Graduate Funding Overview
Funding options for graduate students include scholarships and awards, student loans, and degree-related student employment. Scholarships and awards are normally available only for full-time students. Graduate students should discuss with their supervisor or graduate advisor whether they meet the criteria for any of the awards listed below.
Major Funding Opportunities
Key funding opportunities for all graduate students at the University of British Columbia are listed here: AWARD OPPORTUNITIES.
These include awards offered through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s (CGS M) Program as well as UBC Affiliated Fellowships.
In the award search box, input the following terms to read more about specific major magistral and doctoral awards: “SSHRC”, “CIHR”, “NSERC”, “CGS M”, and “UBC Affiliated Awards”.
Awards Adjudicated by the Faculty of Education
Teaching Awards
In recognition of the valuable role that teaching assistants play in University of British Columbia programs, the Killam Trust annually awards teaching prizes to UBC Teaching Assistants. Two of these awards are allocated to the Faculty of Education. Winners of the Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award receive a certificate and $1,000.00.
Also in recognition of the valuable role that teaching assistants play in Faculty of Education programs, the Faculty of Education annually awards two additional teaching prizes. Nominees for the UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award will automatically be considered for the two Faculty of Education Teaching Prizes, and they will be considered under the same criteria. Winners of the Faculty of Education Teaching Assistant Award receive a certificate and $1,000.00.
Additional information and the application procedure can be found here: here
Deadline: Please submit your nomination package to your unit's Graduate Program Advisor by March 01, 2024, 12PM PST.
Graduating Awards
One gold medal is awarded to the student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record as a doctoral student. A second gold medal is awarded to the graduate student who has achieved 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: there is only one award for more than 2,000 master’s graduates and 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
Guidelines: Specific nomination guidelines, criteria and a list of required documentation are available on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website, here
Eligibility: Students must have submitted the final copy of their theses to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies between January 1 and December 31 of the year preceding the application deadline.
Deadline: The internal Faculty of Education deadline for submission of applications to the Graduate Programs Office is 4:00 pm PT, Monday, 04 March 2024. Please submit nominations as a single PDF file electronically to graduate.educ@ubc.ca.
SIS printouts signed and stamped by the Department are acceptable as substitutes for official UBC transcripts.
A prize of $500 has been endowed in honour of the contributions of Professor Ted T. Aoki to recognize an excellent dissertation in the area of curriculum inquiry written by a doctoral student in the Faculty of Education. All Faculty of Education PhD supervisors are invited to nominate one of their PhD graduates whose work resides in the field of curriculum for the Ted T. Aoki Prize
Deadline: The internal Faculty of Education deadline for submission of applications to the Graduate Programs Office is 4:00 pm PT, Thursday, 22 February 2024. Please submit nominations as a single PDF file electronically to graduate.educ@ubc.ca.Nomination guidelines can be found here.
Graduate Student Endowed Awards
HOW TO APPLY FOR ENDOWED AWARDS
Application deadline:
24 October 2023, 4:00 pm (Pacific Time)
Applications are now closed and the winners of the 2023-2024 competition have been announced.
Scholarships totalling $10,000 have been made available annually through a gift from Robert Quartermain, in honour of Dean Blye Frank, for outstanding graduate students in the Faculty of Education whose research focuses on creating education policy and education curriculum, and educating educators in SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity)-inclusive education. Dean Frank (BA, BEd, MEd, PhD) served as Professor and Head of the Division of Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University before joining UBC as Dean of the Faculty of Education in 2011. His research focuses on equity, diversity and inclusion in education and healthcare, and it played a vital role in developing the Faculty of Education’s SOGI Inclusive Education Initiative and the A.R.C. Foundation’s SOGI 123 program, which helps educators make schools more inclusive for all pupils. In 2006, Dean Frank received the May Cohen Gender Equity, Diversity and Gender Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, and in 2021 he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Acadia Alumni Association. Scholarships are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Dean Blye Frank Graduate Scholarship in Education" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Approximately $25,000 per year has been endowed by alumni and friends of the Faculty of Education for Dean of Education Scholarships at the graduate level. Several Dean of Education Scholarships will be awarded (normally ranging in value from $1,000–$2,500) in recognition of magistral or doctoral students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the field in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The awards will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Two or three scholarships of approximately $2,500 each are offered by Donald Poulter in memory of his wife, Ellen, who dedicated her career to inspiring and teaching students. These awards will be given in recognition of doctoral students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the fields in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The awards will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
A scholarship of approximately $1,000 is offered to an outstanding graduate student in the Faculty of Education whose research is focused on children’s rights and/or Canadian Indigenous education in the field of Early Childhood Education. This award is to honour the legacy of Janusz Korczak’s life and work. A Polish-Jewish pioneer of child advocacy, Korczak was one of the great humanitarians of the 20th century who devoted his life to establishing and defining the rights of the child. Korczak’s ideas were adopted by the United Nations in the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1959. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including service and scholarly contributions. The award will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Janusz Korczak Scholarship" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
A scholarship of approximately $1,500 has been endowed through a bequest by James Sigurd Eckman for graduate students in the Faculty of Education. This award is given in recognition of a magistral or doctoral student who has demonstrated high academic achievement and who has made substantial contributions to the field in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The award will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
A scholarship of approximately $1,500 has been endowed through a bequest by John Francis Lidstone. Each year the scholarship is offered to a student either in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Education (alternating between Faculties and undergraduate/graduate students across years). This award is given in recognition of a magistral or doctoral student who has demonstrated high academic achievement and who has made substantial contributions to the field in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The award will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
NOTE: The John Francis Lidstone Scholarship is shared with the Faculty of Arts and is not available every year. Next year of availability: 2023.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Scholarships totaling on average $10,000 have been endowed through a bequest by Mary Katz and by family, friends and colleagues in memory of Joseph Katz, a long-term member of the Faculty of Education, scholarships are awarded to an outstanding Magistral or Doctoral students studying in the area of multicultural and minority education. The awards will be given in recognition of Magistral or Doctoral students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the fields of anti-oppressive education and/or education for diversity. Substantial contributions will be considered in terms of both scholarly and service contributions to the field. The awards will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education.
Apply using the "Joseph Katz Memorial Scholarship" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Two or three awards of approximately $2000 each are offered by Leon and Joan Tuey for outstanding graduate students in the Faculty of Education. These awards will be given in recognition of magistral and doctoral students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the fields in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The awards will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
A scholarship of approximately $1,000 has been endowed by the Lower Mainland Council of the International Reading Association (LOMCIRA) in memory of Dr. Harold Covell. The award is given in recognition of a magistral or doctoral student who has demonstrated high academic achievement and who has made substantial contributions to the field of literacy education. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their area of research. The award will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Two or three scholarships of approximately $2,500 each will be awarded to students in doctoral programs (Ed.D. or Ph.D.). Preference will be given to a doctoral student entering second or third year. These awards will be given in recognition of doctoral students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and who have made substantial contributions to the fields in which they are researching. The evaluation of award applications is guided by criteria for tri-agency graduate awards applications. Successful applicants submit strong, well-written statements, have a strong academic record, and offer ample evidence of relevant contributions and experience within and beyond academia, including scholarly and artistic contributions, as applicable to their fields of research. The awards will be made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Apply using the "Combined Award" cover sheet available here: HOW TO APPLY
Travel Funding
This grant is administered by the Finance Office of the Faculty of Education.
This grant provides financial support to Faculty of Education graduate students to present work as a first author at local, national or international conferences. This funding is offered with a view to increasing opportunity for all graduate students to build and enhance their scholarly profiles/track records. To qualify for this funding, applicants must be first author or presenter of a paper, poster, session, or workshop at a local, national or international conference. This award is administered by the Faculty of Education Finance Office. There is no deadline; students may apply for this funding only once in their degree program.
Guidelines and Application Form
Graduate Student Conference Travel Grant Application Guidelines
Graduate students should contact their home department to inquire about department-funded travel grants:
Graduate Student Travel Fund
Graduate students are also eligible to apply for the Graduate Student Travel Fund through the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies once per degree program. The Graduate Student Travel Fund is administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Eligibility: Full-time graduate students must be a presenter at a local, national or international conference
Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round
Maximum Reimbursement Amount: $500
Eligible costs: Eligible expenses include travel (at economy airfare prices), accommodation, conference registration, meals
Additional information and the application procedure can be found here: Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Research Funding
Full-time Faculty of Education graduate students (magistral or doctoral) may apply for the "Graduate Student Research Grant," which is intended to offset the financial costs of conducting or producing research that is necessary for the completion of the applicant's current degree. Eligible expenses are those that can be shown to be necessary to complete the research, such as transcription services, translation services, travel to archives, etc. Conference travel is not eligible.
The Graduate Student Research Grant is administered by departments. Please contact your department administrator for further information.
