Financial Support

The demands of graduate school are heavy enough without the added stress of tuition, rent and other living expenses. Explore the financial support available to students below.

In order to help you calculate an accurate estimate of how much funding you will need to pay for tuition, fees, housing,food and many other necessities for a 12-month academic year, please use the Graduate Student Affordabilty Calculator.

Financial Support for Master’s and Doctoral Domestic Students and Doctoral International Students

Effective September 1, 2022, the Department of Biology guarantees a minimum annual stipend of $26,091.46. per year to all full-time MSc and PhD domestic graduate students and PhD international graduate students for their normal program duration (two years for Master’s students, four years for Doctoral students, five years for students who transfer to the Doctoral program from the Master’s program). This annual stipend is normally comprised of three components (1) Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) from September 1st through April 30th, (2) Western Graduate Research Scholarship, and (3) a summer stipend from the supervisor (GRA). Funding for major scholarship holders differs and is noted below.

The funding below applies to students paid through Western Accounts.  Students funded by their supervisor through affiliate institutions from non-Western accounts may have some of their funding (excluding GTA and the Western Graduate Research Scholarship) administered on a different pay schedule as subject to different pay mechanisms at the affiliate institutions.

First, the total GTA rate for 2022/2023 is $13,750.46 (subject to source deductions) based on a full GTA of 10 hours/week over two terms. All GTAs are expected to be on campus and available to GTA from September 1 through April 30. Students assigned a full GTA in both the fall and winter terms receive approximately $1,718.81 on the second last business day for the months of September through April. This money is deposited directly into the student’s personal bank account, provided automatic deposits are set up. Second, students who are admitted with and maintain a cumulative average of 70% receive a Western Graduate Research Scholarship (WGRS) of $4,536.00 per year. At the beginning of each eligible term (i.e. January, May, September), $1,512.00 is applied to their University of Western Ontario tuition account offsetting the tuition balance.  The student is responsible for paying the remaining tuition and fees balance. Third, the student’s supervisor provides a summer stipend of $7,805.00 effective May 2023, with $1,951.25 being paid out on the second last business day of May through August 2023. Summer stipends are deposited directly into the student’s personal bank account, provided automatic deposits are set up.

For information on compensation, employment deductions, as well as federal and provincial income tax, please see Western Funding.

Financial Support for MSc International Graduate Students

Effective September 1, 2022, the Department of Biology guarantees a minimum annual stipend of $37,921.46 per year to full-time MSc international graduate students for their normal program duration (two years). This $37,921.46 annual stipend is normally comprised of four components (1) Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) from September 1 through April 30, (2) Western Graduate Research Scholarship (WGRS), (3) a summer stipend from the supervisor (GRA), and (4) an International Stipend Differential (GRA). Funding for major scholarship holders differs and is noted “Financial Support for Major Scholarship Holders” below. 

The funding below applies to students paid through Western Accounts.  Students funded by their supervisor through affiliate institutions from non-Western accounts may have some of their GRA funding administered on a different pay schedule as subject to different pay mechanisms at the affiliate institutions.

Financial Support for Major Scholarship Holders

Graduate students who hold a major scholarship, such as the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) or Canadian Graduate Scholarship are often eligible for additional funding, delivered in the form of an increased Western Graduate Research Scholarship (WGRS) payment. This is referred to as a WGRS top-up and is in the amount of $1,000 per term for the eligible duration of the scholarship (limited by the student’s program fundable period). 

This WGRS top-up is applied directly to the tuition for the appropriate terms. Major scholarship holders do not typically receive any summer stipend from their supervisor, as the scholarship covers the department’s minimum stipend obligation, and they are eligible (but not guaranteed) to hold a half GTA position each year if available.

A Note on Teaching Assistantships

Teaching experience is an essential component of graduate education. Thus, all students admitted to our graduate program must complete at least one half GTA-ship (i.e. 70 hours total) as part of their degree requirements. Students not holding a major scholarship are guaranteed a full GTA (10 hours per week for two terms, or 280 hours total) each year to contribute to their minimum stipend during their normal program duration. These students are expected to hold their GTA from September 1 through April 30. If a student cannot be on campus during the fall and winter terms to meet their GTA obligation, they must seek approval from their supervisor, who must cover the missed GTA portion of their minimum stipend. Major scholarship holders are eligible to hold a half GTA (5 hours per week for two terms, or 140 hours total) if available and contingent upon their supervisor's approval. These students may elect not to hold a GTA in any given term, but must complete at least one half GTA-ship (70 hours total) during their program in order to graduate.