Recommended for Admission?

[urbanaut]

Hi GradCaféers,

I got an informal email last week from a Program Director of an Masters program I applied to that read:

Dear So and So,

We are completing our admission reviewing process this week. I am happy to let you know that we are recommending to the Faculty Office for your admission to the programme in 2012-13.

Which was followed be a formal email this morning from the program coordinator in the department office that read:

Dear So and So,

We are pleased to inform you that we have made a recommendation for your admission to our programme. The Faculty and the University will vet your qualifications and submitted documents. If an offer is decided, an official reply will be mailed to you by the end of June.

Thanks again for your application.

All in all, it sounds like it's in the bag... but this is the first 'recommendation' I've received (the other acceptances have been outright). Any insight from people who have been through this, or have some knowledge of it, would be appreciated. This was sent to me from my top choice school.

Edited April 10, 2012 by urbanaut

[Ladril]

You are practically in. It is very unusual for a graduate school to turn you down after you have been recommended for admission by a department.

However, you should let them know you have other acceptances and their deadlines, just so that the notification of acceptance does not come after them. Also, offers of financial aid usually only come after being officially accepted by the graduate school.

My experience is more US than Canada, but I suppose it applies to your case.

EDIT: re-reading, I remembered you said this is your top choice. Congratulations! You're in. Funding may still be a concern, though, so you may want to remind them you have other offers so they don't delay too much.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Ladril

[TakeruK]

Is this for a Canadian school?

In almost all Canadian (and some US schools too), the department you are applying to does not officially have the power to admit students. Generally, you officially apply to the "Faculty of Graduate Studies" (or the "School of Graduate Studies") for admission into Department X at the school. Your application gets forwarded to Department X and they decide who they want to admit. Once they have decided on you, they send you the email you just received. However, the department will then have to forward your application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies to formally admit you.

This is just a formality, because almost 100% of the time, the requirements imposed by the Department is much much more strict than the University/Graduate Studies requirements. Think of the University requirements as the "minimum" to get in (sometimes it's like 67% average) while the Department requirements are the competitive ones that pick out the best candidate.

Unless there is a problem with your degree or your application, or if you don't actually finish your undergrad, you are basically accepted to the school. This extra step is also just in case a student misrepresented something on the application and they don't catch it until later.

Usually at this point ("recommended by Department"), your department should mail you a conditional offer letter with all the important details (funding, supervisor, etc.). Eventually you will have to send your official transcript to the University showing that you actually received your undergrad degree and then finally you will get the official, official letter!

[stell4]

I received a similar email that I was recommended to the graduate school. It took about a week and a half before I received my official acceptance from the school.

Congratulations! This sounds like very good news for you

[urbanaut]

Thanks to all for the feedback. I am a Canadian student and this was for a school abroad.

I followed up with the program coordinator to let them know that the end of June doesn't really work for me as I have other offers and need time to arrange a leave of absence at work... They said they'd process my application as quickly as possible, but that my qualifications need to be vetted prior to official letter of offer.

Wonder what they mean by qualifications being vetted... I provided them with a sealed transcript, letters of reference, statement of interest and CV...

[sansao]

Wonder what they mean by qualifications being vetted... I provided them with a sealed transcript, letters of reference, statement of interest and CV...

They need to verify your previous degree(s), and any other publications or research listed in your statement. It's just routine stuff, you've pretty much got it in the bag, but they have to make sure that you are who you say you are, and that you didn't falsify any information.

[urbanaut]

Well then that's good news! As long as it's a review of documentation and not a matter of a new set of eyes who have to make a secondary recommendation I feel a little more secure! It was all just a tad strange as I haven't had a similar experience applying domestically, so I found it somewhat disconcerting to have a 'vetting' that could take until late June...

[sansao]

I obviously can't say for certain, especially about international schools. From what I know from talking to professors and such, a recommendation is basically an admission, and the graduate department just verifies that you actually possess the qualifications you listed.