Financial support for LFS graduate students typically comes from one or more of the following sources: merit-based awards administered by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (including Affiliated Fellowships and LFS Departmental Awards), teaching and research assistantships, and direct awards from external agencies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Need-based funding in the form of bursaries and loans may also be available. More info.
Minimum Funding
All newly admitted graduate students in research-based MSc and PhD program are supported by a minimum funding package provided they maintain good academic standing.
MSc students: $16,000/year for 2 years
PhD students: $24,000 for each of the first 4 years
The funding package may consist of any combination of external or internal scholarships, fellowships, awards, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and/or income from other academically related work at UBC (e.g. graduate administrative assistantships, lectureships). Students are expected to be proactive in applying for awards and scholarships.
Need-Based Funding
Need-based funding refers to programs that provide eligible students who cannot meet basic education costs, usually based on their income, with financial assistance, e.g. loans, bursaries, and emergency funding. These funds originate from donors and provincial and federal governments. Need-based funding for graduate students is administered by Enrolment Services. DETAILS
Scholarships and Awards
The scholarship and fellowship programs administered by the Tri-Agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, have been streamlined into a new harmonized suite of awards called the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS). These include the following:
- Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D)
- Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M)
- Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA)
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral (CGRS D) program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.
NOTE: Students who submit an NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR award application are automatically considered for unrestricted Affiliated Fellowship awards and do not need to submit a separate Affiliated Fellowships application. To be considered for criteria-based Affiliated Fellowships, students must submit the criteria-based checklist to the LFS Graduate Office by the application deadline.
Annual Value: $40,000 per year
Duration: 36 months
Eligibility: Canadian, Permanent Resident and International PhD in research-based programs
- 4YF Holders are required to apply
Application Deadline: September 9, 2025, 12pm PST, via the Research Portal (all three application portals are now open)
IMPORTANT: Please email Lia Maria Dragan by September 1, 2025 if you intend to apply for the CGRS D.
New for 2026-27: International students are now eligible to apply for the CGRS D.
The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s (CGS M) program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.
NOTE: Canadian citizens and permanent residents are required to apply for the CGRS-M if eligible to do so.
Value: $27,000
Duration: 12 months
Eligibility: Canadian and Permanent Resident master’s students in research-based programs
Application Deadline: December, via the Research Portal
The Graduate Support Initiative is a program for funding graduate students through entrance scholarships, multi-year funding packages, tuition awards and scholarship top-ups.
Annual Value: Award amounts are determined by research-based program Graduate Advisors
Eligibilities
- Canadian, Permanent Resident and International students in research-based programs
- MSc and PhD, incoming & continuing students
Application note: Students do not apply for this funding, rather they are nominated by their supervisor and or program Graduate Advisor.
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship Program offers a three-year leadership program designed to train Engaged Leaders, equipping doctoral candidates with the skills to translate their ideas into action, for the betterment of their communities, Canada, and the world.
The Foundation welcomes applications from candidates across a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, in business schools, public health and law. Candidates’ research must be related to one or more of the Foundation’s four central themes: Human Rights and Dignity; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the World; and, People and their Natural Environment.
Value: Stipend up to $50,000 plus up to $20,000 in research and travel allowance per year for three years.
Eligibilities
- Canadian, Permanent Resident and International students in research-based programs
- PhD incoming & continuing students
Application Deadline: December
LFS administers over 50 research-based, graduate student-specific scholarships and awards of varying values ($75 – $30,000).
These scholarships and awards are generally awarded for academic achievement, but some may require achievement in other areas such as leadership, community service, performance in a specific course or area, or for some other specified characteristic. All students enrolled in LFS research-based graduate programs are considered for funding, as appropriate to their field and academic achievement. Graduate students in our professional programs (MFS, MFRE, MND, MLWS) will be notified directly of any awards they may be eligible for.
Departmental Awards are provided through endowments, annual funded awards, or Faculty funding. In order to acknowledge the contributions of our many donors, we strongly encourage all award winners to write a thank you letter and send it to the Awards inbox (awards.development@ubc.ca). These messages will be forwarded on the student’s behalf.
Students are required to submit an application packet to be considered for LFS Departmental Awards. Applications will be available in July. The majority of these awards are assigned by the end of September.
A number of University awards for the upcoming academic year are available to current and incoming graduate students.
Annual value: $150 – $16,000, with a few exceptions
Eligibility
- Canadian, Permanent Resident and International MSc and PhD students in research-based programs
- Incoming & continuing students
- Deadline: May
Fellowships
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers approximately 50 Affiliated Fellowships each year to meritorious doctoral and master’s students for full-time study and/or research leading to a graduate degree. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence.
The UBC Affiliated Fellowships Doctoral competition runs in concert with the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral Program (CGRS D)
Annual Value: $175 – $40,000
Application Deadline: September 9, 2025, 12pm PST
Eligibility: Canadian, Permanent Resident and International PhD in research-based programs
Application notes
- Students who submit an NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR award application are automatically considered for “unrestricted” Affiliated Fellowship awards and do not need to submit a separate Affiliated Fellowships application.
- Students who have submitted an NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR doctoral award application directly to the funding agency or to another Canadian University can submit an Affiliated Fellowship application.
- To be considered for “criteria-based” Affiliated Fellowships, students must submit the checklist of criteria-based affiliated fellowships to the LFS Graduate Office by the application deadline.
- If you are submitting a separate Affiliated Fellowship application, please note there are 3 distinct application forms, one for each in the following research areas:
- Health Sciences
- Natural Sciences and Engineering
- Social Sciences and Humanities
The UBC Affiliated Fellowships Master’s competition runs in concert with the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M)
Annual Value: $175 – $16,000
LFS internal application deadline: December
Eligibility: Canadian, Permanent Resident and International master’s students in research-based
programs
Application notes
- Students who are eligible for the CGS-M must submit a CGS-M application in order to additionally be considered for Affiliated funding.
- Master’s level Affiliated Fellowships Application form
The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) program will ensure UBC’s best PhD, DMA, and MDPhD students are provided with financial support of at least $18,200 per year plus tuition for up to four years of their doctoral studies. This program allows UBC to continue to attract and support outstanding domestic and international Doctoral students, and provide those students with stable, base-level funding for their Doctoral studies and research. The Faculty of Land and Food Systems awards up to five new 4YF’s a year to top-ranking PhD students.
Annual value: $18,200 plus full tuition
Eligibility
- Canadian, Permanent Resident and International PhD in research-based programs
- Incoming & continuing students*
*To be eligible for the 2026-2027 4YF competition, students must have:
- submitted a complete application to Graduate Studies for a September 2026 start date and are either pending a decision or have been accepted or
- been accepted for May 2026 or
- started their PhD program in January 2026 or
- completed no more than 12 months in their program
- if you started in September 2025 your 4YF can start in either May or September 2026
- if you started in May 2025, your 4YF must start in May 2026
Application form | Ranking Guidelines | Reference Form
Timeline
Early February: Supervisors and potential supervisors will be sent a list of eligible 4YF applicants and will begin soliciting applications.
Late February: Deadline to submit 4YF application and all supporting documents, including references.
The University of British Columbia offers multi-year fellowships to master’s and doctoral Indigenous students. Award winners are selected on the basis of academic merit through an annual competition administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Annual value
- Master’s students: $17,500 plus full tuition per year. Funding will be received until the end of the second year of master’s studies.
- PhD students: $25,000 plus tuition per year. Funding will be received for fours or until the end of the fifth year of doctoral studies, whichever comes first.
Eligibility:
- All Indigenous students are eligible to apply but priority is given to Indigenous students whose traditional territory falls, at least in part, within Canada.
- Incoming & continuing students
Application Deadline: February
The IGF also offers the following opportunities:
- Indigenous Graduate Fellowships (IGF) 5th Year Award
The University of British Columbia offers opportunities for eligible Indigenous PhD students to apply for a fifth year of funding, in line with the University’s core commitments to Indigenous engagement and student support.
- Indigenous Graduate Fellowships (IGF) Research & Engagement Award
The University of British Columbia offers opportunities for eligible Indigenous research Master’s and PhD students to apply for research and travel funding, in line with the University’s core commitments to Indigenous engagement and student support.
Thesis and Dissertation Awards
There are a number of annual awards that recognize outstanding master’s theses and doctoral dissertations.
- LFS Top Master’s Thesis Award: An award in the amount of $500 is awarded to the top Master’s thesis of the academic year. Applicants must also apply for the Governor General’s Gold Medal.
- Governor General’s Gold Medal: One Gold Medal is awarded to the graduate student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record as a Master’s student completing a thesis. This is an opportunity to honour the best in the graduating class within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, as there is only one award for more than 2,000 Master’s graduates. Medals are presented on behalf of the Governor General of Canada by participating educational institutions, along with a personalized certificate signed by the Governor General. There is no monetary award associated with the medals. Governor General’s Gold Medal applicants will automatically be considered for the LFS Top Master’s Thesis Award.
LFS internal application deadline: February | UBC Deadline: March
LFS Top Dissertation Award: An award in the amount of $500 is awarded to the top doctoral dissertation of the academic year. Applicants must also apply for the CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards.
- CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award: The CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizes Canadian doctoral dissertations that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic field. They were established in 1994 and are presented annually by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS), with sponsorship support provided by ProQuest. CAGS-ProQuest applicants will automatically be considered for the LFS Top Dissertation Award.
- There are two awards: one for engineering, medical sciences and natural sciences; and one for fine arts, humanities and social sciences.
- Annual value: $1,500, certificate of recognition, plus travel expenses to the next CAGS conference.
- Eligibility: Canadian, Permanent Resident and International research-based PhD students
- LFS internal application deadline: February | UBC deadline: March
Governor General’s Gold Medal
One gold medal is awarded to the student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record as a doctoral student. This is an opportunity to honour the best in the graduating class within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, as there is only one award for more than 500 doctoral graduates. Medals are presented on behalf of the Governor General of Canada by participating educational institutions, along with a personalized certificate signed by the Governor General. There is no monetary award associated with the medals.
LFS internal application deadline: February | UBC deadline: March
Three prizes of $1,000 each have been made available annually by the University of British Columbia for students whose doctoral dissertations are of exceptional quality and originality and make a significant contribution to the scholarly field and/or society. One prize will be offered in each of the following fields: social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health sciences. Prizes are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Value: 3 prizes of $1,000 each
Eligibility: Canadian, Permanent Resident and International research-based PhD students
Application: No application; recipients will be chosen from nominations to the CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards competition
UBC Deadline: March
Travel Awards
Travelling outside of Canada: When students are planning travel outside of Canada for university purposes, they have obligations under UBC’s Student Safety Abroad Policy (SC12). Students are required to have adequate travel medical insurance, to register their travel on UBC’s Safety Abroad Registry, and to use the resources provided by UBC to support safe travel planning and risk management. In locations where the Government of Canada has official travel advisories in place, students are required to request High-Risk Authorization before travelling. For more information, see: https://safetyabroad.ubc.ca or email safety.abroad@ubc.ca.
The LFS Graduate Student Travel Award (LFS GSTA) is funded through a generous $1.4 million endowment bequeathed to LFS from the estate of Ursula Knight Abbott. The award is intended to help defray costs incurred by research-based graduate students for attending and presenting a research paper or poster describing their thesis research at a scientific meeting/conference, held by a professional society, outside the Lower Mainland.
Award value: $2500
Eligibility
- Student must be full-time, registered graduate students (cannot be on leave).
- Canadian, Permanent Resident, International
- Research-based programs only – Master’s, Doctoral
Submission deadline
- LFS GSTAapplications are accepted year-round.
- Applications must be submitted within one month following the conference/travel end date.
Restrictions
- This award is only for conferences/travel outside the Lower Mainland.
- Students must adhere to the UBC business expense rules when making travel arrangements. For example, reimbursement standards are based on lowest prices available for accommodation, air travel, etc.
- No advancements can be made nor can reimbursements, transfers etc., be made to anyone other than the student listed on the LFS GSTA application.
- Per diems are not supported. Please save your meal receipts.
- MSc students may claim one award per academic year of study, up to two awards in total.
- PhD students may claim one award per academic year of study, up to four awards in total.
Instructions
- Please complete the LFS GSTA application and submit it directly to lfs.gradasst@ubc.ca.
- Your application must include proof of attendance/presentation.
- Please submit all receipts and applicable invoices (e.g. hotel receipt should include nightly rate that you were charged and any incidental charges). If any of your expenses are in a foreign currency, credit card statements are useful in determining the exchange rate on the date of purchase.
- Please provide documentation that you have applied for the Graduate Student Travel and Research Dissemination Fund prior to submitting you first GSTA application.
Processing Expectations
- Applications are processed on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. Please note: final approval and payout can take to 1-2 weeks during non-peak award times.
- Your award will be assigned in Workday and you will be notified when it is available.
Exceptions
Students who have claimed their maximum number of LFS GSTAs may email the Graduate Manager, LFS G&PS, lfs.gradmgr@ubc.ca to request consideration for additional funding. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be dependent on funding availability. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the LFS Grad Office at lfs.gradasst@ubc.ca.
Graduate students are eligible to receive the Graduate Student Travel and Research Dissemination Fund once per degree program. The Travel and Research Dissemination Fund provides funding support of $500 per graduate student.
Assistantships
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)
Most graduate programs have a limited number of TAs available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants’ Union, a local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. TA appointments are co-ordinated and administered at the departmental level.
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)
Many professors are able to provide RAs from their research grants to support full-time graduate students under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student’s graduate degree requirements. Research assistantships are coordinated and administered at the program level. Stipends vary widely and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.
The entire stipend of a research assistantship is considered a scholarship, the conditions of which may be specified by the granting agency. For tax purposes, the stipend is considered an award rather than payment for work. Appointments may be for any specified period satisfactory to the grantee, and conditions of appointment may be specified by the granting agency. A research assistantship is a form of financial support for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement.
Please discuss GRA funding availability with your supervisor.
Tuition, Student Fees & Cost of Living
Graduate Tuition Fees
Tuition for LFS graduate programs is assessed as an annual program fee, payable in three equal instalments due in September, January and May.
Tuition Awards
There are a few tuition awards available depending on eligibility. Note: All tuition awards are assigned in three instalments aligned with tuition instalment due dates of September, January and May.
The International Tuition Award, valued at $3200 is available to international graduate students in research-based programs, with the exception of those whose tuition is paid by a third-party, e.g. they are receiving government funding that covers their tuition costs.
The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF), valued at $18,200 per year for the first 4 years of PhD studies also includes tuition for that same duration.
The President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award (PAEIPA) is available to all new and continuing PhD students who are assessed tuition. Value is based on citizenship (which effects your tuition cost), and year in study.
All graduate students are responsible for paying tuition and student fees until the completion of their program.
Student Fees
All UBC students are assessed student fees that help cover costs of resources available to students. This includes the U-Pass and the AMS/GSS Extended Health Plan. Most of these fees are mandatory but some have opt-out provisions.
Cost of Living Calculator
G+PS has developed an annual cost estimator to help you create a financial plan and budget, taking into account both your fixed and variable expenses and income, as well as other variables specific to your circumstances, e.g. whether you are a domestic or international student, what program you’re in, whether you are single or have a partner or family, the type of accommodation you have or wish to have, and whether you own a car. NOTE: these are estimates only.