Student Funding

Graduate Funding Overview

For cohorts starting September 2024 and later, PhD students are guaranteed five years of funding, and will be automatically granted two additional one-year funding extensions as long as they have maintained good academic standing and met program requirements in the previous academic year. MSc students starting September 2024 and later are guaranteed three years of funding, with one automatic one-year extension under the same conditions. If they obtain ‘permission to write’ within a funded period, students will also be funded through the defence and submission of Supervisor-approved corrections to their thesis to SGS, as long as the defence occurs within the standard timeline after permission to write (6 months for PhD and 4 months for MSc). Submission of the corrected thesis represents program completion, and stipend coverage must then stop. See the Graduate Handbook for full details.

Students who began their program before September 2024 receive stipend coverage for the full duration of their program, including coverage of the standard writing period (see above), as long as they maintain good academic standing. See the Graduate Handbook for full details.

Funding will come from various scholarships/fellowships that the student has applied for and been awarded, and in the absence of that, from the Supervisor’s grant. The Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Harmonized Base Funding Agreement currently governs the stipend amount and top-up policies for students in all eight Basic Science departments (see the RHSE (Financial Support page for details). They calculate yearly stipend amounts based on an estimate of living expenses (living allowance) and the current year’s tuition fees. For those students who extend their PhD program beyond six years (direct entry PhD students) or beyond seven years (students who reclassified into the PhD program), SGS reduces the student's tuition fees by ~50%, and the tuition portion of their stipend is decreased accordingly.

Total Base Funding

Please see link to the RHSE's website for the TFOM Harmonized Base Funding Agreement.

Top-Up Practices

All awards that require student applications are eligible for a top-up from their supervisor or graduate unit.

The top-up amounts are as follows:

Note:

• Within an academic year, the total cumulative top-up maximum is $4,000. If a student holds an award of $5,000 and another award of $17,500, their total top-up is $4,000.

• The top-up is only provided in amounts of $2,000, $3,000 or $4,000 per year (does not exceed 12 months) and is added above the base funding amount.

• A student, who receives award(s) exceeding the amount equivalent to the base funding and maximum top-up of $4,000, will not be eligible to receive a top-up for these award(s).

• Payment of top-ups will occur annually for the duration of the award. After that, the student will revert to the appropriate base graduate student funding package amount.

• Top-up eligibility excludes the University of Toronto Fellowship (e.g., UTF Open), Doctoral Completion Awards, travel awards, and bursaries.

Current tuition fee and refund schedules are available on the Student Accounts website.

The stipend can be interrupted if:

• The student takes a department-approved leave of absence.

• After the student has their committee's approval to write a thesis, the student takes unreasonable time to complete the writing.

• For those students who extend their PhD program beyond six years (direct entry PhD students) or beyond seven years (students who reclassified into the PhD program), SGS reduces the student's tuition fees by ~50%, and the tuition portion of their stipend is decreased accordingly.

Tuition Fees

All students are responsible for paying their tuition fees by the deadlines set by the University of Toronto. The Department cannot pay the fees on any student's behalf because this will disqualify them from receiving a tax credit. Students who are in arrears are not eligible to register with the School of Graduate Studies. Current tuition fee schedules are posted on the Student Accounts website.

Administration Of Student Funding

During a student's rotation period, the Department pays the stipend. Once a student has settled into a permanent lab, the student's research node administers the stipend payment. Students should direct general inquiries to the Business Officer in the student's node. The supervisor whose lab the student finally selects will be invoiced for the stipend paid during the rotations.

All students must complete a Graduate Student-Supervisor Agreement form (GEMS) at the start of the academic year.

Students must ensure to bring any changes or problems with stipend payments to the attention of their Business Officer as soon as possible. It is particularly worth noting that in cases concerning awards, it is the student's decision whether to accept or decline an award and the duration they may receive it. The onus is on the student to inform their Business Officer about which award they accept when and for how long. On the other hand, it is the supervisor's and the supervisory committee's decision to terminate a student's stipend if they fail to fulfill the requirements described in the graduate handbook.

Up to one month's notice may be required to make payroll changes. Students must inform the relevant Business Officer personally of the following changes:

• Selection of a permanent lab

• Change of supervisor

• Receipt or cancellation of an award

• Long-term leave of absence

• Withdrawal from the program

• Completion of the degree (if it coincides with the supervisor's decision to terminate stipend payments)

Any attempt to retain an award while registered as a full-time student in another program is in clear violation of the rules of the awarding body and the School of Graduate Studies. The student must familiarize themself with the rules of the award they have accepted and abide by those rules.

Awards & Scholarships

Students are encouraged to apply for external scholarships from such agencies as:

Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)

Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships 

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

Applications and eligibility requirements are available on the respective websites. The department will send students awards announcements via email as they become available.

Apart from these significant awards/scholarships, the School of Graduate Studies and Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Graduate & Life Sciences Education Office maintain complete lists of available awards and scholarships to which graduate students can apply.

Switching Labs After Rotation Period

On rare occasions, a student will move to a different lab and mentor to carry out their thesis project well after the rotation. This move can be initiated only by the student, not the mentor. It can occur only after the student has discussed the situation in detail with the Graduate Coordinator (and the first supervisor when appropriate).

If the student switches labs within 4 months (excluding all initial rotations) of joining the first lab, the second lab will fully reimburse the first lab for covering the stipend costs during the rotation period upon request by the first supervisor. If the student switches labs after the 4 months in the first lab (excluding all initial rotations), but before beginning their 9th month, the second lab will reimburse the first lab for half of the stipend costs during the initial rotation period upon request by the first supervisor. If the student switches labs after 8 months, the second lab will bear no responsibility for the costs of the student's stipend during the rotation period. In this case, the expense for the stipend during the rotation period will remain with the first lab. If a student leaves the Department at any time after joining a lab, that lab will not be reimbursed the stipend costs during the rotation period by the Department or any other lab.