Canadian Medical School Waitlist and Offers 2027

Canadian Medical School Waitlist and Offers 2027

At six of the 10 Canadian MD programs below, first offers come in May: McMaster and NOSM send results on the second Tuesday in May (May 11, 2027 by our count), and Toronto starts in the "2nd week of May". Toronto and Western keep waitlists open until classes begin, and the four schools that address position (Toronto, NOSM, Western and Queen's) will not tell you yours.

That second fact settles what to do in June. Waitlist-movement guesses online rest on numbers the schools say they will not release. The useful work, if you are waitlisted or refused, is a reapplication plan you can start now and drop if an offer comes.

Every school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Calgary's dates are from its 2025-2026 cycle page; that row says so.

Offer dates and waitlists at 10 schools

Our arithmetic: May 2027 starts on a Saturday, so its second Tuesday is May 11, 2027. Ontario's common OMSAS dates page blocked our fetcher, so the Ontario dates above are the schools' own words.

How Canadian waitlists move

Toronto describes the mechanism most fully: "When a space in the class becomes available, we contact the next person on the waitlist with an offer of admission. We will make repeated attempts to contact applicants from the waitlist who are being offered admission - we do not skip your name simply because we got your voicemail." It adds: "Since we cannot predict how many additional offers may be necessary, or when they may be needed, we maintain a portion of the waitlist until the beginning of classes."

Western's waitlist "will remain open until the start of the MD program". Queen's says that "Once the class has been filled, an email will be sent to applicants remaining on the waitlist." NOSM keeps "a short wait list for additional offers" because "Some applicants who are offered admission do not accept their offer."

Three things follow from these pages:

• Movement depends on other people declining. Only the schools see that, and they say so.
• Stay reachable all summer. Toronto calls repeatedly; Western makes waitlist offers "by phone". Western lets you designate "an Authorized Contact to receive information and/or to speak on their behalf" if you may be unreachable. Toronto says to keep "your contact information up-to-date with OMSAS".
• Starting a graduate program can end your MD file at Toronto. "As long as you have not begun your graduate program you may still receive an offer to the MD Program."

One date to recheck: McMaster's page says its 2027 classes start "MONDAY, AUGUST 07, 2027" and marks it "Subject to approval". August 7, 2027 is a Saturday. One of the two is wrong; watch for a correction if you are on McMaster's waitlist.

What to ask, and what not to

Every school in the table that addresses position says it will not disclose it. Toronto: "It is our policy not to disclose an applicant's position on the waitlist." So do not email to ask your rank. You can still:

• confirm your contact details are current in OMSAS and in each school's portal
• accept or decline a waitlist place where the school asks you to; Memorial requires this "through their student account"
• tell a school you are withdrawing from its waitlist once you accept elsewhere, so the place moves to someone else

What schools say about other post-interview contact, including Queen's and Ottawa's no-contact rules, is on our page on letters after a UK or Canadian medicine interview. If you also hold US waitlist places, those schools publish different rules; our guide on how to ask a medical school about your waitlist spot covers them.

Our view: once May offers are out and you are waitlisted or refused, spend June on the reapplication, not on waitlist rumours. The Canadian pages give you no position to track, but they do give you the next cycle's rules. The countercase: if you are waitlisted at Toronto or Western, a call can come any time until classes start. Keep your phone on and your plans movable, and do the reapplication work anyway, ready to drop it.

If you are refused: the reapply plan

Work through these in order in June and July.

1. Ask what feedback exists, and only where it exists. Memorial says applicants not offered a place "have the option to make an appointment for feedback on their application". Toronto, McMaster and Ottawa say they do not give individual feedback. Alberta points you to your "feedback letter".
2. Check review rights and their deadlines. McMaster: a review request "within one week of receiving the decision". Western: a decision review "based on new and significant information".
3. Check whether you can still apply. Ottawa: "candidates who have previously completed 3 interviews for the University of Ottawa MD Program are no longer eligible for consideration."
4. Plan to resubmit everything. Queen's: "Applicants who have applied previously must resubmit all application requirements each cycle to be considered." It also warns that "requirements from previous years may not apply".
5. Book Casper again. Memorial says results "are valid for only one admissions cycle", Dalhousie says "CASPer test scores are valid for one application cycle only", and Queen's expects previous test takers "to re-take it". Our Casper test examples show the typed and video format.
6. Check changed prerequisites. Saskatchewan says that from the 2027 application cycle (admission in 2028), two certificate courses "will no longer fulfill the Indigenous Studies prerequisite".
7. Rebuild your ABS entries. Add what you did this year, and rewrite any entry that only lists duties. The OMSAS autobiographical sketch guide covers the rules, the OMSAS ABS examples show the point-form style, and the OMSAS deadline work-back plan sets the schedule.
8. Practice the interview format you will face again. The Canadian medical school interview formats table lists each school's; Toronto's is covered in our Toronto MPI guide.

Questions about Canadian medical school waitlists

When do Ontario medical schools send offers for 2027?

McMaster and NOSM on the second Tuesday in May, which is May 11, 2027. Toronto in the "2nd week of May". Western in "early May". Queen's in May for its general stream.

How long does the U of T medicine waitlist last?

Until classes start. Toronto keeps "a portion of the waitlist until the beginning of classes" and sends final notice "at the end of August".

Will a Canadian school tell me my waitlist position?

No. Toronto, NOSM, Western and Queen's say directly that they will not; the other pages we checked do not address it.

Can I appeal a Canadian medical school rejection?

McMaster has no appeal, but allows a written review request within one week of the decision. Western allows a decision review based on "new and significant information". Ottawa says "Admission decisions are final and cannot be appealed."

Do I need to retake Casper if I reapply?

At Memorial, Dalhousie and Queen's, yes: their pages say results are valid for one cycle.

Review the writing you send next

Get a free Quick Review of your ABS entry descriptions before you resubmit; your autobiographical sketch is the document to rebuild first. GradPilot's OMSAS ABS rubric checks that each entry makes your part identifiable, keeps its claims verifiable and bounded, and fits its field. More guides are on the medical school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026.

• University of Toronto MD Program, Interviews & Offers FAQ (no year stated): offer timing, waitlist mechanics, non-disclosure, graduate-program rule, contact updates.
• McMaster University UGME, After You Apply (2027 entry): result date, feedback, review request, 2027 start date.
• NOSM University, Selection Process & Offers of Admission (2027 interview cycle): offer date, short waitlist, non-disclosure.
• Western University Schulich Medicine, Admission requirements and FAQ (no year stated): offers, phone waitlist offers, confidentiality, decision review, Authorized Contact.
• Queen's University School of Medicine, Offers and Deferrals and Eligibility and Application Process (current cycle): offers, waitlist, resubmission, Casper retake.
• McGill University, Key dates (Fall 2027 entry): offer target date.
• Memorial University Faculty of Medicine, Selection and Casper (2026-2027 cycle): offer pools, student account, feedback appointment, Casper validity.
• University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Application timeline (2025-2026 cycle): decision and waitlist timing.
• University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Application process (2027 admission cycle): feedback, appeals, three-interview limit.
• University of Alberta MD Program, Admissions FAQ (no year stated): feedback letter.
• Dalhousie Medicine, Application process (2025/2026 cycle wording): Casper validity.
• University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, How to apply (2026 and 2027 cycles): Indigenous studies prerequisite change.
• Not retrieved: OUAC OMSAS dates page (HTTP 403). Nothing from it is quoted.