Applicants applying through the Francophone Admission Stream (FAS) must meet the admission and application requirements outlined on the Application Information & Admission Requirements page and submit all required application documentation for their application to be considered.
The Francophone Admission Stream is for applicants who have:
- 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 use French in their daily activities.
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.
Those admitted through this stream will participate in the Francophone Curricular Initiative (FCI); a limited enrolment initiative integrated across all four years, which may include clinical placements, medical terminology, group learning, and structured clinical skills sessions in French.
Applicants not admitted to the FCI may still be considered and receive an offer of admission through the general stream.
Francophone applicants may either:
1. Self-identify and apply through the General Admission Stream, or
2. Apply to the Francophone Admission Stream (FAS) and submit all required documentation.
Applicants reviewed by the Francophone Admissions Subcommittee may receive a higher context score.
Francophone Admission Stream applicants must submit the following:
Required Documents
Personal Essay (max 500 words)
Francophone Reference Form (FRF) (completed in French)
Applicants must have one referee complete (in French) the Francophone Reference Form (FRF), available in the Referees section of the OMSAS application. Choose someone with extensive personal knowledge of your connection to the Francophone community, your character, personal qualities, academic capabilities, and any special circumstances. A close family member should not be chosen to complete this form.
The referee must provide the following information in the FRF:
- Their relationship to you, in what capacity they know you, and how long they have known you.
- The activities that support your connection and involvement with the Francophone community (nature of the activity, the frequency or the duration of said activity/activities).
The FRF is only available in French and must be completed in French.
French Fluency Requirements
Applicants must demonstrate their proficiency in spoken French by meeting one of the following:
Option A: Completion of a minimum of 10 full credit courses in French within 5 years of the application deadline in your postsecondary degree.
Option B: Submit 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
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 the following testing centre. For more information, please contact the testing centre directly:
Collège Boréal – ELAM Level B2 or higher
705-560-6673, ext. 2808
fc@collegeboreal.ca
Submission
All required documentation must be submitted to OMSAS via Secure Application Messaging (SAM) by the application deadline.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that OMSAS receives their Francophone Reference Form (FRF) by the application deadline; applicants are advised to confirm submission with their referee before the application deadline.
Applicants who do not meet the requirements or submit incomplete Francophone Admission Stream (FAS) documentation will default to the General Admission Stream.
Francophone Admission Stream Requirements
Candidates who applied through the Francophone Admission Stream and are offered admission to the Francophone Curricular Initiative (FCI) must:
- Complete FCI requirements in all 4 years of the MD program. This may include, but is not limited to, clinical placements, medical terminology sessions, group learning sessions and structured clinical skills sessions in French.
- Prioritize Francophone communities in their site selection processes for the Early Clinical Placement (ECP) in Year 2 and the Comprehensive Community Clerkship (CCC) in Year 3.
- Participate in various additional 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.
The FCI has limited enrolment. Successful completion will be recognized at the time of graduation.
NOTE: Primary instruction is in English; French is used for the Francophone Curricular Initiative (FCI) and select extracurricular components.
Visit the Francophone Medical Education webpage to learn more about the resources that the Francophone Affairs Office offers.