Financial Support

Applicants are advised to consult the School of Graduate Studies web page (www.sgs.utoronto.ca) for the most up-to-date information on financial support and fees.

Summary of Guaranteed Funding

Eligible students for graduate study in Geology who are guaranteed funding include:

• one year - M.Sc. or the M.A.Sc doctoral stream program  
• four years - Ph.D. program after completion of a M.Sc. or M.A.Sc.
• five years - direct entry to the Ph.D. program after completion of a B.Sc. or B.A.Sc.

The funding consists of a base stipend plus an amount to cover tuition and fees.  The stipend rates for 2008-2009 are as follows:

• $17,000 base stipend plus $7,156 tuition and fees for total minimum funding of $24,156

In addition:

• International (visa) students are provided with additional funding to cover the full costs of the fee differential for foreign nationals (for 2008-2009, the fee differential is $8,527, meaning total funding of $32,683).
• Holders of major external scholarships receive financial top-ups ($2,500 for NSERC, $1,000 for OGS/OGSST) above the guaranteed minimums defined above.

These figures represent the levels of guaranteed minimum funding. In many cases, the individual supervisor of the graduate student will provide extra financial support on top of the guaranteed minimum.

Teaching Assistantships

Most students not  holding an NSERC or OGS scholarship are required to apply for a TA, which insome cases may necessarily be found in cognate departments outside of Geology.  Because a TA is considered as an integral part of the guaranteed funding packages extended to non-scholarship students, failure to apply for and obtain a TA position can jeopardise guaranteed fuding. A student who refuses a TA assignment that is offered as part of the funding package relinquishes t he corresponding funding that the TA provides.

The number of hours to be worked as a TA is about 150-160 hours per academic year.

Research Assistantships

These are funded directly from supervisor research accounts. In addition to University-mandated enrolment quotas, the availability of RA funds is one of the main factors that places limits on the number of students that can be admitted to the Department. The value of a RA is set at the level required, together with the TA, plus any scholarship the student has been awarded, to bring eligible students' income over the 12 month academic year up to the guaranteed minimum. 

Other Funding Sources

Some of the external sources for a guaranteed funding package of each student include:

• NSERC


• OGS scholarships

Students are encouraged to apply for external scholarships such as NSERC Postgraduate Scholarshipand Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).In addition to being financially beneficial in the short-term, scholarships provide enduring long-term documentation of meritorious academic and research performance. Important information relating to deadlines and application dates (e.g., in the fall, for NSERC and OGS) will be posted on the website. All applications and supporting documents are to be submitted to Lynn Slotkin slotkin@geology.utoronto.ca,
There are a number of major internal scholarships (>$15,000 per year) that are administered by the Department of Geology. However, these are normally awarded after a student has been admitted for graduate studies. Please refer to the Graduate Handbook for more details on the types of funding sources for graduate studies in Geology.