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Funding Your Studies

Minimum Stipend

Graduate students in CBS who undertake a research-based thesis on a full-time basis are guaranteed a minimum salary or stipend. Currently, the minimum stipend (effective Fall 2025) is $24,259 per year for a full-time MSc student and $28,259 per year for a full-time PhD student (full details below). This stipend includes one Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) appointment in CBS per year, with the balance of funds provided through a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA), which comes from your supervisor’s research funds, and/or scholarship funding. 

The following guide provides a detailed breakdown of the sources of funds that comprise a student’s stipend, how long you can expect to receive funding, and examples of how different types of scholarships will affect your total funding package:

Please note that the HHS four-semester coursework program offers one GTA for four semesters of study. No GTAs or stipends are guaranteed for other coursework master's programs.

Stipends do not include tuition.  Students are responsible for all tuition and compulsory fees. 

Scholarships and Awards

Several scholarships and awards are available to students with a strong academic background and research potential. These scholarships differ in sponsor (e.g., University of Guelph, CBS, government, external organizations) as well as amount, eligibility requirements, and disciplinary area of research, among other criteria. Please note, however, that the majority of scholarships and awards are for full-time students in a thesis-based program.

We have prepared a Scholarship Handbook to help you navigate all these opportunities! Please download the Handbook and consult it before and during your grad studies in CBS. The following are examples of major scholarships (and their deadlines) that CBS students are eligible for:

Major Scholarships

In addition to these major scholarships, please do not forget to check out the minor scholarship that we highlight in our Scholarship Handbook. Several smaller awards specific to a department or research areas often get very few applicants, so it is worth perusing the awards list carefully. As is the case with major awards, most minor awards are also meant to support thesis students. It is also a good idea to have a conversation with your advisor about scholarships to make sure you strategically plan your applications.

On top of the scholarships mentioned in our Handbook, there are also other significant external scholarships that support specific fields of study (e.g., Cancer Research Society, Brain Canada), so we suggest you actively and frequently search for these opportunities.

Please note that current and prospective applicants are responsible for checking sponsor websites for the most up-to-date information regarding eligibility, deadlines, and tenability with other awards. We encourage you to search the University of Guelph Graduate Award database and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website to double check deadlines and application process and requirements.

Important: Stipends and scholarships do not include tuition. Students are responsible for all tuition and associated fees, which must be paid in full at the start of each semester or via payment plan. See Student Financial Services for current tuition rates and instructions on payment.

Travel Grants

Graduate students usually attend one or more conferences each year, whether it is to present their research or network and connect with others in their field. Naturally, questions around the availability of travel grants will come up! Unfortunately, there are not many travel grants offered at the graduate level, so here are some options to help you navigate this issue:

  1. Talk to your advisor: Your advisor might have some grant funding they can provide. Before you ask, however, make sure you do your due diligence: prepare a budget including registration, transport, and meal costs so you can have a clear idea of your financial needs. Another great idea is to talk to your labmates and see if there are opportunities for carpooling or sharing accommodations that could make the trip more feasible. Some advisors might agree to cover expenses if you are presenting or if you will bring back some specific knowledge or skill that you can teach to other lab members. Make sure you discuss all these points with your advisor and lab members!
  2. Search the Grad Awards Database: We do our best to keep the Scholarship Handbook updated, but things happen fast and opportunities might come and go. Always check this tool, filtering by college and type of funding (i.e. travel). The MCB Plant Science Travel Grant and the Arthur Latornell Graduate Travel Grants are options for MCB and IB students, respectively. For longer travels (more than 2 months), U of G Travel Grants are available. Starting in 2024, the Braithwaite Conference Travel Grant can also cover expenses associated with attending and presenting at conferences.
  3. Apply for a GSA Travel Grant: The Graduate Student Association (GSA) offers travel grants. Graduate students can get up to $500 after they come back from their travels. For details, check their website.
  4. Inquire with conference organizations and professional associations: Some conferences and professional associations offer funding relief for students and postdocs, so this is something to consider when you're deciding which conference to attend. For example, the Canadian Cancer Society, North American Dipterists Society, Canadian Society of Zoologists, Canadian Association for Neuroscience, Canadian Society for Biomechanics, Canadian Society of Plant Biologists, among others, have provided funding in recent years. As another example, COESP offers support to travel to teaching and learning conferences. We recommend you explore opportunities in your field.
  5. For CGS and Vanier scholarship holders, consider the CGS Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements: these supplements support high-calibre Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences at research institutions abroad. 

International Students

International students' tuition is significantly higher than domestic students' tuition — please see details on the cost of living and tuition for graduate students.

To support international PhD students and help offset this difference in tuition, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) has established the International Doctoral Tuition Scholarship (IDTS). IDTS is automatically awarded to doctoral students admitted to a full-time program with a minimum 80% (A-) admission average, and who are billed at international tuition rates. IDTS is valued at $12,500 per year for up to four years (12 semesters) and students must remain registered full-time and maintain satisfactory progress for the duration of the scholarship in order to maintain funding.  As per CBS's Minimum Stipend guidelines (see “Guide to Graduate Student Stipends”  above), students who hold IDTS do not have their stipends reduced for having a major scholarship.

All full-time PhD students (both international and domestic) entering their 13th full-time equivalent semester will be charged at a rate 50% of regular tuition. Compulsory fees remain unchanged. 

For international masters students, the International Masters Tuition Scholarship - Course-based (IMTS-CB) and the International Masters Tuition Scholarship Thesis-Based (IMTS-TB) are available. These scholarships, however, are only available to master's students who completed their undergraduate degrees at U of G. For more details on eligibility and tenability, please see the information links above. 

International graduate students are also eligible for other major competitive scholarships (e.g.,  Canada Graduate Research Scholarship-Doctoral, Brock Doctoral Scholarship, Arrell Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Morwick Scholarships in Aquatic Biology) as well as needs-based bursaries. Please consult the CBS Scholarship Handbook referenced on this page or the Graduate Award Search Tool to explore funding opportunities.

About

The College of Biological Science is a globally recognized academic faculty with a mission to expand the understanding of life, from DNA to cells to complex ecosystems. It produces intrepid and interdisciplinary research in a student-centred learning environment that encourages and promotes comprehensive understanding of the systems that govern life.