The Arts & Science Program stresses active, self-directed, and cooperative interdisciplinary learning with an emphasis on social awareness. A hallmark of the program is its engaged and supportive community, which draws together people with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests, and thrives on the open exchange, development, and refinement of ideas.
As part of our ongoing efforts to contribute to equity and grow and support the diversity of the program community, we are proud to introduce a Facilitated Admissions Process for Indigenous applicants. This process aims to acknowledge and account to some degree for the systemic inequities and barriers or challenges Indigenous learners can face when pursuing postsecondary education. It also seeks to create a community of Indigenous learners within the Arts & Science program, and thus ultimately to enhance the Arts & Science community of learning.
About the Facilitated Admissions Process
The Facilitated Admissions Process creates additional spaces within the Arts & Science program for Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) applicants who meet the program’s academic requirements and other application criteria. This is an optional process; if you identify as Indigenous, you are not required to opt in to the process to be considered for admission, though you are welcome to do so.
If you elect to use this process, you must apply to the Arts & Science program via the Ontario University Application Centre and complete the standard Supplementary Application. The Supplementary Application will provide all applicants with the opportunity to indicate if they wish to participate in the Facilitated Admissions Process for Indigenous Applicants. Applicants who elect to participate are required to complete the McMaster Indigenous Ancestry Verification process.
Through the Facilitated Admissions Process, offers of admission will be made to Indigenous applicants who receive the required minimum supplementary application score or higher, have a grade point average at or above the 88% cut off (including required courses), and have been confirmed as eligible through the McMaster University Indigenous Ancestry Verification process. The process does not involve quotas, and admission is not guaranteed for applicants who opt in. Individuals opting in to this process must meet the same academic requirements as all other applicants, and complete the same Supplementary Application.
The Facilitated Admissions Process was developed in consultation with Arts & Science faculty, staff, students, and alumni, as well as the Equity and Inclusion Office, the Indigenous Education Council, and Indigenous Student Services at McMaster University.
How to Apply via the Facilitated Admission Process
- Individuals applying through the Facilitated Admission Process must meet the same academic requirements as all other applicants, and complete the same supplementary application.
- Applicants who wish to be considered through this process should apply to the Arts & Science Program as per the standard process. Visit the Indigenous Student Services Admission Support website for application support, and/or contact Shelley Anderson (anderso@mcmaster.ca) in the Arts & Science Program Office.
- Students applying via the Facilitated Admissions Process should submit their Supplementary Application following the usual procedures (instructions here). The Supplementary Application will provide all applicants with the opportunity to indicate if they wish to participate in the Facilitated Admissions Process if they are eligible. If you are Indigenous and would like to participate in the process, please opt in using this question.
- Like all other applications, those submitted via the Facilitated Admissions Process will be considered by members of the Arts & Science Application Review Committee, who will have received equity-relevant training. One or more Indigenous readers will also review supplementary applications submitted by applicants who have opted into the Facilitated Admissions Process.
If you have any questions about your application through the Facilitated Admissions Process, please contact Dr. Beth Marquis (beth.marquis@mcmaster.ca).
FAQs about the Arts & Science Facilitated Admission Process
Anyone who is Indigenous, meets the admission requirements, and has been confirmed as eligible through the McMaster University Indigenous Ancestry Verification process can opt in. As stated in the guidelines developed by the Indigenous Education Council, “for the purposes of Indigenous Ancestry Verification at McMaster University, the term ‘Indigenous’ encompasses First Nation, Métis, or Inuit individuals. Additionally, this definition extends to include the U.S. context, encompassing American Indians/Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.”
Responses to the question asking about participation in the Facilitated Admissions Process will be removed from the supplementary application, along with other directly identifying information, before the application is assessed. However, Arts & Science administrative staff/faculty will have access to this information and the Indigenous reader(s) will be aware the supplementary applications they review are of applicants who opted into the process.
Only members of the university’s Indigenous Ancestry Verification Committee will have access to documentation submitted by applicants to support Indigenous ancestry verification. This information will only be used to confirm applicants’ eligibility to participate in the Facilitated Admissions Process. Following verification, a committee representative will confirm with the Director of the Arts & Science program whether the applicant is eligible or not. No one in the Arts & Science Program will have direct access to ancestry verification documentation provided by applicants.
Further information about McMaster’s Indigenous Ancestry Verification process, which was developed by a committee led by Indigenous people via the Indigenous Education Council, can be found in this Daily News Story. You may also wish to review the Guidelines developed by the committee and published in 2024.
The process seeks to acknowledge and mitigate where possible the systemic and structural barriers to postsecondary education experienced by Indigenous learners. It was developed in line with recommendations from and with the support of the university’s Indigenous Education Council.
We hope that this process will help to further enhance the Arts & Science community of learning by providing a mechanism to work intentionally toward increasing the number of Indigenous students in the program.
A separate Arts & Science Equitable Admissions Process for students who identify as Black and/or Latin American/Latinx was introduced in Fall 2024. Read more about the Arts & Science Equitable Admissions Process for Black and/or Latin American/Latinx Applicants
Indigenous Student Services (ISS) provides a safe and welcoming space for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit learners, featuring a student lounge, study space, ceremonial room, kitchen, medicine garden, and outdoor gathering space.
Supports offered through ISS include:
- Admissions and transition support for incoming students
- Academic support and advocacy
- Financial literacy and support, including scholarships/bursaries/awards
- Wellness counselling and Elders in Residence/Traditional Knowledge Keepers programming
- Social and cultural activities
- Indigenous Student Groups – Cooperative of Indigenous Students, Studies, and Alumni (CISSA), McMaster Indigenous Graduate Students (MIGS), Indigenous Student Athlete Council (ISAC), Indigenous Health Movement (IHM), and the American Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
Contact Indigenous Student Services:
Website: indigservices.mcmaster.ca/
Email: indigssa@mcmaster.ca
Instagram: @macindigenousss