New Students

Welcome to McMaster University!

Welcome to the community! McMaster University is one of four Canadian universities ranked in the top 100 world-wide with excellent research capacity! As the GSA, we want to extend a warm welcome to you and share information that would be useful to you as a new grad student in our community. We’ve created a new student handbook with lots of information for you! Click here to read it. We also have a few points summarized below to make it easier for your transition.

Registration

After you’ve received your letter of offer, click here to start the registration process. Please remember that you have to complete the following courses in the first month of being enrolled as a grad student

• SGS 101—Academic Research Integrity and Ethics

• SGS 201—Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Accommodation

If you’re moving to Hamilton and seeking housing arrangements, you can click here for a list of housing options.

Transportation

Getting around in Hamilton is quite simple as a graduate student. We have an efficient Hamilton Street Railway that runs frequently. Also, as a graduate student at McMaster, you will be given a PRESTO card which you can use for free on the HSR and on GO Transit.

International Students

More information on ensuring a smooth transition as an international student at McMaster University can be found here.

International Students Airport Pickup

The GSA aims to help make the transition into a new city and country smoother for our international students. This year, we have launched a program to assist the incoming first year grad students with the airport pick up. You will be picked up and dropped at your residence or the university. How this works – This service will be only offered between August 19th and 25th, 2019. The vehicle will leave the airport at 3 timings – 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. This will cost you CAD 27, with an immediate deposit of CAD 10. You will receive a confirmation no later than August 8th. Upon receiving this, you will have to pay the remaining amount. If your flight is landing anytime around our pick up timings or if you prefer to wait for one of these slots, you can register. You will be matched with 4 other students who will be picked up as the same time as you. You can register for pick up here. Please note, it takes close to 3 hours to finish immigration so book the slot keeping the same in mind.