The John P. Robarts Library offers 672 quiet, individual, lockable study carrels for eligible humanities and social sciences researchers. Carrels are located on stack floors 9 to 13, and assigned annually based on priority groups established by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).

Who is eligible?

University of Toronto graduate students, faculty members, and visiting scholars in SGS Divisions I (Humanities) and II (Social Sciences). As the demand for carrels exceeds supply, applicants are placed on a waitlist and grouped according to a priority order set by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Carrels at other libraries on the St. George Campus are also available.

SGS Divisions I and II priority order

Group 1

Doctoral students in their 3rd year of candidacy and beyond
Faculty members on leave or without office space on the St. George Campus
Post-doctoral fellows

Group 2

Faculty members, including emeriti requiring library space for special projects
Visiting scholars accredited by SGS
Doctoral students in their second year of candidacy

Group 3

Other doctoral students in their 1st year of candidacy.

Group 4

Full-time master's students

Group 5

Toronto School of Theology (TST) doctoral students
TST carrels

Fifteen carrels are available for TST PhD students and are assigned according to TST recommendations.

Contact your TST registrar to apply.

Request or renew a carrel

New applicants

As demand exceeds supply, please apply for a carrel only if you have a serious need and plan to use the space regularly.

When should I apply?

Submit your application from May 1st - August 31st for the coming academic year (starting in September).

How are carrels assigned?

Applications submitted from May 1st - August 31st are grouped into SGS Divisions I and II priority categories, and ordered by a computer-generated lottery August 31st to form a waitlist.
Applications submitted after August 31st are added to the bottom of the waitlist for their respective priority group.

When will I be notified?

Vacancies are filled as they become available throughout the fall and winter terms.
You will be contacted with instructions about where to collect your key if you are assigned a carrel.

What if I'm not assigned a carrel?

The waitlist is cleared April 30th.
If you haven't received a carrel assignment before then, you will need to submit a new application between May 1st and August 31st for the next academic year.

Can I share my carrel?

Carrels are designed for individual use only.
If you would like to take turns using the carrel with a colleague, you must each submit a carrel application form.
In the application form, you must each note the name of the person with whom you will be sharing your carrel.

Where should I apply?

Please log in with your UTORid and password to complete the application form.

Renewals

As demand exceeds supply, please apply to renew a carrel only if you have a serious need and plan to use the space regularly.

When should I apply?

Submit your renewal application from May 1st - August 31st for the coming academic year (starting in September).

When will I be notified?

You will be notified of your application's status in late September or October.

Where should I apply?

Please log in with your UTORid and password to complete the application form.
Make sure to include your current carrel number.

Contact us

Email: carrel.applications@utoronto.ca
Telephone: 416-978-2305

View Carrel Office location and hours of service.

See our Carrel FAQs.

Robarts Library study carrels

What's in the space

Space features

Noise Level

More information