Applicants applying through the Francophone Admission Stream must meet the admission and application requirements outlined on the Application Information & Admission Requirements page.
Applicants who apply through the Francophone Admission Stream are required to enrol in the Francophone Curricular Initiative integrated throughout their 4 years of education if admitted to the UME Program. This may include but is not limited to clinical placements and structured clinical skills sessions.
Persons who identify as Francophone may choose one of the following options:
1. Self-identify as Francophone and apply to the General Admission Stream only or
2. Apply to the Francophone Admission Stream
If you apply through the Francophone Admission Stream and provide all the required documentation, your application will be reviewed by NOSM University’s Francophone Admissions Subcommittee.
If you apply through the Francophone Admission Stream and provide all the required documentation, you may receive a slightly higher context score.
If you do not meet the requirements or do not submit all required documentation to support your application to the Francophone Admission Stream, you will be considered through the General Stream.
Francophone Admission Stream Requirements
If you are applying to the Francophone Admission Stream, you must meet the following definition:
A Francophone applicant is a person who has:
- a close connection to the Francophone community;
- a desire to serve the French-speaking population in their mother tongue; and
- either graduated from a French-language high school/French-language postsecondary program or uses French in their daily activities.
All applicants who apply to the Francophone Admission Stream must:
1. Submit an essay in French addressing the question provided.
2. Provide a letter of recommendation.
3. Provide proof of French fluency
4. Interview at NOSM University, if invited.
5. Meet the requirements described in this section if they are offered admission via the Francophone Admission Stream.
Francophone Admission Stream Essay
Further to its Social Accountability Mandate, NOSM University is committed to training competent physicians able to meet the needs of the diverse populations of Northern Ontario, including Francophones. Your application as a Francophone student at NOSM University is a declaration of your commitment to serve French-speaking populations.
In 500 words (maximum), explain what it would mean to you to practice as a French-speaking physician. Additionally, outline how you are currently demonstrating your commitment to the Francophone community and how you foresee meeting NOSM University’s Mandate once you are a physician.
This documentation must be uploaded to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) by the application deadline.
Recommendation Letter
The author of the letter must include their professional or personal letterhead information:
- full name,
- title,
- address,
- telephone number and
- email address.
In their letter, they must answer the following questions:
- What is your relationship to the applicant?
- In what capacity do you know the applicant?
- How many years have you known the applicant?
- Describe the activity or activities that support the applicant’s connection and involvement with the Francophone community. Please include details such as the nature of the activity, the frequency (daily, weekly, etc.), as well as the duration of said activity/activities.
This documentation must be uploaded to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) by the application deadline.
French Fluency Requirements
Applicants to the Francophone Admission Stream are required to demonstrate their proficiency in spoken French by providing either:
- Proof of successful completion of a postsecondary degree in French (majority (80%) of courses in French) within five years of the application deadline
OR - A copy of one of the following certifications obtained within five years of the application deadline:
- Canadian Federal Government Level C Certification
- DELF Diploma – Level B2 or higher
- DALF Diploma – Level C1 or C2
- TEF – Level B2 or higher
This documentation must be uploaded to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) by the application deadline.
Applicants who do not possess a postsecondary degree in French (option a) or one of the above-mentioned certifications (option b) will be required to complete, at their own expense, a French Language examination (oral only) at one of the following testing centres. For more information, please contact them directly:
Nipissing Language Training Centre – French Language: Oral Interaction Test – Level Réussi (Avancé) or higher
705-497-4293
glafond.nltc@gmail.com
Collège Boréal – ELAM Level B2 or higher
705-560-6673, ext. 2808
fc@collegeboreal.ca
Certification must be completed and uploaded to OMSAS via Secure Applicant Messaging (SAM) by the application deadline.
Requirements for Successful Francophone Admission Stream Applicants
The Francophone Curricular Initiative is a limited enrolment program. Successful applicants admitted through the NOSM University Francophone Admission Stream will be required to enrol in the Francophone Curricular Initiative courses offered in all 4 years of the program and successfully meet all of its requirements. Successful completion will be recognized at the time of graduation.
Successful applicants through the Francophone Admission Stream will also be required to rank NOSM University’s francophone communities in their respective site selection processes for the Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC) that takes place in year 3 of the Undergraduate Medical Education Program and the Integrated Community Placements (ICE) that take place in year 1 and 2.
In addition, applicants admitted through the Francophone Admission Stream will be expected to participate in various learning activities throughout the medical education program that are designed to enhance their clinical and communication skills and support their ability to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate French language health services.
NOTE: Generally, the language of instruction is English; however, some components relating to the Francophone Curricular initiatives and other extracurricular initiatives will be provided in French.
Information regarding supports and resources available to Francophone students at NOSM University can be found by visiting the Francophone Medical Education webpage.