Years of Funding, the A&S Minimum Financial Support Package and Graduate Unit Enhancements

Students in the funded cohort are eligible for financial support for up to five years of funding at a level which is equal to or exceeds the A&S minimum financial support package. Graduate units determine which years and which programs to fund. They may fund one or more years of the master’s program and may choose to fund a given year at 50%. If a program is funded, funding commences in the first session of registration in the program.[1]

Each graduate unit has a “funded cohort” that consists of:

  • The first year of a master’s program or the first four years of a PhD program (the “1 and 4” option), or
  • A 50% funded one-year master’s program and four fully funded years, plus one 50% funded year, of a PhD Program (the “0.5 and 4.5 option”), or
  • The first five years of a PhD program with an unfunded master’s program (the “0 and 5” option)
  • If a direct-entry option exists, the first five years of a direct-entry PhD program

In some instances, master’s students are funded up to 1.33 years, with the remainder of the funding applied to the PhD program. Funding always begins in the first session of registration in a funded program. The table below indicates each department’s funded cohort.

The 2024–25 A&S minimum financial support package is $30,102 for the humanities & social sciences, $30,602 for the sciences[2]. This minimum financial support package includes funding toward tuition and fees. As the table below shows, many graduate units provide enhanced packages that exceed the A&S minimum financial support package.

Department Years of Funding Minimum Financial Support Package
Name Master's PhD PhD Direct Entry 2024–25
Anthropology 1 4 5 30,102
Art 0 5 5 30,102
Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 4 5 41,352
Cell and Systems Biology[3] 1 4 5 34,002
Chemistry 1 4 5 39,002
Cinema Studies 1 4 0 31,602
Classics 1 4 5 35,352
Comparative Literature 0 5 5 30,102
Computer Science 1.33 3.67 5 30,602
Criminology and Sociolegal Studies 0 5 0 30,102
Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies 0.5 4.5 5 30,102
Earth Sciences[4] 1 4 5 37,002
East Asian Studies 0 5 5 30,102
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology[5] 1 4 5 39,002
Economics 0 5 5 30,102
English 0 5 5 30,102
French Language and Literature 0.5 4.5 5 30,102
Geography and Planning 1 4 5 30,102
Germanic Languages and Literatures 0 5 5 30,102
History 0 5 5 30,102
History & Philosophy of Science & Technology 1 4 5 30,102
Industrial Relations and Human Resources 0 5 5 30,102
Italian Studies 0.5 4.5 5 30,102
Linguistics 1 4 5 32,652
Mathematics 1 4 5 32,602
Medieval Studies 0 5 5 30,102
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations 0 5 5 30,102
Philosophy[6] 1 4 5 33,002
Physics 1 4 5 39,352
Political Science 0 5 5 30,102
Psychology 1 4 5 33,852
Religion 0 5 0 30,102
Slavic Languages and Literatures 1 4 0 30,102
Sociology 1 4 5 30,102
Spanish 1 4 0 30,102
Statistical Sciences 0 5 5 34,602
Women and Gender Studies 1 4 5 30,102

  1. Funding commences in the first session of registration in the program unless program design dictates otherwise. If program funding commences in year one, students cannot defer funding to a subsequent session or year.
  2. Tuition and fees vary depending on a student’s program of study, legal status, and campus affiliation.
  3. The Cell Systems Biology amount shown above is for the MSc program only. The PhD minimum is $36,852.
  4. The Earth Sciences minimum amount shown above is for the MSc program only. The PhD minimum is $39,352.
  5. The Ecology & Evolutionary Biology amount shown above is for the MSc program only. The PhD minimum is $42,352.
  6. The Philosophy minimum amount shown above is for the MA program only. The PhD minimum is $38,852.