Financial Support and Funding Policy

Financial Support and Funding Policy for Graduate Students

The Department of French, Italian and Spanish is committed to providing adequate funding to national and international students admitted into the MA and PhD programs.

The department grants research awards and scholarships such as FGSS (Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarships) and EPE (Advanced Education Award for Language Learning Enhancement) to students on the basis of academic merit. Graduate students are also eligible to apply for Graduate Assistantships (Teaching/Non-Teaching) to teach labs and tutorials, and Graduate Assistantships (Trust) offered by individual faculty members.

All eligible students are expected to apply for the annual Open Scholarship, SSHRC/CAGS, and External Awards competitions offered through the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

A unique feature of the Department’s graduate programs is the opportunity to gain teaching experience with beginner and/or intermediate level language courses.

Graduate Students are strongly encouraged to apply for all Sessional Teaching assignments.[i] If successful with a teaching application, a student’s potential for financial support will be maximized. Fall and Winter Sessional Teaching assignments are considered as part of the funding offered to students by the Department.  Limited teaching opportunities also exist for Spring and Summer Terms.

The Department may choose to provide financial support for MA students during the first 20 months of their program, and to PhD students during the first 44 months, provided they maintain reasonable progress toward completion of their degree.  The department reserves the right to withdraw funding if graduate students moves from a full-time, thesis-based program to a course-based degree program.  A case may be made for additional funding beyond these time periods in unique circumstances. Part-time students are not eligible for funding.

The department offers the following funding to the best MA and PhD candidates.  The funding package takes into consideration program fees students will be required to pay and/or external funding from granting agencies:

Program Fees (First year MA & First/Second year PhD)

1.      Top-ranked students who are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants may receive between $17,150 - $18,650) (Program Fees for 2010-11 are $5,439.90).

2.      International students may receive between $23,500 - $25,200 (Program Fees for 2010-11 are $12,347.34).

Continuing fees (Second year MA & Third/Fourth year PhD)

3.      Students who are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants may receive between $13,500 - $15,000 (Continuing Fees for 2010-11 are $1,582.68).

4.      International students will receive between $16,000 - $17,500 (Continuing Fees for 2010-11 are $3,591.90).

Not only is it an honour to receive a national scholarship award, but it will also benefit one’s future career. Students are highly encouraged to apply since such awards will not only enhance one’s academic profile but also offer more substantial financial support. Acquisition of external awards strengthens the entire program, improving the program’s reputation and freeing up funding for students ineligible for external funding. Should a student win an external scholarship valued at $6,000 or more (i.e, Open Scholarship, SSHRC/CGS, external awards), the Department will normally adjust its initial offer of funding.

 International Fee Differential Policy

The Department of French, Italian and Spanish follows the "Principles and Procedures Guiding Use of Graduate Student Visa Differential Revenue - April 2004" provided by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Specifically, in all cases where the student (or his/her supervisor on his/her behalf) is paying visa differential fees, the differential fee amount is returned to the said student, supervisor or department. The differential fee will be returned to the student in the form of a special scholarship. The visa differential fees for a student whose fees have been paid by a foreign government, employer (other than their supervisor), or corporation, will be retained by the Department for graduate student support. Both Canadian and international students will be eligible for this support.

 March 8, 2011