U of T OGS Academic Assessment Report — Instructions for Referees

Overview

This page contains instructions and information for Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) referees on how to complete an online U of T OGS Academic Assessment once an email invitation has been received by a graduate student / prospective student.

Attention: Please Read

Web Browser Compatibility

For the best user experience, use the most update-to-date version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge web browsers to complete the form. Internet Explorer is not compatible. It is recommended to use an incognito or private browsing window. If you are unable to access the form, verify your web browser version and update, if necessary, before trying again.

We strongly recommend that you fully close all web browsers (i.e., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and open only one web browser window in order to access the online application. Having multiple browser windows open may cause errors in the submission of the form.

If you are using a device within Toronto hospital network, you may not be able to access the form, please connect to a different Wi-Fi / internet connection to complete the form, for example your home network or U of T campus Wi-Fi.

Saving Your Progress

You can save and go back to the Academic Assessment at any time prior to submitting by clicking the Save or Next button in the bottom of the page. If you have not completed all the required fields on a page prior to selecting Save or Next, the information on the page will not be saved and you will be brought to the top next required field with missing information. All required fields with missing information will be highlighted in red. All required fields must be completed before a page can be saved.

Once you have submitted, no changes can be made. If a change is required, contact the applicant directly as the applicant has the ability to unsubmit the submitted form so changes can be made. You will receive an email indicating the form has been unsubmitted with a unique link to the form you previously submitted.

The system may time out if you have the window open too long.  Be sure to fill in all the required information first and then select Save or Next every 10 minutes or so to ensure the system does not time out and you do not lose your information.

Step 1: Locate and Review Email Invitation

The email invitation will have the subject “OGS Academic Assessment Request – University of Toronto” and will be sent from the email address: vpp.noreply@utoronto.ca. If you are unable to locate the email invitation in your Inbox, please check your Spam / Junk mail folder and do a search for the vpp.noreply@utoronto.ca email address.

If you did not receive the invitation email, please contact the APPLICANT directly to request a re-send. The Graduate Awards Office is not able to re-send email invitations as the email release is controlled by the applicant.

Please take note of the Academic Assessment deadline. The form can still be completed even if the deadline has passed. This deadline is set by the APPLICANT. For extensions please contact the applicant to see if additional time is possible based on the applicant’s application deadline. Applicants cannot submit their OGS application unless their Academic Assessments are complete.

Step 2: Click on the Link in the Email Invitation to Access the Online Academic Assessment

Referees have 60 days from the sent date of email request to complete the Academic Assessment. After 60 days, the link in the email would expire. If you require a new link, please contact the student applicant to re-send the request.

Step 3: Complete Referee Profile Fields

  • All fields are required.
  • Dates: Should be listed in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2020-02-18).
  • Institution / Organization: Please include the full name of the organization (e.g., University of Toronto).

Step 4: Complete Academic Assessment Section

  • Select / click one (1) option per category.
  • One option per category must be selected / clicked. If you are unable to evaluate, please select / click the radio button in the “Unable to Evaluate” column.

Step 5: Enter Additional Comments

Enter any additional comments you would like to include in the Academic Assessment. You may copy and paste your reference letter text in the Additional Comments section.

It is recommended that you write your comments out in a word processor program (e.g., Microsoft Word) prior to completing the form, and then copying and pasting into the comment box. Please note:

  • Formatting may not be retained / may be lost when pasting into the comment box.
  • You may wish to save your comments, as the link will expire after one month of your submission, and you will not be able to view the form again.
  • You can expand the text window by clicking and dragging the right-hand bottom corner.

Step 6: Consent and Next Button

Once you have entered all the required information, you may consent to having your OGS academic assessment for this applicant be used for other graduate award competitions at the University of Toronto, for which the applicant may be eligible.  Then, you may click the Next button at the bottom of the page.

You will be taken to the Review page. At this point, your information has been saved but not submitted. To return at a later time, simply go back to the original invitation email and click the link.

Step 7: Review Academic Assessment

On the Review page, carefully review the information entered on the Academic Assessment:

  • If anything requires modification, click the Edit button at the top of the page or click the Previous button at the bottom of the page to be taken back to the Academic Assessment.
    • Caution: Do not use the browser forward or back buttons, as doing so could result in your changes not being saved properly or result in an unexpected loss of data.
  • If you make a change after returning, please be sure to click Save or Next again to save any changes.

Step 8: Click Submit Button

Once you have confirmed that all information is included and accurate, scroll to the bottom of the Review page and click the Submit button.

Step 8: Submission Verification / Confirmation

Once you have submitted, no changes can be made. You will be taken to a submission confirmation screen.  It is not emailed to you so you may make a screenshot of it to save a copy for your reference (sample below):

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship website with "Your form was successfully submitted" and confirmation message displayed.

If you leave the page and want to review the form again, you may do so within 1 month, by returning to the original email and click the link. The link should now take you to the completed (un-editable) form.  After one month of your submission, the link will expire and you will not be able to view the form again.

If a change is required, contact the applicant directly as the applicant has the ability to unsubmit the submitted form so changes can be made. You will receive an email indicating the form has been unsubmitted with a unique link to the form you previously submitted.