School of Graduate Studies
Queen's University-
Students
- Tips for Undergraduates
- Thinking of Applying
- Tuition, Fees and Cost of Living
- Funding and Financial Assistance
- Agreements & Exchanges
- Application Process
- Welcome New Students
- Admissions & Registration
- Award Holders' Information
- Change of Status
- Sessional Dates
- Forms for Students
- Graduate Supervision
- Students with Disabilities
- Time To Completion
- Degree Completion (Thesis)
- Convocation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Policies, Procedures & Guidelines
- International Students
- Campus Life
- Life in Kingston
- Finding a Place to Live
- Before You Arrive
- When You Arrive
- The Queen's Experience
Funding for Queen's Graduate Students
Between internal and departmental awards, teaching and research assistantships, external scholarships and fellowships and needs-based packages, our students receive nearly $25 million in total funding each year.
Our Ph.D. students receive a guaranteed minimum of $18,000 a year with many departments setting higher funding minimums. The majority of Master's students also receive substantial funding support. With so many additional funding options to choose from, almost all Queen's graduate students receive more than the minimum.
For expanded details on Awards & Financial Assistance go to the official Queen's University Graduate Calendar
"There is a lot of funding for students here, and it comes in several forms. There are grants, teaching assistantships, research assistantships and the possibility for teaching fellowships."
Internal Awards
See Internal Awards on the Graduate Calendar.
All internal awards do not require an application from graduate students. Many of these awards are part of funding packages communicated when applicants receive an offer of admission. These awards include:
Queen's Graduate Awards
Many full-time graduate students are eligible to receive Queen's Graduate Awards as part of their funding packages. The QGA is administered by the School of Graduate Studies, based on recommendations from individual departments.
Departmental Awards
See Departmental Awards on the Graduate Calendar.
Most departments have internal awards and dedicated packages for students and almost all are based on academic merit. We recommend that you contact your department for the most up-to-date information.
Fellowships
See Fellowships on the Graduate Calendar.
Fellowships are based on academic merit and do not require an application from a graduate students.
Fellowships are established by university benefactors to lend additional financial support to our graduate students. Most fellowship nominations are adjudicated by the Fellowship Committee of the School of Graduate Studies through annual competitions. Others are administered by departments.
Fellowship awards range in value from several hundred dollars to $15,000 for one or two years. In all cases, students with high academic qualifications receive preferential consideration.
Classification of Research Assistantship Earnings
For full details on the Graduate Research Assistant Fellowship go directly to the Human Resources website.
External Awards
Ontario Graduate Scholarships
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program promotes excellence in graduate studies at the master's and doctoral levels. An OGS can be awarded for a minimum of two terms and a maximum of six terms as per the provincial regulations, providing $5,000 per term of full time study.
2013-14 OGS competition application is now open!
Federal and Tri-Council Award
Students should seek funding from the Canada's three major research granting agencies a full year before you plan to attend graduate school. Application procedures vary for each agency. Students apply directly to the agency and in other cases, universities are given a quota to rank candidates and forward to the agency. Check the agency websites for instructions.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- The Department of National Defence Security and Defence Forum
Please note that Queen's issues an automatic one-time top-up award to all incoming federal tri-council award winners. Please consult with your program for more details.
Needs-Based Funding
Student Awards in the Office of the University Register at Queen's can help students obtain need-based financial assistance such as bursaries, awards or work programs.
Maternity-Parental Leave Funding
Effective January 2011, the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) made available Maternity-Parental Leave Funding for doctoral students. These funds provide support to a new parent who takes a leave from full-time graduate study to start or expand their family.
The SGS will provide $5,000 to funding-eligible Ph.D. students who have been granted maternity or parental leave under the Maternity and Parental Leaveregulation. This regulation can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/calendars/sgsr/Maternity_Parental_Leave_Funding.html
Tuition Awards and Scholarships for International Students
Effective 1st September 2010, all new doctoral international graduate students without full external government funding who are admitted to full-time study at Queen's are eligible to receive an International Tuition Award. Under this program, each new international full-time student receives an award to be held during his or her funding-eligible years of study. The annual award is applied as a tuition credit directly to the students' fees account. There is no need to apply. Please contact the graduate coordinator of the department you are interested in for details.
Queen's also has entrance scholarships and fellowships available to international students who demonstrate a combination of academic excellence and financial need.
Other Resources
- Provides graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in any discipline with the opportunity to apply their research to challenges faced by companies
- For each four-month internship, the partner company and MITACS contribute $7,500, which provides a $15,000 grant to the intern's professor
- The intern receives a minimum of $10,000 of the grant, with the remaining $5,000 supporting other costs associated with the research
- Four-month internship units can be combined into longer projects
- Proposals are accepted at any time
The Terry Fox Foundation Training Program in Transdisciplinary Cancer Research in partnership with CIHR (http://qcri.queensu.ca/CIHR_Training_Program.html)
This program was established to produce future leaders in translational cancer research in Canada. This program provides young investigators, including graduate students, post PhD and post MD fellows, with training and hands-on experience in transdisciplinary research while broadening their perspective on the cancer problem. The Program welcomes basic science, applied clinical, population health and health services trainees and will offer each of these groups a training program specifically tailored to their background and previous educational path.
At present, new or continuing graduate students may be eligible for studentships of up to $25,000 while post PhD/MD fellows may be eligible for fellowships commensurate with their experience. The Program has attracted applications from an outstanding group of trainees and our success rate for applicants has been very high making this a valuable opportunity for training transdisciplinary researchers.
Most of our departments engage graduate students to work as Teaching Assistants, helping with undergraduate teaching, tutorial work, and laboratory demonstrating.
Please note that Queen's observes a 10-hour guideline that limits full-time graduate students to no more than an average of 10 hours per week of university-based employment. The guideline complies with external scholarship policies and is in place to limit full-time students from spending too much time on paid work that takes them away from their research.
As of May 4th, 2009, Queen’s University has become full member of Community of Science database/network. Please sign in or join/register with the Community of Science Database/Network and discover all the new features and opportunities that come with a new subscription and full membership. This service is available to any member of Queen’s community.
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