FAQs relating to graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowships
The School of Graduate Studies offers guidance and services to students, staff and faculty. Below are answers to commonly asked questions relating to graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowships.
Information regarding program curriculum information and academic regulations can be found in the Graduate Calendar. Students with questions specific to their program or progress should contact their graduate program director or assistant. Peer support and networking opportunities are available through GradProSkills and Student Services. We also remind students that mental and physical health support is available.
Please note that this page will be updated continuously.
Fall 2021 term
Our plan for fall course delivery will be announced in May. Given the current outlook, Concordia will be offering a combination of in-person and online learning in the fall, and student life is expected to return to campus under certain health and safety conditions.
Graduate admissions
School of Graduate Studies Admissions Statement
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world in a few short months. 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.
Concordia acknowledges the need for adaptation in unprecedented times and supports more flexible admissions policies. 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, 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.
Many programs have extended their confirmation deadlines. Contact your Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) for information.
Please contact the appropriate admissions consultant for individualized guidance.
To defer admission, refer to your official Letter of Admission for instruction or contact your program directly. Should you defer, your graduate award will also defer. 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.
If you are not currently in Montreal, we encourage you to prepare to be in Montreal for the fall 2021 term. We anticipate that provincial regulations will require that international students be physically in Quebec; therefore we advise you to start preparing your immigration paperwork, if you have not already done so. For details and important updates, refer to the International Students Office FAQs
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.
Academic accommodations for Fall 2020/Winter 2021
Due to the challenging conditions caused by the pandemic, Concordia will allow students to convert a letter grade to PASS for ONE course completed in the Fall 2020 term. Students will similarly be able to convert ONE letter grade to PASS in the Winter 2021 term. Please note that eligible 6-credit courses spanning two terms will count as TWO PASS grade conversions (one conversion per term). Eligible courses spanning two terms that are worth only 3 or 4 credits will only count as ONE PASS grade conversion for the term in which the grade is submitted (i.e. Winter 2021 for a 2-term Fall-Winter course).
- The form to request a PASS notation will be available on May 10, 2021, once the final grades are in.
- Log into MyConcordia.ca and go to your Student Centre. Within “Academics” section, you will see “Winter 2021 students: Request a PASS”.
- Once a student selects a PASS, the decision is final and cannot be reversed.
- The deadline to request a PASS notation is May 26, 2021 at 5 p.m. EST. If a student does not request a PASS notation by this date, the assigned grades will remain. For course grades not posted by May 26, please see point #6 below.
- Students may not retroactively choose a PASS notation for courses they dropped (DISC) earlier in the semester.
- Please note that grades received as Academic Code sanctions will not be eligible for conversion to PASS.
Students who received eligible ‘F’ grades for courses in Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 will eventually receive a DISC notation for those courses. This includes courses that span the Fall/Winter 2021 terms. Please note that ‘F’ grades received as Academic Code sanctions will not be eligible for conversion to DISC.
No, Graduate students in Qualifying Programs (QP) are reminded that a grade of B or better is required to PASS a QP course (See Qualifying Program B- Rule). If you are in a QP course and request a PASS notation for a failing grade in your QP course (B- or worse), please be advised that this PASS notation will eventually be reverted to your original failing grade.
Below are graduate courses that are NOT eligible for PASS:
FTRA 517
FTRA 519
FTRA 520
FTRA 521
FTRA 522
FTRA 526
FTRA 617
FTRA 619
FTRA 620
FTRA 621
FTRA 642
FTRA 646
HUMA 889
PSYC 701
PSYC 704
PSYC 714
PSYC 724
PSYC 725
PSYC 734
PSYC 801
PSYC 802
PSYC 835
PSYC 836
PSYC 837
THEO 604
THEO 643
Refer to this list of undergraduate courses that are NOT eligible for PASS.
If your grade is not available by the May 26, 2021 deadline, you can submit a Service Request via the Student Service Centre 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.
The School of Graduate Studies will permit students to write final exams or submit major assignments at a later date if necessary. You will need to submit a written request for deferral to your course instructor, GPD and GPA. This request must include a justification for deferral. Admissible reasons for a deferred exam, extension, or IP notation include:
- a serious illness or injury
- a recent death in your immediate family
- unexpectedly assuming responsibility of an immediate family member due to serious illness
- religious conflict (where alternate exam does not meet the needs)
- time zone difference – online exam taking place outside normal examination hours (9h00-22h00 EST)
- not having the appropriate technology (webcam, microphone, computer, internet connection, Chrome)
- not having a private space within which to write an exam
- responsible for children or other dependents who cannot be left unattended during exam
- lost connectivity or encountered technical difficulty during exam (without completion of the exam)
- intrusion into your examination space
For final exams in courses that cannot be coded as DEF, an In Progress (IP) notation must be requested (see below).
You may request an IP (In Progress) notation from your instructor if you feel that COVID has caused delays in completion of relevant course components. During final letter grade entry, the instructor will assign an IP notation for the student, with the raw final grade indicated as appropriate (e.g. “B/IP”). The instructor will then inform the Graduate Program Director (GPD) or the Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) of this IP notation and request that the graduate program submit a Service Request (SR) to the School of Graduate Studies to have the IP grade converted to In-Progress (IPM). The SR must include:
- a date when the IPM will be converted to a letter grade,
- indicate how the student will be assessed at the indicated date (e.g. written final exam at a future sitting, alternate assignment, etc.)
- Note: if the assessment will be a final exam written at a later date (For example, in the exam period of the following term), the indicated IPM date should be one week after the date of such an exam.
IP grades are entered if a supplemental exam or alternative coursework can be completed by early May. IP grades will be automatically converted on May 26. If you are planning to graduate in May 2021, it’s important that you complete your Winter 2021 coursework and assessments before May 26.
No, students cannot request a PASS or receive a DISC on any courses marked IP, IPE, IPM, or IPL.
You are allowed to delay their comprehensive examinations and research proposal examinations if you currently feel unready to write them. You should notify their supervisors and graduate programs in writing in advance if you choose to delay such exams. The School of Graduate Studies also encourages you to discuss your situation in advance with your supervisor and GPD if you feel you must delay these exams.
After you’ve requested a PASS in your Student Centre, it will take approximately one hour for the PASS notation to appear on your transcript.
In all cases where students select a PASS over a letter grade, it will not be included in the calculation of any GPA. However, students should consider that under certain circumstances, a letter grade may be more advantageous than a PASS; such circumstances may include scholarship applications, pre-requisite courses, Qualifying Program courses, etc.
Requests for time limit extensions (TLE) that are made for reasons related to COVID-19 will be automatically approved by the School of Graduate Studies on a term-by-term basis. When submitting your TLE service request, include a brief justification explaining how the pandemic has delayed your ongoing studies. Fees for Time Limit Extensions remain in effect, as do continuation fees, throughout the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms.
You may still apply to graduate in the Spring Convocation if you are requesting a PASS. If you DISC a course that you need in order to graduate, you will not be able to graduate.
Examinations
Comprehensive examinations can proceed in-person only if the student and all other participants in the examination are willing and able to attend in person. If unanimous agreement for the comprehensive to be held in-person cannot be reached, then the examination will be held online or postponed per our current procedures.
Arrangements for in-person comprehensives are handled by the graduate program.
Bookings may be made via the space reservation page and should be done at least two weeks in advance of the examination to make sure that space is available.
Note that all participants must follow EH&S procedures and complete the One-Time Access form available through the MyConcordia portal.
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 Summer 2021 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 Summer 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 Summer 2021 admission start date to the Fall 2021 term, your graduate award will also be deferred to the Fall 2021 term and you will not lose it.
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
Visit the Thesis Office for information about all other matters relating to thesis submission and defence.
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.
Library access
Please refer to the Library's Covid-19 page
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.
