FAQs relating to graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowships
Please note that this page will be updated continuously.
Our goal at Concordia is first and foremost to ensure that the members of our communities are safe, and that we support the measures implemented by the Quebec government relating to the coronavirus pandemic. Faculty and staff continue to work to ensure the smoothest possible operations under these exceptional circumstances.
Below are answers to common questions; we encourage you to visit frequently as new information will be added as it becomes available.
Graduate admissions
School of Graduate Studies Admissions Statement
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world in a few short months. Agile and judicious adaptation is needed to survive and thrive beyond these uncertain times on individual and institutional levels. While every aspect of life has been altered for us all, it is our students (both current and future) who have faced the most severe challenges.
Concordia’s School of Graduate Studies recognizes the urgency of this transformation and fully supports more flexible admissions policies to allow for a more holistic interpretation of candidates. Applications will be reviewed within the context of the pandemic, and applicants are encouraged to illustrate their individual circumstances in their personal statements.
The world has changed and the need for innovative researchers and thinkers has never been greater. It is our duty and our pride to welcome those who would undertake the challenge.
Concordia acknowledges the need for adaptation in unprecedented times and supports more flexible admissions policies for the 2020-21 academic year. Current, incoming and potential students are encouraged to contact their Graduate Program Directors (GPDs) to learn more.
Prospective students should upload documents via their Student Centre instead of sending them by mail, and unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted if mailing hard copies is impossible due to pandemic-related issues.
If you are experiencing difficulties related to sending documents because of Covid-19, please inform the university by typing up a detailed note and uploading it via your Student Centre. Under DOCUMENT TYPE, select NOTE FROM STUDENT.
In addition to our formally recognized English language proficiency tests (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.), Concordia now also accepts the online Duolingo English Test to meet the required proof of English language proficiency. For further details, see “Language Testing” below.
Do not worry about submitting official documents now. You can upload unofficial copies in the interim. You have until the end of the Fall 2020 term to submit your official documents.
We also accept official transcripts officially via Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse. Please note that you and your school need to be signed up with these service providers to make use of this option for submitting transcripts.
If you are experiencing difficulties related to sending documents because of the pandemic, please inform the university by typing up a detailed note and uploading it via your Student Centre. Under DOCUMENT TYPE, select NOTE FROM STUDENT.
Many programs have extended their confirmation deadlines. Contact your Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) for information.
Most classes will begin online as scheduled in September. Please contact your Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) if you have questions about the status of a particular course for the Fall 2020 term.
Please contact the appropriate admissions consultant for individualized guidance:
- School of Graduate Studies: Lorena Marzitelli
- Faculty of Arts and Science: Ayanna Ryan
- Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science: Martine Fachena
- John Molson School of Business: Beth McKenna
- Faculty of Fine Arts: Heather Gagnon
To defer admission, refer to your official Letter of Admission for instruction or contact your program directly. Should you defer your Fall 2020 admission start date to the Winter 2021 term, your graduate award will also be deferred to the Winter 2021 term. Please refer to the Awards and Funding section, Q.2, for additional details.
Language testing
Should you experience difficulties registering for English language proficiency tests like IELTS or TOEFL, please note that we are now accepting the Duolingo English Test, which does not require visiting a test centre. See more information.
If you have registered for an English language test, please upload your registration confirmation to your Student Centre so that we can anticipate your results. Under DOCUMENT TYPE, select NOTE FROM STUDENT.
International students
Below are questions for international students specific to graduate studies.
International students should also refer to Concordia’s International Student FAQs and the International Student Office (ISO) for additional information and updates.
Awards will be deposited in your Concordia account, and applied toward any outstanding balance of tuition fees. You will be able to withdraw any balance once you have arrived in Montreal with proper immigration documents.
International tuition fee waivers will be applied toward your tuition fees as per normal.
Teaching and Research Assistants working remotely from outside Canada will receive payment into their student accounts in the form of a bursary, twice during the fall term, with tuition fees withdrawn automatically.
Funds will be available for withdrawal once you arrive in Montreal and provide the appropriate documentation to the International Students Office (ISO). Please note that students are responsible for abiding by the tax regulations of their country of residence.
Returning TAs and RAs will be paid in the same way as they were before.
Refer to the International Student Office (ISO) FAQs to learn which documentation may be needed in order to gain entry into Canada. Please also note that the disbursement of related research stipends or bursary awards is the decision of your supervisor.
Winter 2020 term
Academic standing reports for the Winter 2020 and Summer 2020 terms will be run early in the Fall 2020 term following the DNE deadline. Given the late changes for the Pass/Fail and DISC activities in May 2020, it was decided to run both terms sequentially.
If your graduation was planned for Winter 2020 but delayed by the Covid-19 crisis, you will not have to pay Continuation fees for the Summer 2020 term. Please submit a service request under Miscellaneous and include an explanation on how Covid-19 has affected your schedule. Please visit to your Student Centre to see how to submit a service request. Continuation fees that are not related to the Winter 2020 COVID crisis will have to be paid per usual from Summer 2020 onward.
Time Limit Extension requests will be processed per usual. Go to your Student Centre to see how to submit a service request. Fee waivers for a one-term Time Limit extension into the Summer 2020 term was allowed for those students whose Time Limit was at the end of the Winter 2020 but were unexpectedly delayed by the Covid-19 crisis. However, Time Limit Extension fees for TLE requests not related to the Winter 2020 COVID crisis will have to be paid per usual from Summer 2020 onward.
Pass/Fail
Due to the challenging conditions caused by the pandemic, Concordia allowed students to choose either to receive a PASS/FAIL or a letter grade for courses completed in the Winter 2020 semester only. In addition, students who failed a class in the Winter 2020 semester will eventually receive a DISC notation. This includes courses that spanned the Fall/Winter 2020 terms.
A student’s decision, once submitted to the university, is irrevocable.
In all cases where students select a Pass or Fail (DISC) over a letter grade, it will not be included in the calculation of any GPA. In addition, Concordia transcripts will highlight the particular circumstances of this semester. However, students should consider that under certain circumstances, a letter grade may be more advantageous than a pass.
If your grade was not available by the May 15 deadline, you can submit a Service Request via your Student Service Center within two weeks of receiving your grade. Be sure to state that your grade was not available by the deadline and include the date it was available. Your request will be reviewed by your Graduate Program Director (GPD) and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for approval.
Timed online final exams
A “timed online exam” refers to a final exam, taking place during the exam period, that must be written in one sitting over no more than a three-hour time period, proctored or not. Other final assignments including take-home exams – even if these have a specific time duration – projects or quizzes, do not fall under these guidelines.
Awards and funding
As part of preventive measures, approval for conference-related travel is currently suspended. However, the Concordia University Conference and Exposition Award remains available for virtual conferences. Eligible applicants should include registration fees when submitting their applications. Fees associated with travel or accommodations will not be considered. The process for submitting conference award applications remains the same, and applications must be submitted prior to the virtual conference.
For students whose conference and exposition award was approved by the School of Graduate Studies prior to the pandemic, we confirm that the reimbursement of non-refundable travel fees for the conference will be honoured.
Please contact the Internal Awards Advisor for information regarding such reimbursement and/or if you have questions or concerns regarding your conference award.
If you are a newly admitted student with a registration in your graduate program for the Fall 2020 term, and you are a recipient of a graduate award, then all payments will be disbursed to your student account. The disbursement will occur five working days after the Fall DNE deadline date.
However, if you are an international student studying remotely due to the Covid-19 travelling restrictions, your award(s) will be deposited in your Concordia account, and applied toward any outstanding balance of tuition fees. You will be able to withdraw any balance once you have arrived in Montreal with proper immigration documents. Be sure to reference the International Student Office FAQs for more information.
If you are a recipient of the Concordia International Tuition Award of Excellence, the fee waiver will be applied toward your tuition fees as per normal.
Should you have to defer your Fall 2020 admission start date to the Winter 2021 term, your graduate award will also be deferred to the Winter 2021 terms and you will not lose it.
The Provincial and Federal Fall 2020 competitions are now open. To learn about the deadlines and application process associated with each of the above competitions, please consult our chart of Funding Sources.
FRQ awards: FRQ has confirmed that they require official transcripts as part of their scholarship applications. Students applying for FRQ scholarships should submit their request for their official transcript as quickly as possible in order to meet the agency deadline date. Official transcripts are mailed in sealed envelopes.
In rare instances due to difficulties relating to the pandemic, an unofficial transcript along with a cover letter (letterhead with Registrar’s signature) will be accepted by FRQ in lieu of official transcripts. To request a copy of the unofficial transcripts from Birks, you must send an email directly to students@concordia.ca
Tri-Agency awards: An unofficial transcript along with a cover letter (letterhead with Registrar’s signature) will be accepted by the tri-agencies (CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC) in lieu of official transcripts. To request a copy of the unofficial Concordia transcripts from Birks, you must send an email directly to students@concordia.ca. Order your electronic unofficial transcripts from Birks Student Service Centre as early as possible.
In light of the pandemic, the Graduate Community Building Fund has been temporarily replaced by the Graduate Community Support Fund. If you have an active application or funded project under the Building Fund, or if the scope of your project/event has changed, please communicate with Racha Cheikh-Ibrahim.
Please note that the temporary Support Fund is accepting projects that either support the graduate community with adaptation to the Covid-19 environment or allow our graduate students to offer their services to the Montreal community. For more information, visit the Graduate Community Building Fund page.
Postdoctoral fellows
New and prospective postdoctoral fellows
If you have received a postdoctoral appointment and cannot enter Canada due to preventative measures relating to Covid-19, please be assured that your contract is still honoured by Concordia University.
Once we have received the next directives by the government of Canada, (if necessary) your appointment letter will be amended to reflect the length of the original appointment and the required documents will be issued to extend your visa.
Based on the new directives received from the federal and provincial governments, new international postdoctoral appointments may be appointed should their work/research be considered "essential services". Postdoctoral appointments that are deemed essential services are exempted from the border restrictions and are allowed entry to Canada. Essential service is defined by the projects which require research labs or studios, and where postdocs are needed physically in those spaces to meet the requirements of their program or project. For more information regarding immigration, please visit the International Student Office (ISO) FAQs.
Due to preventative measures relating to Covid-19, all other postdoctoral appointments for all foreign nationals that are not deemed an essential service are suspended until further notice. We encourage you to postpone your plans and connect with your prospective supervisor to discuss your next steps.
Postdoctoral fellows will continue to be paid as per the terms of the postdoctoral contract.
All research labs are currently opened. Please consult with your supervisor to determine if, when and how you may access your lab.
You are encouraged to contact the Postdoctoral Coordinator, who will liaise with the Office of Research to assess projects on a case by case basis.
International students who obtain(ed) their PhD from a Canadian University are eligible for the Open Work Permit, which is different from the traditional work permit. For these cases, international students may start a postdoctoral appointment using their study permit while their Open Work Permit is being processed.
Based on the new directives received from the federal and provincial governments, new international postdoctoral appointments may be appointed should their work/research be considered "essential services". Postdoctoral appointments that are deemed essential services are exempted from the border restrictions and are allowed entry to Canada. Essential service is defined by the projects which require research labs or studios, and where postdocs are needed physically in those spaces to meet the requirements of their program or project. For more information regarding immigration, please visit the International Student Office (ISO) FAQs.
Due to preventative measures relating to Covid-19, all other postdoctoral appointments for all foreign nationals that are not deemed essential service are suspended until further notice. We encourage you to postpone your plans and connect with your prospective supervisor to discuss your next steps.
Thesis defences
For the foreseeable future, Concordia University is having oral thesis defences conducted remotely via videoconferencing using the Zoom software application.
Master’s defences will also proceed remotely by Zoom videoconferencing using the above procedures. The organization and administration of Master’s defences will still be handled by the graduate programs and not by the Thesis Office. Please note that the new calendar regulation removing the mandatory requirement for master’s thesis oral defences comes into effect in Fall 2020: Graduate Programs may or may not require an oral defence as part of their master’s degree requirement. Please consult with your Graduate Program to find out if you will be required to have an oral defence as part of your master’s studies from Fall 2020 onward. Graduate Programs are still required to submit all pertinent documents to the Thesis Office.
Remote thesis defences will be conducted until further notice. The School of Graduate Studies will send out a clear university-wide message should this policy change.
Students should make their initial thesis submissions per normal procedures. Examining committee members should submit their reports in advance per normal procedures. All participants in thesis defence will receive detailed instructions, well in advance, on how to join via teleconferencing. Travel arrangements for the external examiner should not be made to attend thesis defences in person.
Current thesis submission deadlines will be maintained.
Running a thesis defence using Zoom
Supervisors of PhD candidates will be responsible for setting up the Zoom meetings with the invitees. Visit the following link: https://concordia-ca.zoom.us/. Supervisors will enrol with their @concordia.ca email, create a web conference, share it with their student, external examiner, internal examiners and chairperson. We strongly suggest that supervisors run a simulation before the real defence session.
If a supervisor encounters technical difficulties in setting up a Zoom session, they should directly contact IITS for further support. In the event that a defence cannot go ahead due to unresolvable technical difficulties, the defence will need to be postponed and rescheduled at a later date. The chairperson is responsible for making the final decision to postpone the defence should unsurmountable technical difficulties be encountered.
The supervisor will invite the PhD candidate, the external examiner, the other members of the examining committee, and the defence chair. Supervisors should make sure that they have email addresses for all attendees in advance of the session in order to invite them through Zoom.
At the present time, the School of Graduate Studies strongly recommends not to invite anyone other than the active participants in the defence. This will avoid putting undue stress on the system, enhance security, and will ensure that the session goes smoothly.
No. Only the supervisor needs a Zoom license. A site license has been procured and individual licenses are not necessary. If a supervisor experiences difficulties, they should contact IITS directly for support.
We recommend that all examiners forward their questions via email to the chair of the defence prior to the event. We also recommend that other means of communication such as Skype and phone contacts are exchanged. Every attempt should be made to resolve the situation within a reasonable period of time (e.g. 15-30 minutes). We also recommend that the defence continue without at most one examiner (other than the chair or the supervisor). In such an event the chair can act as a delegate and ask the questions on behalf of the absent examiner. If the remote defence cannot proceed because Examining Committee quorum has not been achieved, then the remote defence must be postponed and rescheduled (see above).
After the defence
Please ensure that all relevant forms have been signed digitally (you can sign on behalf of all examining committee members) and then send all relevant completed documents electronically (via email) to the Thesis Office.
Electronic signatures (i.e., scanned copies of signatures) are acceptable, and the defence chair can sign electronically on behalf of all examining committee members. For the signature page in particular, the chair can sign for all of the examiners, manually and email a scanned copy to the Thesis Office. This can also be done for the committee rankings of the thesis and oral defence.
Lab access
Individuals coming to campus are required to complete a 20-minute EHS training course (via Moodle) about the new health and safety measures.
Individuals with permission to return to campus will be required to complete an online self-evaluation form concerning their health and recent travels. If your lab is on the approved list for re-opening, details will be sent to you.
For more information about access to labs, refer to the Research FAQs.
Additional resources
The university has created a form for students, faculty, and staff to request IT equipment while campuses are closed. Please note that this request does not guarantee availability of equipment as stock is limited.
Please use it to submit your request to borrow a computer, webcam or microphone if you are:
- A student enrolled in a winter term class without access to a computer
- A professor teaching a course without access to a computer, microphone or webcam
- A staff member whose supervisor has approved a request to borrow a computer to work from home
Useful links
If you have questions that are not addressed by the FAQs, please contact covid19info@concordia.ca.
