Pre-Master’s programs at The University of Winnipeg

As aPre-Master’s student youmust successfully finish a number of undergraduate courses with a minimum GPA in order to qualify for admission to the Master’s program.In other words, you must complete a qualifying year. Although you will bereferred to as a student in the Pre-Master’s program in the correspondenceyou will receive from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, there is no formal Pre-Master’s program at our University.

For your qualifying year, you will be admittedto The University as an Undergraduate student. As a result, you will receive two different acceptance letters from The University: one from Undergraduate Studies and one from Graduate Studies. The Undergraduate Studies acceptance letter contains two parts. Part 1 is a written letter informing you of your acceptance. Part 2 is a page of boxes which contains detailed information and will list your program of studies at the Undergraduate level as a degree which is 3 or 4 years in length.

Pre-Master’s students and Study Permit applications

The document, Applying for a Study Permit & Temporary Resident Visa (Outside of Canada) (available on the ISS website), provides instructions on how to submit a Study Permit application and the recommended documents. However, it only makes reference to one letter of acceptance. As a Pre-Master’s student, you received two letters of acceptance: one from Undergraduate Studies and one from Graduate Studies.

The Visa Officer evaluating your application must decide whether you area bona fide student. The Officer will be looking at whetheryour intention is genuine and confirmingyou willbe engaging in studies to further your knowledge. As a Pre-Master’s student,you have already completed an Undergraduate degree so if you submit only the Undergraduate letter of acceptance, it may be decided that you are not a genuine student and your Study Permit application may be refused. To help demonstrate you are a genuine student, we strongly recommend including the following documents with your application for a Study Permit in order to explain your situation:

  • Acceptance Letter for Qualifying Yearfrom the Graduate Studies Program at The University of Winnipeg;
  • Acceptance Letterfrom Undergraduate Studies at The University of Winnipeg, both parts; Part 1: Letter of Acceptance and Part 2: Letter of Acceptance (boxes with detailed information); and
  • Letter of Explanation (written by you).

Writing a Letter of Explanation

To explain your situation as a Pre-Master’s student, we recommend that you include a personal letter. The letter should be written by you in English, signed and dated. In the letter you may wish to include the following information:

  • Why you have applied for a Study Permit;
  • Your status as a Pre-Master’s student;
  • Explanation that The University of Winnipeg does not have a formal Pre-Master’s program and that is why you are submitting a letter of acceptance for Undergraduate Studies as well as an acceptance letter for a qualifying year in the Masters program; and
  • Your plans for studying (i.e.:to complete qualifyingundergraduate courses and continue into a Master’s program; why you want to study in Canada and in this program).

Approval of application

Following the steps listed above does not guarantee approval of your Study Permit application. Many factors are assessed when you submit a Study Permit application. For more information please see the document, Applying for a Study Permit & Temporary Resident Visa (Outside of Canada)available on the ISS website. Please note that if you are successful in your application, you will likely be issued a Study Permit for the length of your proposed pre-Master’s program rather than the entirety of your pre-Master’s and Master’s program. In this case, it may be possible to apply for a Study Permit extension from inside of Canada in order to complete your program.

DISCLAIMER: This document does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied upon as a source of legal advice. It is a reference sheet designed to provide information on Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC’s) requirements for individuals coming to study in Canada and describes existing requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the regulations made under that Act in general terms. IRCCs regulations, policies and procedures are subject to change and may change without notice. For the most current information, please visit IRCC’s website ( This reference sheet was prepared by a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council and is accurate as of July 18, 2017.