary.ca or by mail to the following address:  

Faculty of Graduate Studies 
MacKimmie Tower, Second Floor 
2500 University Drive NW 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada  
T2N 1N4 

We require two academic references for a complete application. If you have been absent from studies for five years or more, two professional references will suffice; however only under these circumstances and they must be from direct reports to supervisor and or manager.

Notes:

• Email addresses provided for your referees must be professional addresses; references provided from a free email account (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) will not be considered.
• Letters from friends, family, general colleagues, classmates, fellow church members, clergy, current or past MPP students, and general reference letters are not acceptable; these will neither be reviewed nor kept on file.

Once you submit your online application, your referees will receive an email notification inviting them to submit their letters of support.

As part of the University of Calgary Admissions Process, all applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency. Internationally educated applicants must achieve either:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 105 (Internet-based) or 600 (paper-based).
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5 (Academic version).

Further information on this requirement and alternate testing options can be found here.  

Official documents indicating test scores should be sent electronically via the issuing organization. If required, 

• IELTS: The University of Calgary institution code is 139719.
• TOEFL: The University of Calgary institution code is 0813. If required, you may select “any program not listed” as the program.

This document provides a better understanding as to why you wish to study with us and should be specific to your goals and interests. The expectations of this document and template can be found here; please save as a PDF and upload this document to your application. A visual sample of these expectations can be found here. 

The letter will answer the following four questions in your own words, as clearly and concisely as possible. Each question is allocated a maximum of 250 words to provide your response. If the maximum word count for each question is used, your total letter will be no more than 1000 words. Only the first 250 words of each answer will be read, nor will we consider any additional sections outside of these questions.

The four questions you must address are:

• Please describe how the MPP would further your future career goals.
• Please expand on the above by describing the strengths, ambitions and experience you will bring to the program.
• A capstone project that examines a contemporary public policy problem is a requirement of this program. Please describe a project that you might be interested in developing.
• Please describe your ability to work in a team atmosphere and how this has contributed to your successes

Following submission of your online application, you will receive an automated confirmation. Once confirmation is received, you may proceed with uploading the personal statement.

Supporting documentation must be submitted by the applicable deadline listed above. Late submissions will not be considered.

This professionally formatted document will outline your employment history, skills and education experience; please save as a PDF and upload this document to your application. If you are unfamiliar with the format of a North American résumé, there are many samples located online.

Following submission of your online application, you will receive an automated confirmation. Once confirmation is received, you may proceed with uploading the résumé.

Your résumé must be submitted by the applicable deadline listed above. Late submissions will not be considered.

The status of your application can be viewed online through your student center. This information is updated daily and is the most efficient manner to inquire, as this is the same system we use to manage our admissions process. Unless successful, please note that all admission decisions will be shared under the student centre.

You are an international student if you do not hold Permanent Residency or Citizenship in Canada.

The application steps are the same as for domestic students (see above), but you will need to provide your immigration status. For all incoming international students, please indicate that you will be on a study permit. If you are not already inside of Canada on a valid study permit, please still indicate study permit and leave the information blank. You must first be admitted to UCalgary before being able to apply for a study permit, or an extension of your current permit. For information on applying for immigration after you have received your admission offer, please contact issimmigration@ucalgary.ca.

Please declare your Indigenous identity on the online application form (see regular student steps above). Self-identifying on your application helps us tell you about programs, services, and scholarships for Indigenous students.

Go to our Indigenous graduate students page to get more information and to contact us.