Funding Policies
Since there may be a maximum amount of funds that can be awarded and held by a student, full-time graduate students who accept an award that is not directly administered by Laurier must immediately inform their department chairperson and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in writing. This requirement applies to any awards or assistance offered by any agency or institution.
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies holds information sessions in September on major scholarship competitions open to graduate and senior undergraduate students, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). These information sessions give guidance on eligibility and writing a competitive application. Dates and times for these events are posted on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website in late August. Information on other scholarship competitions (e.g., Mackenzie King, Trudeau Foundation) is also available.
Additional resources, links and general information on external awards (including internal university deadlines for Laurier students who wish to apply) are posted on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website. It is important that students refer to this site regularly for updates.
If your package included an offer of funding, that offer is valid for 21 days from the date of the offer (and is noted on the offer). If you have applied to several different programs at Laurier, you may or may not be offered financial support for all programs to which you are offered admission.
The funding package is normally spread over all three terms. It is your responsibility to consult with your advisor (or Graduate Coordinator) on funding opportunities, and to assume responsibility for ensuring that sufficient funds are available for all terms of registration of the academic year (fall, winter, spring).
Your offer of funding is tied to your term of admission, to the specified registration status, and the specific program to which you have been admitted. To be, and to remain, eligible to receive funding you must:
- be registered full time in the degree program as noted on the offer of funding;
- maintain full-time status; and
- remain in good academic standing for the duration of your funding.
Cancellation of your funding may result if you change your degree program, drop to part-time status, or choose to take time off from your program. If you are considering any changes to your program or your registration, you are urged to consult your program graduate coordinator first to discuss any possible implications for your funding.
- Funding for Doctoral Students
- Funding for Research-Intensive Master's Students
- Funding for Professional Master's Students
Laurier provides an annual minimum level of support for eligible doctoral students for 3 or 4 years of full-time study. Such support is made up of teaching assistantships, internal and/or external scholarship awards, studentships and research assistantships, where available. The minimum guarantee is $19,000 per eligible year of full-time study. Across all doctoral programs, the average level of annual funding for eligible doctoral students at Laurier exceeds $23,000.
To be eligible for the minimum guaranteed funding, doctoral students must be registered full time. Incoming students must meet the minimum academic requirement for the program to which admission is sought (this varies by program). Normally, continuing students must demonstrate satisfactory progress in their doctoral program, as indicated in the annual progress report, in order to maintain their funding eligibility.
Application to the major external scholarship competitions is a requirement for renewal of internal financial support. During their first year of doctoral-level study at Laurier, doctoral students must apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) if eligible. In the second and subsequent years of doctoral-level study, doctoral students must apply for the OGS and for Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) awards for which they are eligible.
Students in research-intensive master’s programs receive annual support
for each eligible year of study, primarily through Graduate Teaching
Assistantships and Laurier Graduate Scholarships (the specific type and
amount varies by program). External scholarships also form part of the funding offer. Students who hold a major external
scholarship (e.g., Ontario Graduate Scholarship or Tri-Council Funding)
receive a total top-up of approximately $12,000, which includes the Dean
of Graduate Studies Scholarship. Graduate students may also apply for
or receive support from bursaries and endowment opportunities as
available through the Student Awards Office.
Students undertaking full-time study in professional master’s programs (i.e., MBA, MFin, MSW) are automatically considered for scholarship support at the time of admission. Scholarships are awarded competitively, on academic merit.
Students in these programs are encouraged to apply for any external awards for which they may be eligible (e.g., Ontario Graduate Scholarship, SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Graduate Scholarship). Students entering one of Laurier's professional master's programs holding a major external award are eligible for a top-up scholarship.
