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The Admissions Committee recognizes the critical shortage of Indigenous physicians in Canada and the need for more Indigenous physicians to address the healthcare needs of Indigenous people and serve as role models for medical learners.
The Committee has developed an alternative process for assessing Indigenous candidates. We have reserved a minimum of 4 seats for qualified Indigenous applicants per year to the MD Kingston Campus program by this alternative process.
Candidates interested in the MDFM can also apply through this pathway and indicate that the Lakeridge program is their first choice. There are no set seats for Indigenous applicants at the Lakeridge campus.
Applicants applying to this pathway must provide proof of ancestry and submit a supplementary personal essay in the School Submissions section of their OMSAS application. If you have Indigenous ancestry but are early in your journey connecting with your culture, you are encouraged to reflect on whether this is the most appropriate path for you to take for medical school admission.
If an applicant wishes to be considered through the Indigenous Student Admissions Pathway (ISAP), they must apply through OMSAS, indicate that they are applying as an Indigenous applicant under ISAP for Queen’s University, and submit the following documentation along with all other application requirements using the appropriate method to OMSAS by the application deadline:
1. A separate letter addressed to the MD Admissions Committee, in which you (in the following order):
- State your name and request consideration under the Indigenous Student Admissions Pathway.
- Declare your Indigenous ancestry and give specific information about your First Nation, Treaty, Indigenous community, or Indigenous organizational affiliation.
- Expand on your academic and personal background.
- Discuss how you are culturally connected to your Indigenous community.
- Describe how your lived experiences as a member of Indigenous communities influenced your personal growth, educational path and desire to pursue a career in medicine
- Provide a verifier who would be able to confirm how you are connected to your Indigenous community. The verifier must be from the community in which you claim membership.
- Please identify the verifier in your letter, their connection to you, and their role in the Indigenous community. Include the following information for your verifier at the end of your letter:
- Name
- Email
- Phone
- Address
- Community/Organization/Position
When selecting your verifier consider the following:
- The verifier must be from the community in which you claim membership.
- This individual should be able to speak to your Indigenous community involvement and how you stay connected to your culture.
- Applicants should choose an individual who has more than a casual relationship with them and can provide an unbiased evaluation.
- Avoid verifiers who are family members, family friends, or personal friends as we require objective referees and we do not consider these individuals objective. Do not select immediate family members such as parents or siblings, including but not limited to adoptive family members. This will deem your ISAP application incomplete. If the verifier is someone who may be called into question, ensure any kinship is clearly defined in the letter and your reason for using them versus someone else. For example, stating they are a family member or distant family member and you had no one else does not suffice. Exact relationship descriptors and a thorough explanation for using them are required.
- It is your responsibility to notify their verifier that the Admissions Office may contact them at any time to request verification, including asking them for evaluations or letters of support. Non-verifiable activities could adversely impact your file assessment.
- Letter Format:
- The letter must be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and have a minimum 1-inch page margin.
- Maximum 2 pages.
Your essay will not be scored, but it will assist in determining your suitability under this stream.
2. Proof of Indigenous Ancestry
You must submit 1 of the following proof of ancestry options:
- Indian status cards from First Nations that are federally recognized and those listed on the Indigenous & Northern Affairs Canada. You must also provide an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the membership/enrolment officer for the applicable Indigenous community with their seal indicating their current citizenship. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- Métis Nation Citizenship card from one of the four provincial affiliates (Métis Nation of Ontario including "complete citizenship" confirmation letter from the MNO Registrar, Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation British Columbia); or a valid membership card from one of the Metis Settlements of Alberta, the Northwest Territories Métis Nation, or the Manitoba Métis Federation. You must also provide an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the membership/enrolment officer of an accepted Métis provincial affiliate/settlement with their seal indicating their current citizenship status. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- Nunavut Trust Certificate card or Inuit Enrollment card associated with one of the Land Claim Agreements in the claim regions of Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and Inuvialuit. You must also provide an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the membership/enrolment officer for the applicable Indigenous community with their seal indicating their current citizenship. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- Citizenship identification issued by a First Nation that has a modern Treaty and/or self-government agreement. You must also provide an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the membership/enrolment officer for applicable Indigenous community with their seal indicating their current citizenship. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- Membership card or other documentation indicating that the person is a Non-Status First Nation person who is a member of an Indigenous organization negotiating a treaty or other agreement with the federal and/or provincial governments. You must also provide an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the membership/enrolment officer for the applicable Indigenous community with their seal indicating their current citizenship. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- If an applicant does not possess proof of the documentation listed above, he/she/they must submit all of the following to be reviewed for consideration:
- A statement about their existing lived experiences and ongoing relationship to a legally recognized and rights bearing1 Indigenous community, Nation, or People. This includes specific information about the First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community such as their treaty, scrip, land claim, and territory or region.
Letter Format:
- The letter must be in 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and have a minimum 1-inch page margin.
- Maximum 1 page.
- Provide their parents’ and/or grandparents’ status card (First Nations status, Métis, Nunavut Trust Certificate, or Inuit Enrollment Inuit card as indicated in the above points along with an official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) signed by the applicable First Nations band council membership officer or Inuit enrolment officer. In the case of Métis citizenship, you must provide a letter of citizenship signed by a recognized Métis Federation/Nation with their seal indicating their current citizenship. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
- The applicant’s long-form birth certificate or baptismal certificate. (Submitted documents must show the connection to the person with the status card.)
- Provide a letter issued by a recognized First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community claimed by the applicant confirming that the applicant is recognized as part of their community. This official letter (on the community’s official letterhead) must be signed by the applicable First Nations band council membership officer or Inuit enrolment officer. In the case of Métis citizenship, you must provide a letter of citizenship signed by membership/enrolment officer for the recognized Métis Federation/Nation with their seal indicating their current citizenship. These documents should be accompanied (if applicable) with Indigenous Services Canada Indian status registration forms. The letter must be from the community in which you claim membership and must be dated within one year of the application deadline.
1"Rights bearing" means that the Indigenous nation/collective has section 35 rights, which means Aboriginal or Treaty rights in their territory.
You must submit copies of both the front and back of your proof of ancestry document(s) if there is information on both sides of the document(s). Failure to do so will deem your ISAP request incomplete.
For applicants who meet the identity requirements, the Casper test is not required as part of the application process. The Admissions office will not pre-verify or vet identity documents as the requirements are clearly laid out. If an applicant is unsure if they qualify for the ISAP, we would recommend pursuing the CASPER test, as applications are not eligible for the general stream without the Casper results.
Applicants applying to the Indigenous Student Application Pathway are required to take the MCAT. While there is no minimum MCAT score required, it would be unusual for the committee to consider scores < 123 in each section, and the Admissions Committee may use general MCAT requirements as a point of reference during the holistic review process.
A priority will be made to have Indigenous community members assist with the review and interview for applicants qualifying under this pathway.
Applications will not be considered under the Indigenous Student Admissions Pathway unless all the instructions are followed, and the appropriate documents have been submitted by the application deadline. The application will instead be considered under the mainstream admissions pathway, provided all application pieces required for the mainstream application have been completed and submitted by the deadline (please note that Casper is required for the admissions process outside of the ISAP).
Applicants must meet minimum thresholds for GPA and MCAT as indicated under ISAP. If there are more applicants than available Queen’s University internal MMI evaluation spaces, all eligible ISAP applicants will be entered into a random selection process to determine eligibility to proceed to an internal MMI evaluation space and panel interview.
You will be considered for admission only if you are selected for an interview.
Additionally, Queen’s University has formal partnerships with the Community of Support and Mushkiki Miikaan, both of which offer free support and resources to prospective medical school applicants.
For recruitment events or Indigenous involvement on campus, please contact fd.recruiter@queensu.ca.
Additional Resources:
Applicants must apply through OMSAS.