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.

Some funding is awarded to you upon entry into a program, some is based on recommendations from the program that is admitting you, and others you must apply for yourself, either to The University of Western Ontario or to an external funding agency.

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.

Western Funding

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities offers generous Western Graduate Research Scholarships (WGRS) to incoming and continuing MA and PhD candidates in Philosophy. In addition, the Philosophy Department gives a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) to each MA student and every PhD student who does not receive a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA). The Department may offer GRAs to PhD students in their 4th year of study. GRAs allow students to focus exclusively on their own research, while GTAs give them experience in grading, running tutorials, or counseling undergraduate students. Teaching an entire course is also an opportunity that the Department offers to PhD students.

MA and PhD students hold both a WGRS and a GTA or GRA. For 2009-2010, the estimated worth of a GTA or GRA is $9,464. For 2009-2010, the estimated worth of a WGRS ranges from $3,736 (for MAs) to $8,536 (for PhDs) for Canadian students, and from $11,036 (for MAs) to $15,536 (for PhDs) for International students. Winners of major external awards (Ontario Graduate Scholarships or SSHRC Fellowships) hold a GTA or a GRA, but not the WGRS. They also may receive top-up funds from the Department. Full-time MA students receive three terms (one full year) of support, while PhD students (assuming satisfactory progress through the program) are supported for twelve terms (four years).

Fees are paid in three installments in the fall, winter, and summer terms. For more information on fees, please consult the Office of the Registrar.

In addition, there are Donor Funded Awards available to graduate students within the Department. Donor Funded Awards are made possible by generous donations from alumni, corporations, foundations and other friends of Western in support of student scholarship. Most graduate award recipients are selected by nomination or competitions internal to the graduate program. For a comprehensive listing of all current donor funded awards available to graduate history  students at Western, please visit our Donor Funded Award Search.

External Funding

All students are encouraged to apply for Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants. PhD students in particular are expected to apply for these scholarships, 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.

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program
osap.gov.on.ca

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program is jointly funded between the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and matched funding through donations to The University of Western Ontario. The Ontario Graduate Scholarships are designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies at the master's and doctoral levels.

Annual Value: $10,000 to $15,000

Deadline for Application: The application deadline is set by your home department.

Eligibility to Apply:

  • Plan to be enrolled full-time in a graduate program at an Ontario university
  • Canadian citizen, permanent resident or an international student studying on a study permit
  • A- (80%) average over the last two years of study if less than two years of graduate work OR the cumulative graduate average, if more than two years
  • Have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of four years of government-funded awards including OGS, and awards from CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

How to Apply: Online application

Tools for submitting a successful application:

Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
www.sshrc.ca

The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Master’s Canada Graduate Scholarships programs seek to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly-qualified personnel in the social sciences and humanities.

Annual Value: $17,500 to $35,000

Deadline for Application: The application deadline is set by your home department.

Eligibility to Apply:

  • Masters Competition:
    • Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
    • 1st class (A- or 80%) average in EACH of the last 2 years of study
    • Must be applying for support of first graduate degree and have completed no more than 12 months of study
    • Must not have previously received a master's level award from SSRHC, NSERC or CIHR
  • Doctoral Competition:
    • Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada
    • Must be applying for support of first PhD
    • Be pursuing doctoral studies (or a combined MA/PhD)
    • Must not have previously received a doctoral level award from SSRHC, NSERC or CIHR

How to Apply: Online application

View the 2010/2011 SSHRC presentation (.ppt)

Tips for submitting a good application:

  • Follow instructions: font size, margins, page limits etc.
  • Clear concise writing
  • Proofread for spelling, grammar
  • Provide needed documentation
  • Choose respondents with care
  • Be aware of deadlines

Scholarship Winners

2008 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration) 1
3 CGS 4 P. Clipsham (D), S. Foskett (D), M. Kao (M)
2 SSHRC 2 K. Paxman, R. Samaroo + A. Binik (unfunded) 7
14 OGS 3 C. Armstrong, A. Barth, B. Baumgaertner, D. Carere, S. Coughlin, M. Doan, S. Foskett, T. Kerr, B. Lawson, N. McGinnis, K. Paxman, L. Sangster, R. Sirkel, M. Tait

2007 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
3 CGS B. Baumgaertner (M), T. Bieber (M), J. Overton (D)
2 SSHRC A. Barth, S. Lublink, + K. Paxman (unfunded)
11 OGS A. Barth, A. Beldan, M. Doan, J. Epp, R. Ethier, L. Lamoureux, N. McGinnis, R. Parker, K. Paxman, L. Sangster, M. Tait

2006 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
2 CGS C. Armstrong (M), R. Poproski (D)
3 SSHRC S. Bland (2 yr), R. Moir (2 yr), J. Watt (2 yr)
13 OGS A. Barth, A. Beldan, S. Bland, E. Cheng, K. Chung, G. Doherty, R. Ethier, M. Hebert, S. Keith, R. Moir, R. Poproski, A. Porter, J. Watt
1 FQRSC 6 N. Fillion (3 yr)

2005 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
2 CGS I. Brooks (D), R. Poproski (M)
3 SSHRC K. Chung, S. Dea (2 yr), B. Lawson (3 yr)
12 OGS S. Bland, I. Brooks, E. Cheng, K. Chung, S. Dea, G. Doherty, B. Lawson, S. Lublink, D. Palmieri, A. Porter, Z. Silver, J. Watt

2004 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
4 CGS J. Epp (D), N. Fawcett (D), L. Pelot (M), S. Rose (M)
10 OGS A. Auch, I. Brooks, R. Bluhm, S. Costreie, K. Chung, G. Doherty, N. Fawcett, S. Lublink, C. Ng, D. Palmieri
1 Chevening5 D. McDonald

2003 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
1 CGS A. Auch (M)
4 SSHRC R. Bluhm, D. Gani (2 yr), P. Kuchar (3 yr), D. McDonald (4 yr)
11 OGS A. Auch, R. Bluhm, D. Boutillier, D. Brown, S. Costreie, S. Dea, N. Fawcett, D. Gani, M. Krishnamurthy, C. Lacroix, B. Stoyles

2002 Recipients

Number Awarded Scholarship Recipients (Duration)
2 SSHRC G. Andres (4 yr), C. Lacroix
11 OGS G. Doherty, N. Fawcett, D. Gani, R. Gildert, B. Grynspan, C. Klatt, G. Lavers, C. Lacroix, L. Meynell, L. Ritchie, B. Stoyles

1 Scholarships are held for one year, unless otherwise specified.

2 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship

3 Ontario Graduate Scholarship

4 Canada Graduate Scholarship: 2 categories - Master's (M) introduced in 2003, Doctoral (D) introduced in 2004

5 Robert T. Jones Jr. British Chevening Scholarship

6 Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture

7 In 2007 SSHRC introduced this category to recognize quality applications that were not granted funding
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