Students apply at the end of their second year and begin the program in their third. Interested students should ideally apply for a PSY Major or Specialist (Non-thesis) at the end of their first year. All students accepted into or considering the Research Specialist program should enrol into a 300-level PSY lab course in their third year. In addition to applying via ACORN, students must also send in a supplementary application directly to the department via the Research Specialist Online Application by the same deadlines for Subject POSt enrolment on ACORN.

Admission to the program is based on strong academic performance and expressed interest in research. Prior research experience is not necessary for admission to the program, but most successful applicants have previous experience in one or more psychology laboratories. The Research Specialist is a limited program and, therefore, enrolment is restricted to no more than 15 students per year. This is a very demanding program, requiring the balance of extensive in-person research with challenging coursework. Therefore, strong applications provide evidence of exceptional time management skills and the ability to work independently. Eligibility is highly competitive and based on the following criteria (please note that meeting the following minimum requirements does not guarantee admission):

• Gr. 12 Calculus and Biology (passing grades)
• Completion of at least 9.0 credits
• PSY100H1 with a minimum final grade of 80%
• PSY201H1 (or one of ECO220Y1/​ EEB225H1/​ GGR270H1/​ IRW220H1/​ POL222H1/​ SOC202H1/​ STA220H1/​ STA248H1/​ STA288H1) and PSY202H1 (or one of ECO220Y1/​ STA221H1/​ SOC252H1/​ SOC300H1) and PSY203H1 with at least an average of 75% across the three of them
• At least 2.0 credits from PSY210H1, PSY220H1, PSY230H1, PSY240H1, PSY260H1, PSY270H1, PSY280H1, PSY290H1, with at least a 78% average across all four of them

How to apply:

1. Request program code ASSPE1958 on ACORN by the deadline for each round of enrolment.
2. Fill out the online supplemental application by the same date: https://www.psych.utoronto.ca/research-specialist-program-online-application.
3. Email the Undergraduate Administrator your up-to-date CV and academic history from ACORN in PDF format once all grades from the previous semester have been finalized to psy.undergrad@utoronto.ca.
4. If invited into the program on ACORN, accept the invitation by the deadline.

Notes:

1. In lieu of PSY100H1, we will also accept:

• PSY100Y5 from UTM, or
• PSYA01H3 and PSYA02H3 (both) from UTSC.

However, we will not accept AP or IB Psychology for this requirement.

2. For students who are missing Gr. 12 Calculus and/or Biology, please see the following link for more information on these requirements and how they can be fulfilled: https://psych.utoronto.ca/prospective-students/application-information#calculus-accordion-1

3. We will accept equivalent/exclusion statistics courses from UTM/UTSC in lieu of PSY201H1 and PSY202H1. Please contact the Undergraduate Administrator to verify if your stats courses qualify.