Awards & funding
Graduate awards, scholarships & bursaries
The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has 2 searchable directories for graduate awards, scholarships and bursaries.
In addition to these directories, the graduate secretary will forward students and their supervisor(s) various award opportunities throughout the academic year. This includes:
- FGS fellowships and entrance awards
- internal donor awards
- external awards (government and non-government)
For more information, visit the FGS website or review the unit funding information section of the graduate student handbook.
External funding
Tri-Council Scholarships
The following scholarships are administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Master’s program
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Master’s (CGRS-M) program supports students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies. Recipients are eligible for $27,000 per year.
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Doctoral program
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Doctoral program (CGRS-D) supports research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines. Recipients are eligible for $40,000 per year for up to 3 years.
Learn more about the CGRS-D.
Michael Smith Health Research BC
Michael Smith Health Research BC supports highly qualified master's, PhD and postdoctoral trainees to prepare for careers as independent health researchers. All awards consist of an annual stipend and a research and travel allowance.
Please speak with your supervisor(s) and see the Health Research BC website for more information.
Travel grants
Students are encouraged to attend academic conferences, meetings, workshops or other research activities during their time in the program. Two of the conferences our students and faculty attend most frequently are those organized by Canadian Neuroscience (CAN) and Society for Neuroscience (SFN).
Various travel awards are available to students to support travel to these academic opportunities from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Students’ Society and a student’s home academic unit.
Additional information about these travel awards can be found in the unit funding information and appendix II sections of the student handbook.
Undergraduate awards
Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)
The JCURA program was established in 2009–10 by the Vice-President Academic and Provost. This UVic award encourages undergraduates to pursue innovative and original research. It also provides valuable experience to put towards graduate studies or a research-related career.
Successful student applicants receive $1,500 credited directly to their UVic student account.
For information about eligibility, applications and deadlines, please visit the JCURA website.
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards
NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) support undergraduate students in the natural sciences and engineering fields who seek the experience of research work and may go on to complete their graduate studies.
The value of a USRA is $6,000 for a full 16-week period. In addition to the $6,000 award from NSERC, the supervising faculty member will provide a top-up to ensure the student is paid no less than minimum wage during the 16-week period.
To be eligible to apply for USRA, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications
- be registered, at the time of applying, in a bachelor's degree program at UVic
- have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least 7 or higher on the UVic grade point scale
For application forms and additional information, please visit the NSERC website.