How do I receive my funds?
Scholarships awarded by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are granted on a competitive basis to full-time entering or continuing graduate students in eligible programs who achieve high academic standing. A scholarship is awarded for academic merit, not financial need, and is tenable for study at Laurier while enrolled as a full-time graduate student. Normally, scholarships are paid in three equal installments over three terms and are automatically credited to student accounts. Upon written request to the Business Office, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit, no earlier than one week following the last day for late registration for the term.
All WLU Graduate Scholarships are conditional on registering as a
full-time graduate student and on maintaining a full-time courseload, as defined
by the department, during the term in which the scholarhsip is held.
Scholarships
are awarded for registration in the program indicated on the offer, and
are not transferrable from one program to another.
Scholarship
funds will be credited to student accounts. Upon written request to the
Business Office, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit, no
earlier than one week following the last day for a late registration
for the term.
Students who withdraw from the program during the
term will be required to repay a pro-rated portion of their graduate
scholarship.
Laurier Graduate Scholarships may not normally be
held concurrently with a major external award. In its place, either an
Incentive Scholarship (for students in the professional master's
programs) or a Dean's Scholarship (for students in the
research-intensive master's programs) may be offered.
If you received and accepted an offer of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) for the upcoming academic year, the dollar value of your GTA contract for each semester will be divided evenly over the designated pay periods, beginning October 4, 2012. You will be paid every two weeks via direct deposit to the Canadian bank as indicated by you on the required Direct Deposit Authorization form.
The standard GTA contract is for 130 hours of work per semester. Those 130 hours must be completed by you, in negotiation with your academic program between the start of the first pay period (September 9, 2012) and the end of the last pay period (December 29, 2012) for that semester. Winter term TA resonsiblities must be completed between December 30, 2012 and April 20, 2013. A Teaching Assistantship Job Responsibilities form is completed by the graduate officer in consultation with the GTA advisor.
The pay schedules are found on the Payroll website. The opportunity to have tuition payments deducted from Graduate Teaching Assistantship pay is not available at this time.
All Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) are conditional on registering as a full-time student and on maintaining a full-time courseload, as defined by the department, during the term in which the assistantship is held. To ensure that a graduate student is able to actively pursue his/her graduate program on a full-time basis, no other teaching-related activity may be assigned for the term in which the teaching assistantship is held (e.g., CAS appointment).
Assistantship contracts may be cancelled due to unsatisfactory performance, withdrawal from full-time registration, or holding a CAS letter of appointment. Wilfrid Laurier University reserves the right to reduce the employment responsibility of a student who holds a major external award for the year in which the award is held.
Teaching responsibilities will be assigned by the Department, and may not exceed 130 hours per term. Responsibilities to undertake work in support of an ongoing research project may be assigned only with the approval of the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Teaching assistants are paid on the Food/Students payroll dates (or monthly, in certain circumstances). Payment is made by direct deposit. Questions regarding payroll, deductions, etc. should be directed to the Payroll Office.
Students with Graduate Teaching Assistantship contracts are eligible to receive both employment earnings for services performed, and a Fellowship to recognize the advancement of their education and the further development of their skills through the Graduate Teaching Assistantship experience.
The employment earnings will be based on an hourly rate and subject to all statutory deductions, and will include 4% vacation pay. The Fellowship available to students undertaking TA contracts and performing TA duties as specified by the department is tax-exempt, and will be reflected on a T4A at year end. Students not undertaking TA duties are ineligible for the Fellowship.
Assistants are required to serve the university in teaching for no more than the hours specified for the contract period. Please note that full-time graduate students may not be gainfully employed more than 10 hours per week on average within the university (520 hours per academic year).
Wilfrid Laurier University remits external scholarships in equal installments, one at each term, starting with the term you selected on your Response Form. Along with any other scholarship awarded to you by Laurier, the externally-funded award is applied against your student account. Any outstanding payments owed to the university will be deducted at source.
Credit balance refunds are issued by direct deposit no earlier than one week after the last date for late registration in any given term (see the Academic Dates section in the Graduate Calendar for the respective date each semester). In order for a direct deposit refund to be made, each award holder must complete the Direct Deposit Authorization form (complete with a void cheque) to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies before the start of the term in which the award is held.
You must be registered in order to receive the award payment, and the refund will be issued no earlier than the week after the last date for late registration (see the Academic Dates in the Graduate Calendar for specific dates). That is, the September instalment will be paid in mid to late September, your January installment in mid to late January, etc.
Annual Research Progress Reports must be completed by students holding a Tri-Council external award (i.e. SSHRC/NSERC/CIHR) and are due at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office by May 1, annually. Spring term installments will be held pending receipt of annual reports.
