Scholarships & Awards

Scholarship Resources

Please see the following links for more information on Scholarships available for Graduate students in the Department of English and Writing Studies. For Departmental deadlines, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Leanne Trask.

    1. Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
      For more information on OGS, see: https://grad.uwo.ca/finances/external_funding/ogs.html
    2. SSHRC
      For more information on Social Science and Humanities Research Council Scholarships (SSHRC), please see: https://grad.uwo.ca/finances/external_funding/sshrc/index.html. 
    3. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities Scholarships and Awards listing
      http://www.uwo.ca/arts/counselling/awards/grad.html
    4. Graduate English Society (GES) listing of Awards and Scholarships
      http://uwoges.wordpress.com/awards/
    5. Funding Opportunities from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
      http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/student_finances/funding_opportunities.html
    6. Donor Funded Awards Search
      A comprehensive listing of all current donor funded awards available to graduate students at Western http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/donorfundedawardsearch/

    Departmental Competitions

    Sara Marie Jones Memorial Scholarship in English

    This Scholarship, valued at $500, was made possible by generous donations from the family and friends of Sara Marie Jones, who was a graduate student pursuing research in English at Western. Establishment of the Scholarship occurred through the good offices of Foundation Western. The Scholarship is awarded annually to a first year PhD student. To be eligible to compete, students must have attained a minimum academic average in their PhD course-work of 80%. Competitors must submit one essay, which may be new material or previously-written material for a course taken in the graduate program at Western. Essay should not exceed fifteen pages double-spaced, twelve-point font.

    If you would like to be considered for this Scholarship, please submit one electronic copy and one hard copy of an essay (with name on the first page only) to the Graduate Office (UC 2401C) by TBA (early May).

    The Carl F. and Margaret E. Klinck Prize

    The Carl F. and Margaret E. Klinck Prize, worth $2,700, is awarded for outstanding work in a thesis in the field of Canadian Literature. The nominee must be in the fourth year of the PhD or beyond.

    If you are currently supervising or have recently supervised a candidate who qualifies for the award, please submit a letter of nomination that details the reasons for the nomination (e.g., quality of writing, excellence of research, originality of argument). In addition to the letter of nomination, the thesis abstract and a short excerpt from the dissertation (20-25 pages) must be submitted. If the candidate has defended the thesis, the external examiner's report will also be part of the adjudication process. Please also include a note over the candidate's signature authorizing the submission of the above materials. The Committee on Graduate Studies will make a decision based on the materials submitted. Please note that the terms of the award stipulate that a candidate can only be nominated once.

    The deadline for submission of letter of nomination, thesis abstract, thesis excerpt, and student authorization (along with the external examiner report, if applicable) is TBA (early April).

    The Dr. Betty Bandeen Graduate Award in English

    Awarded in odd years to a full-time graduate student in a Masters or Doctoral program in English, based on financial need and academic performance (minimum 78% average). Applications may be obtained from the Department of English and must be submitted by October 31. A committee in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, with representation by a current member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, will select the recipient. $1,900 (odd years).

    This competition will be held again in October 2023. A call for applications will go out early in the Fall.

    The McIntosh Prize

    The McIntosh Prize is an annual prize worth $900 awarded for the best public lecture given by a fourth-year PhD student on a topic growing out of his or her thesis.

    The purposes of this event are as follows:
    To confer an academic distinction upon an outstanding participant.
    To provide stimulation for all participants as they progress toward completion of their thesis work.
    To give experience in the skill of communicating scholarly research to a general audience.
    To strengthen solidarity among PhD Year 4 students (along with graduate students more generally), at a time in their progression when it is possible to feel somewhat isolated. You should therefore attend all lectures.

    Participation is mandatory for all fourth year PhD students, as it satisfies the SGPS requirement for a public lecture before submitting the thesis.

    Please submit the tentative title of your presentation to the Graduate Office (UC 2401C) by TBA (early April).

Arts & Humanities Research and Travel Awards

These awards have an annual call for application from the Dean's Office at the end of the fall term. In the call for applications, details on the application system and the electronic form are dispersed by the Dean's Office to all graduate students in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Applications are submitted once per year in January. Awards are adjudicated by the Dean's Office in varying amounts based on number of applications.

Graduate Thesis Research Awards

Funds for this award are provided jointly by the Office of the Vice-President (Research & International Relations) and the Faculty of Arts. The purpose of this award is to help support costs of research undertaken by graduate students at The University of Western Ontario that are directly related to the successful completion of their thesis/dissertation.

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Alumni Graduate Awards

Awarded to graduate students registered in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) and enrolled in any graduate program in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. These Fellowships will be awarded to graduate students in order to cover expenses incurred as a result of a need to consult archival material off campus, or to otherwise travel in the context of their research. Candidates must have maintained a minimum A- average and exhibit research ability or potential.

Mary Routledge Fellowships

Awarded to full-time graduate students registered in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) and enrolled in a graduate program in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities who can demonstrate financial need and are maintaining a minimum 80% average.

Lynne Lionel Scott Scholarships

Awarded to full-time graduate students registered in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) and enrolled in a graduate program in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities with a demonstrated interest in Canadian studies and a minimum average of 78% average. Doctoral candidates have priority, but Masters candidates are also eligible. The Scholarship will be used to support research in Canadian arts, culture, literatures, language, or philosophy.

Other Sources of Funding

GTA Funds through PSAC 610
Graduate students employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants can apply for funds through their union, PSAC 610. The union has both scholarships and funds for various student issues. These applications are accessed, applied and adjudicated entirely through the union. Please visit their website here for more information.

Graduate Student support through SOGS
Graduate students at Western are supported by the Society of Graduate Students. SOGS is the graduate student union and advocacy organization at Western. They offer a number of programs to support students in financial need, with childcare and travel. These funds are accessed, applied and adjucated entirely through SOGS. Please visit their website here for more information.