Criminology and Sociolegal Studies

The Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, founded in 1964, offers advanced interdisciplinary study in two closely related, overlapping areas: criminology and sociolegal studies.

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies' additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants normally hold an MA degree in criminology or a cognate field, with a minimum A– standing or its equivalent from a recognized university. Students with MAs in disciplines unrelated to criminology or sociolegal studies may be required to take additional courses as part of their doctoral program.

• It is essential that all incoming graduate students have a command of English. Proficiency in the English language must be demonstrated by all applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English. This requirement must be satisfied using a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a verbal and a written component. To be considered for admission, applicants must achieve the following minimum scores:

  • paper-based TOEFL exam: 580 and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • Internet-based TOEFL exam: 93/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections.

  Official copies of these scores must be submitted to the University of Toronto before a formal offer of admission can be made.

Duolingo English Test:Tests completed on or after July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120 with a score of 120 in production.

Tests completed before July 1, 2024: Overall score of 120, with no subscore below 100.

International Baccalaureate English:A minimum score of at least 4 (predicted or final) in Higher Level or Standard Level English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature. English B Higher Level is not acceptable. Learn more about IB English.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS):The minimum requirement is an overall band of 6.5, with no band below 6.0. Results from IELTS (Academic) for UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about IELTS.

Note: We do not accept the IELTS Indicator test or results from the IELTS One Skill Retake. Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic:The minimum requirement is an overall score of 65 with no part below 60. Results from PTE (Academic) UKVI test sittings are accepted. Learn more about PTE.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):Tests completed before January 21, 2026:

- The minimum requirement is a total score of 89 with 22 in each of Speaking and Writing
- Applicants must achieve the scores listed above on a single date. TOEFL MyBest (super-scored) results will not be used.

Effective January 21, 2026 there will be a new TOEFL scoring format. Admission requirements for the new scale are under review and will be posted once finalized.

Paper based test: Tests will be reviewed on an individual basis. Learn more about TOEFL

We do not accept TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP or TOEFL ITP Plus for China for admission purposes.