Graduate Financial Support
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:
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Western Funding - Provided directly by department, faculty or the University, these types of funding are distributed to students on a term by term basis.
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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 basic graduate student funding package is a combination of Graduate Teaching Assistant salary (which requires being at the university during the academic year) and the supplementary WGRS (Western Graduate Research Scholarship). This is provided to all M.A. students maintaining a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 78%, and to all Ph.D. students who have not acquired outside funding, and who maintain a G.P.A. of 78%. Ph.D. students should be aware that the university and the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research cannot offer funding beyond the fourth year.
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.
Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
2013-14 Competition Information
Since 1975, the Ontario government, in partnership with Ontario's publicly assisted universities, has encouraged excellence in graduate studies at the master's and doctoral levels through the awarding of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). OGS awards are merit-based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of graduate study. These scholarships each have a maximum value of $15,000, or $5,000 per term for either 2 or 3 consecutive terms.
All current graduate students and all applicants to our graduate program should apply for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship if they are eligible.*
Those who will be applying to our MA or PhD program, please note: You must first complete and submit your application to our MA or PhD program through OUAC, the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, whose key function is the processing of applications for admission to the province’s universities (see our Application Information page). Once OUAC receives your completed application and application fee, they forward the application to Western. This triggers the creation of your unique Western Graduate Identity (user ID and password), which you will need in order to access to the OGS application at Western.
Please note that the deadline for submission of program applications for the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research through OUAC is January 31 and the OGS deadline is February 1. This means that you should plan to complete and submit your program application well in advance of the deadline so as to give yourself plenty of time to submit the OGS application by its deadline.
- Eligibility:
To be considered for an OGS at Western, an applicant must, among other things:
- be a current graduate student or active graduate applicant at Western
- be registered full time in a graduate degree program at the start date of the award.
- have an overall average of at least 80% (A-)
- have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of two (2) OGS awards held to support a master's degree, nor exceeded the lifetime maximum of four (4) OGS awards held to support a PhD degree,nor have exceeded the overall lifetime maximum of six (6) OGS awards held.
- have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) government-funded awards
- may be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or international student on a study permit
For complete eligibility and application information, please see the following:
- http://grad.uwo.ca/news/ogs.html
- http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/student_finances/funding_opportunities.html
(Scroll down to External Funding and click on “Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and QEIIGSST”
OGS Application Handbook for step by step instructions
To begin your OGS application, please click here: 
Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
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