It is the responsibility of the department to complete the departmental recommendation section of the Application for Graduate Admission form once the evaluation has been completed.

It is recommended that a department make a decision within two weeks of receiving a completed file or let the applicant know that there will be a delay, giving reasons for the delay and the expected decision date.

The department may recommend admission subject to a condition(s) being met (eg, evidence of satisfactory completion of a specified degree). Departments should ensure that the condition(s) is precisely defined so it may be clearly conveyed to the student in the conditional admission letter sent by the FGSR (see "Admission with Conditions").

When recommending an admission to a master's degree program the department must specify whether the student will be pursuing a thesis-based or a course-based route.

To avoid possible embarrassment, departments should not confirm an official admission to an applicant until the admissibility of the applicant has been established and approved by the FGSR. Departments are encouraged to advise applicants as early as possible regarding their admission to the program. However, any communication should be qualified by a statement that the admission is subject to approval by the FGSR.