Awards & funding

Graduate awards and bursaries 

  • Graduate awards — Unless otherwise stated, all scholarship, fellowship, prizes, and awards are made annually to full-time graduate students on the basis of recommendations from their departments.
  • Graduate bursaries — Unless otherwise stated, bursaries are available to all full-time graduate students. Applications are available on the Student Awards and Financial Aid site. Application deadlines are June 1 for Summer Session and October 15 for Winter Session. You'll need to submit a new application for each study period.

Assistantships

Teaching experience is a valuable part of a student’s graduate education in preparation for careers inside and outside of academia. Teaching assistantships (TA-ships) are offered across the University of Victoria in every department in the Faculty of Science where an undergraduate program exists. The general regulations and policies concerning TA appointments are based on the CUPE 4163 collective agreement. As there is no undergraduate program in Neuroscience, TA-ships are sought from departments surrounding the NGP (e.g. BIOL, EPHE); however, availability of appointments for students in the NGP can never be guaranteed. Before applying for a TA-ship, students are strongly encouraged to consult with their supervisor.

Earnings from TA-ships can make up a part of a student’s regular stipend; however, this must be clearly stated in the signed expectation document between the student and supervisor. If TA-ships are not included in a student’s regular stipend, then a student may still participate in TA-ships pending permission from their supervisor; earnings will be granted in addition to the stipend unless otherwise specified in the signed expectation document.

If the expectation document details a stipend that includes specific support from TAships:

  • It is the student’s responsibility to apply for TA-ships in a timely manner. If student fails to apply for a necessary TA-ship to meet their minimum stipend as outlined in their signed expectation document, the supervisor is not responsible to compensate this difference.
  • If a student is denied a TA position under Union priority rules because of a shortage of positions, the supervisor will provide additional compensation to maintain the minimum stipend for the eligible periods. Students in the NGP may teach a maximum of 2 TA appointments per calendar year (2 x 196 hours). No more than 1 TA appointment may be held in a single academic term. Please refer to Section 14 of the CUPE 4163 Collective Agreement for rules and Back to Table of Contents 38 regulations regarding hours of work and scheduling. Any student may freely choose to teach less than the maximum provided that TA-ships are not included in the regular stipend outlined in their signed expectation document.

Funding

UVic fellowships

The Faculty of Graduate Studies may award University of Victoria Fellowships of up to $15,000 (Master's) and $18,000 (PhD) to students of high academic standing. Please see the Faculty of Graduate Studies site for more information.

These merit-based awards must be applied for individually.

Information about the process for applying for grants at UVic.

CIHR

CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) is the Government of Canada's agency responsible for funding health research in Canada. A CIHR representative visits UVic to present information about eligibility and the application process for these awards. Please see the Faculty of Graduate Studies site to learn about upcoming presentations.

NSERC

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) is a federal agency whose vision is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators. The agency supports 26,500 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. An NSERC representative visits UVic annually to present information about eligibility and the application process for these awards. Please see the Faculty of Graduate Studies site to learn about upcoming presentations.

MSFHR

MSFHR (Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee Program) supports highly qualified Master's, PhD and Post Doctoral trainees to prepare for careers as independent health researchers. All awards consist of an annual stipend and a research and travel allowance. Please see the MSFHR website for more information.

Travel grants

All full-time grad students are eligible to apply for a travel grant once a year (April 1–March 31). Students are reimbursed for expenses upon return from travel.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies administers this fund, which is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible graduate students. Read the regulations on the Faculty of Graduate Studies site.