Fees & funding

• Tuition fees
• Financial assistance
• Awards & bursaries
• Assistantships
• Academic Income Suplements
• Career Services
• Co-operative education programs
• Fellowships
• Granting agencies & granting awards
• Travel grants
• Work Study

Tuition Fees

Information concerning graduate student’s tuition and ancillary fees can be found on the Registrar’s website.

Financial Assistance

The Student Awards and Financial Aid website is full of information on needs-based bursaries and student loans.

Awards & Bursaries

Bursaries are non-repayable awards based on financial need and reasonable academic standing. Only one application is necessary to be considered for all bursaries that are administered by Student Awards and Financial Aid. Generally, a student who has completed a General Bursary Application form will be considered for all applicable awards. Application deadlines are June 1st for the Summer Session (May - August) and October 15th for Winter Session (September - April). Visit the Student awards and financial aid web page to check on your eligibility.

Academic units advertise awards, bursaries, and scholarships which are specific to its student population. These are often externally funded merit-based or needs-based awards. Each award usually has an individual application process.

View an alphabetical list of all graduate awards and bursaries.

Read the graduate awards regulations (PDF, 18KB)

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Assistantships

Graduate students may apply through the Department concerned for paid employment as a Teaching Assistant (TA), Research Assistant (RA), Scientific Assistant, or Laboratory Instructor. Such employment is negotiated through the Department concerned, not through the Faculty of Graduate Studies, at rates of pay determined by the University. Students appointed as Teaching and/or Research Assistants may also be recommended by their departments to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for an Academic Income Supplement (AIS).

TAs and RAs are not necessarily governed by the same processes. Individual faculty members with external research grants may employ graduate students as research assistants (RAs). The details of these appointments (salary, hours, etc.) are worked out between the individual graduate student and the faculty member. TAs are covered by a collective agreement between CUPE local 4163 and UVic. More information for TAs can be found on the Learning and Teaching Centre site.

Academic Income Supplements (AIS)

Students who are employed in positions as described above may receive a subsidy (AIS) from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This is under the jurisdiction of the academic unit’s Graduate Adviser, who applies for supplements after all appointments are confirmed. Working as a TA or RA does not necessarily guarantee a student will receive an AIS. Follow up questions concerning the AIS should be directed to individual units, not to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Career Services

UVic’s Career Services is the place to go for all matters pertaining to career planning and job searching. They manages "The Work Wall" which posts student and graduate jobs. These include on- and off-campus positions, part-time, full-time, summer, and new graduate positions.

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Co-operative education programs

The term "Co-operative Education" emphasizes the relationship between the employer, the student and the University of Victoria. Some UVic departments and schools at the University of Victoria participate in graduate Co-operative Education which integrates periods of full-time employment with the academic program. Some graduate programs include co-op as a mandatory component of the program; others include co-op as an optional component. Consult the departmental entries in the grad calendar to see if your academic unit offers a co-op option.

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Fellowships

The Faculty of Graduate Studies may award University of Victoria Fellowships of up to $15,000 (Master's) and $18,000 (PhD) may be awarded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies to students of high academic standing registered full time in the Faculty as candidates or provisional candidates for a degree. All new applicants are evaluated for University of Victoria Fellowships. The minimum standard required for consideration is an A-. Grade calculations and equivalencies are determined by the Graduate Admissions and Records OfficeThe Graduate Admissions and Records Office determines grade calculations and equivalencies. Applicants who have all materials submitted to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office by February 15 will be guaranteed consideration for University of Victoria Graduate Fellowships. Completed applications received after February 15 may be considered at the discretion of individual academic units.

The competition for University of Victoria Fellowships is very intense. Meeting the minimum standard for consideration does not guarantee that a student will be successful in the competition. Follow up with your academic unit if you require more information.
Fellowship holders should read UVic’s Fellowship regulations (PDF, 29KB).

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Travel Grants

All full-time grad students are eligible to apply for a travel grant once a year (April 1—March 31). The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS), the Graduate Students’ Society (GSS), and the Vice President Research established the Graduate Student Travel Grant Fund to support travel to conferences, meetings, workshops, or research activities. Students are reimbursed for expenses upon return from travel. The FGS administers this fund, which is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible graduate students. Read the regulations and download the form (PDF, 41KB).

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Work Study

The Work Study program is funded by UVic and is designed to provide on-campus work experience for students requiring demonstrating financial need. UVic students who demonstrate financial need will be eligible to participate in the Work Study Program. The number of positions available is limited and so there is no guarantee of job placement for any qualified student who qualifies to participate in the program. Students may be hired and work in only one position at a time. Jobs under the program are administered according to internal policies and procedures established by the University of Victoria. For more information see the Registrar’s website.

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