Student Finances

As one of Canada's leading research institutions, we place great importance on helping you finance your education. While at Western, you will want to devote your full energy to the successful completion of your studies, so we want to ensure that stable funding is available to you.

There are two main types of funding available to graduate students:
  • Western Funding - Provided directly by department, faculty or the University, these types of funding are distributed to students on a term by term basis.
  • External Funding - Awarded by federal, provincial and private agencies, to students who apply for scholarships and awards in annual competitions to support graduate study the following academic year.  Major scholarship competitions are run through the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

All students in the Ph.D. program who are within their expected completion time are guaranteed a minimum of full tuition (excluding fees) (whether domestic or international) plus an additional $18,200 per year. All students in the research-based M.Sc. program who are within their expected completion time are guaranteed a minimum of full domestic tuition (excluding fees) plus an additional $16,000 per year. All graduate students who are offered TA positions are covered by the collective agreement between the university and PSAC Local 610. Funding guarantees for all students are conditional upon the student meeting normal progression requirements and maintaining a 78% average or higher.

Students in the project-based M.Sc. are not funded.

Tuition

Information about the tuition and ancillary fees charged to both domestic and international students can be found on the Registrar's website. Tuition is charged by term, and there are three terms of four months apiece in the graduate year. Fall (Sept-Dec), Winter (Jan-April) and Summer (May-Aug).

2022-2023 Fees (Note: Official fee breakdown can be found on Registrar's website)

FALL CDN Int'l PhD Int'l master's
tuition 2,355.67 2,355.67 5,963.00
Organization Fee 36.85 36.85 36.85
SOGS Health & Dental Plan 590.96 590.96 590.96
Bus Pass 80.03 80.03 80.03
Ombudsperson 1.12 1.12 1.12
Community Legal 1.87 1.87 1.87
UCC Operating Fee 10.81 10.81 10.81
bldg & endow 26.88 26.88 26.88
Univ 167.37 167.37 167.37
UHIP   208 208
total 3,271.56 3,479.56 7,086.89
WINTER & SUMMER CDN Int'l PhD Int'l master's
tuition 2,355.67 2,355.67 5,963.00
Organization Fee 36.85 36.85 36.85
SOGS Health & Dental Plan      
Bus Pass 80.03 80.03 80.03
Ombudsperson 1.12 1.12 1.12
Community Legal 1.87 1.87 1.87
UCC Operating Fee 10.81 10.81 10.81
bldg & endow 26.88 26.88 26.88
Univ 167.37 167.37 167.37
UHIP   208 208
total 2,680.60 2,888.60 6,495.93

Western Funding

The Department currently strives to ensure that all regular graduate students receive a minimum salary typically composed of monies paid for work as a Teaching Assistant (TA), supplemented by Western Graduate Research Scholarships and funds from the supervisor's research funds. Teaching Assistant pay rates are available here.

All qualifying international Ph.D. students are paid a fee differential to offset the high cost of international tuition. The total tuition payable for international Ph.D. students is set the same as a domestic Ph.D. student once funding has been applied.

The project-based Masters in Geology or Geophysics is not funded.

An agreement between the University and PSAC Local 610 specifies that students in the regular M.Sc. program are guaranteed two full years funding, and that Ph.D. students are guaranteed four full years funding, provided satisfactory academic standards and progress are maintained. Students whose studies continue beyond two years (M.Sc. program) or four years (Ph.D. program) are classified by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies as being non-fundable, and as such, will not receive TA or other supplemental funding. International students receiving an international fee waiver, will, upon reaching this point, be required to pay full international student tuition fees.

Supervisors generally 'top up' TA and other funding sources to the Departmental recommended minimum annual salary, and some supervisors provide funding above this level. Summer support for field or laboratory expenses is generally provided through the supervisor's research grants.

External Funding

All eligible students are encouraged to apply for Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST) grants. Eligible Ph.D. students are required to apply for these scholarships by university policy, not merely because of the financial advantage but also because grant-writing is an essential part of academic training, and success in acquiring grants will be essential to finding employment in the highly competitive academic job market. Major scholarship competitions are run through the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.