Eligibility Criteria
In order to be considered for admission into the Sobey Ph.D. program, applicants must meet a number of requirements and complete a rigorous application process.
Acceptance into the Sobey Ph.D. Program is highly competitive. Each year we only accept between four and six of the applications received, with an acceptance rate of roughly one in five. In order to be considered for admission,applicants are asked to pay careful attention to all the requirements for a successful application. In particular we would draw your attention to the need to complete a six page research proposal prior to the application closing date (which is normally February 1st for a May 1st entry the same year). Applicants must also have identified a potential research adviser/supervisor, who has agreed to act in this capacity should you be admitted to the program.
http://www.smu.ca/academic/sobey/phdman/admission.html