By Jasmine Makar
Admission requirements for Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) new medical school have been causing controversy among students since the application portal opened on Oct. 9.
Students have expressed concern over some of the application requirements including the lower-than-average minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 and a lack of specific science prerequisites.
TMU will not require prospective students to have completed the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a common test required by medical schools across Canada and the United States including McMaster University, Queen’s University, the University of Toronto and Western University.
The university has outlined that its admission requirements are meant to minimize barriers to entry and promote inclusivity and diversity in the learning environment as well as the medical field by creating “doctors who are culturally aware”.
Ola Gala, a recent graduate from TMU’s undergraduate nursing program, is planning to apply to TMU’s medical school along with dentistry programs at other universities. She said the only reason she’s applying to TMU’s medical school is because the application is “much, much easier than any other medical school.”
Although Gala acknowledges the medical school has been accredited, she believes the MCAT is a “big indicator” of a person’s academic performance. Not requiring an MCAT or a higher GPA mandate sparks some concern.
“I think that at least that aspect was surprising to me [low GPA requirement], but I mean, it does make it easier to apply. But at the same time… the competition is going to be a lot greater,” she said.
In an emailed statement to The Eyeopener, TMU President Mohamed Lachemi said “several Ontario medical schools [do not] require prerequisite courses or specific degree programs,” including McMaster and Western University.
Although this is true, McMaster and Western University do require students’ MCAT scores whereas TMU does not.
Elsewhere, the University of Ottawa does not require an MCAT for acceptance to their Doctor of Medicine program. However, their list of requirements includes 18 science-related courses and a minimum 3.5 GPA.
Despite these concerns, some students believe the requirements are fair.
Haaris Rehman, a graduate of McMaster University’s life science program who is planning on applying to TMU’s medical school believes the unique requirements won’t “make the application process any easier.”
“There will still be just as much competition,” he said.
Rehman added that, although the MCAT is a “good indicator of general science knowledge,” he does not “necessarily think that people who write the MCAT would be better applicants.”
TMU announced three application pathways specifically curated to break down barriers for underrepresented students. These include the Indigenous Admissions Pathway, the Black Admissions Pathway and the Equity-Deserving Admissions Pathway, according to the TMU School of Medicine page.
As of Oct. 9, 75 per cent of admitted students will be selected from the dedicated diversity pathways. The Eye verified this source as TMU’s site has been changed and does not currently mention this quota.
“I’d like to note that there are multiple ways to produce a great doctor. The goal of TMU’s School of Medicine is to remove systemic barriers for excellent students who traditionally face challenges in accessing medical education,” said Lachemi in the emailed statement to The Eye.
Echoing the school’s goal, Rehman believes TMU’s equity-deserving admissions process will produce more empathic and diverse doctors.
“It has the potential to create…more doctors that focus on serving lower income and less privileged communities…which I think will produce good quality doctors,” he said.
The Eye reached out to faculty members at the School of Medicine, as well as the university, but no further comment was provided.
The medical school opened applications for its first cohort for the 2025 fall semester in October and will be the last medical school application in Ontario to close in December, according to the Ontario Universities Application Centre.
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