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 2023–24 A&S minimum financial support package is $28,214 for the humanities & social sciences, $28,714 for the sciences[2]. This minimum financial support package includes funding toward tuition and fees and will increase by $500 in 2024–25. As the table below shows, many graduate units provide enhanced packages that exceed the A&S minimum financial support package. These amounts do not include Program-Level Fellowship funds.

Department Years of Funding Minimum Financial Support Package
Name Master's PhD PhD Direct Entry Actual 2023–24 Estimated 2024–25
Anthropology 1 4 5 28,214 28,714
Art 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 4 5 36,464 36,964
Cell and Systems Biology[3] 1 4 5 30,714 31,214
Chemistry 1 4 5 37,114 37,614
Cinema Studies 1 4 0 29,714 29,714
Classics 1 4 5 35,214 35,214
Comparative Literature 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Computer Science 1.33 3.67 5 28,714 29,214
Criminology and Sociolegal Studies 0 5 0 28,214 28,714
Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies 0.5 4.5 5 28,214 28,714
Earth Sciences[4] 1 4 5 35,214 35,214
East Asian Studies 0 5 5 33,214 33,214
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 1 4 5 33,214 33,214
Economics 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
English 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
French Language and Literature 0.5 4.5 5 28,214 28,714
Geography and Planning 1 4 5 28,214 28,714
Germanic Languages and Literatures 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
History 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
History & Philosophy of Science & Technology 1 4 5 28,214 28,714
Industrial Relations and Human Resources 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Italian Studies 0.5 4.5 5 28,214 28,714
Linguistics 1 4 5 28,214 28,714
Mathematics 1 4 5 30,714 31,214
Medieval Studies 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Philosophy[5] 1 4 5 29,214 29,714
Physics 1 4 5 36,714 37,214
Political Science 0 5 5 28,214 28,714
Psychology 1 4 5 33,214 33,214
Religion 0 5 0 28,214 28,714
Slavic Languages and Literatures 1 4 0 28,214 28,714
Sociology 1 4 5 28,214 28,714
Spanish 1 4 0 28,214 28,714
Statistical Sciences 0 5 5 31,244 31,244
Women and Gender Studies 1 4 5 28,214 28,714

  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 $31,214 for 2023–24.
  4. The Earth Sciences minimum amount shown above is for the MSc program only. The PhD minimum is $38,214 for 2023–24.
  5. The Philosophy minimum amount shown above is for the MA program only. The PhD minimum is $34,214 for 2023–24.