The A&S Program Completion Award is intended to provide direct income support to research stream graduate students who need extra time as a result of COVID-19 related delays to academic progress in the Winter or Summer of 2020. The Program Completion Award will complement the tuition fee exemption provided through the School of Graduate Studies, as well as other traditional forms of graduate support such as TA and RA income and direct support from graduate units and supervisors.
The Program Completion Award was available to eligible students outside the funded cohort in 2020–21. It will continue to be offered to eligible students in future years for the first two sessions of registration immediately after exiting the funded cohort.
Eligibility
The value of individual awards is assessed by the graduate unit and will vary depending on the student’s funding, program year and other factors. Eligible students will be in their first year outside the funded cohort and have limited or no alternative sources of funding.
The eligibility criteria are:
- The student is a full-time PhD student in a Faculty of Arts & Science graduate program who was registered during or before the Winter 2020 session and experienced COVID-19 related delays to academic progress in the Winter or Summer of 2020.
- The student was making good progress with their thesis/dissertation prior to COVID-19 and data collection or access to necessary resources was significantly impeded due to pandemic-related impacts. Disruption should be documented using the COVID-19 mentoring record distributed in 2020.
- Additional work is needed before the thesis/dissertation can be defended and the revised research plan will require an additional session of registration.
- At the time of application and payment, the student is in their first two sessions outside the funded cohort with limited or no alternative funding.
- The student is receiving an SGS Tuition Fee Exemption during the session they apply for PCA funds.
Note: While the SGS Tuition Fee Exemption (TFE) may be approved in any session after leaving the funded cohort (if the student meets the TFE eligibility requirements), to be eligible for the A&S Program Completion Award, the TFE must be applied in the first two sessions after leaving the funded cohort. Students who apply for TFE in later years will not be eligible to receive A&S PCA funding.
Students should contact their graduate unit for help with questions about eligibility.
Application
Eligible students may request an A&S COVID-19 Program Completion Award by completing the A&S COVID-19 Program Completion Award Form (PDF) and submitting it to their Graduate Coordinator and Supervisor.