How Funding Works: Research-Stream Programs

“Funding has given me the chance to conduct field research in some amazing places.

Gregory Wentworth

Alumnus, PhD (2016), Chemistry

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Funding for Research-Stream Programs

Securing adequate funding for your studies is an essential component of successfully completing your graduate degree. There are numerous programs in place to ensure you thrive during your time at the University of Toronto. We understand that graduate student support is crucial to help our research-stream master’s and PhD students offset the cost of their education, earn income during their graduate studies, and serve as an important tool to recruit the best graduate students globally.

Students accepted into most research-stream master’s and PhD programs will receive funding from their graduate unit — in other words, from their department and / or Faculty. Funding typically covers one year of master’s study and four to five years of doctoral study. Visit our Funding FAQ page to learn more about Base Funding and the average Actual Income received by full-time, active graduate students in their respective programs.

Variation in both Base Funding and Actual Income is related to Faculty and graduate unit decisions as well as the composition and sources of funding. Faculties and graduate unit decisions take many things into account, including student recruitment, faculty research foci, program enrolment and resources, and time to degree completion. The amount of your funding package, the number of years you will receive it, and how the funding is composed will depend on your specific program.

Your funding package may comprise a combination of the following: U of T fellowships, scholarships or awards, and teaching and research assistantships.

Decisions about the availability, composition, sources and annual amount of graduate funding over the course of a student’s program are made primarily at the Faculty and graduate unit levels, not by the University overall. Therefore, your best contact for details about your own graduate funding is your Faculty or graduate unit for your program.

For more information, visit these pages: