Financial support

There is the potential for several sources of financial support, as described below.  

Support payments are subject to satisfactory academic performance and the availability of funding. 

Note: support payments from supervisors are typically for research-based programs and the amount of support varies. All financial commitments are made on an individual basis and the terms of funding support will be set out in the offer and/or admission letter that students receive.

Students in the Industrial Master's program are not funded by the department through graduate fellowships or research scholarships. Students in this program should arrange their own financial resources for both living and educational expenses.

The UVic fellowships are awarded mainly on the basis of academic excellence to applicants who apply for a September entry point. In addition, a supervisor usually adds research grant support.

University of Victoria Fellowships:

The University of Victoria awards a small number of fellowships each year. They are open to domestic and international (Visa) students with nomination from your supervisor. You must be full-time and have a 1st class GPA (7.0 out of 9.0) or equivalent on the last 2 years of study.

All PhD and MSc students registered full-time in a research-based program are considered for a University of Victoria fellowship* based on qualifying minimum GPA of 7.0.  Fellowship recipients will receive approximately $15,000 for one year, dependent on the availability of funding from the Faculty of Graduate Studies.  Fellowships may be renewable for a second year subject to the recipient achieving first-class (A-) minimum on courses and a recommendation from the department.

*Subject to the Department receiving appropriate funding from the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

More information and details can be found on the Faculty of Graduate Studies awards page about these awards and other scholarship opportunities.

If you do not receive any award, you may be offered research grant support (or from some alternative source funding, e.g. an industrial grant or contract) directly from your admitting supervisor. Separate application forms are not required. Discuss this with potential supervisors if you receive an interview for a MSc or PhD position.

Qualified students may apply for TA work approximately 12 weeks prior to the start of every term. Students must be registered full-time in an approved UVic graduate program to accept a TA position. There is no guaranteed number of hours.

The rates for TA work and priority levels are set by the union (CUPE) contract with the university. The current hourly rate is $34.72 per hour. Qualified students in the first two years of a Master's program or in the first four years of a PhD program have priority in obtaining TA employment over students who are in a later year of their program.

You must apply separately for a TA position within the deadlines posted on our employment opportunities webpage.

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada and your GPA is higher than 85%, you should consider applying for an NSERC scholarship (CGRS-M or CGRS-D). The NSERC scholarship is very competitive and mostly based on academic performance.

Please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies Awards page to learn more about applying for CGRS-D (NSERC) and CGRS-M (NSERC).

To be eligible for the Co-op program, you will have completed at least two regular academic terms and follow the requirements outlined by the Co-op office. The co-op program is optional and is subject to the approval of your supervisor. For co-op designation, a master's student will complete two work terms; PhD, three work terms.

The Co-op program involves one or more work terms in addition to completing traditional academic terms.

Please visit our Co-op page for more details.

Contact: Mostafa Rahimpour, Co-op Coordinator (Graduate students)
Office: ECS 212
250-472-5822

Details about scholarships and bursaries can be found on Student Awards and Financial Aid.