Student Application

This is the place to submit an application to the 2026 Pathways to Research Excellence Program (“PREP;” formerly the Summer Research Opportunities Program or SROP) at the University of Toronto. PREP is for students interested in academic research careers in psychology, management, or neuroscience.

The student application is now open. The deadline to submit the application is 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Friday, February 27, 2026. The letter of recommendation deadline (for your recommenders) is one week later on March 6. Results of the selection process will be communicated on March 23, 2026. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions for information on the selection process.

To submit an application:

  1. Review the faculty research profiles available at the 2026 Faculty Research Profile page. Additional faculty research profiles will likely appear between now and the end of January.
  2. Complete the application below! Please see the following FAQ, which will be helpful with each step:
    1. Advice on writing the 250-word research statement
    2. Advice on writing the 250-word personal statement
    3. Advice on how to identify and ask a recommender to write you a letter and a link to the recommendation request form

Important Note for International Applicants: Given changes to our funding structure this year, it is unlikely we would be able to enter an international student in payroll in time. Therefore, only domestic students (i.e., Permanent Residents or Citizens of Canada) will be asked to submit a full application. The value of submitting an application for International applicants is that you will be given access to our Application Scaffolding Program over the summer. We will communicate with all international applications about the Application Scaffolding Program on March 16, as well.

2026 Student Application

What pronouns should we use when referring to you (e.g. “she/her,” “they/them,” or “he/him”)?
For payroll reasons, only Permanent Residents and Citizens of Canada are able to be selected for the fully funded program this year. However, we are still providing our “Application Scaffolding Program” to international students who apply. The Application Scaffolding Activities guide you through the process of preparing an application for a PhD program in experimental psychology, management, or neuroscience. International applicants do not need to complete the full application, out of respect for your time. International applicants will only be asked for keywords that may match their interests below, whereas domestic applicants are asked for the full application.
PREP is a diversity initiative that supports students who identify as Indigenous, Black, or racialized and who are interested in PhD programs in management, psychology, or neuroscience.
PREP is open to all Indigenous, Black, and racialized students, but there is a special priority on Indigenous and Black students for admission to the full program.
These keywords were originally generated by one or more faculty members, and they assist us in making good matches between students and mentors. Please choose at least three keywords of things that interest you (maximum number of choices is 10).

How are the application responses stored and used?

The required demographic questions (i.e., related to Indigeneity and race/ethnicity) and your transcript will be used to determine eligibility for the program. The research statement, personal statement, and letters of recommendation are the components of this application that will be evaluated for admission. Please read about our review and selection process here: https://canadasrop.ca/2022/02/01/how-will-applications-be-evaluated/.

The information you submit on this form is stored with SSL encryption on WordPress.com’s servers. They will be downloaded through an encrypted channel onto the Canada SROP Administrator’s computer. The files will be stored with encryption on the Administrator’s computer. Applications will be shared with the Application Review Committee and potential faculty supervisors of shortlisted applicants through University of Toronto’s secure One Drive system between February and March 2026. Members of the Application Review Committee and the potential faculty supervisors will be given a data security checklist. After that time, reviewer access to the applications will be revoked.

We will store all application data for a period of one year from the application deadline date. A year after the application deadline date (February 2027), we will delete all individual application data from our servers. We will save aggregated information from the submitted applications, such as the total number of applications and the percentages of applications representing different demographic groups.