Update on graduate student financial support

Effective May 1, 2025, the minimum funding rate for eligible graduate students in a PhD program and graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) and graduate Research Assistants (RAs) will see an annual increase of 4.5%.  

Each year, the Graduate Student Relations Committee (GSRC) expands its membership to include additional students, faculty leaders, and university administrators to review the rate of pay for Teaching Assistants (TA rate), Research Assistants (RA rate) and the minimum PhD funding; based on discussions, this committee makes a recommendation to the vice-president, academic and provost.  

During the 2024/2025 annual cycle, the committee was co-chaired by Neela Hassan, President, Graduate Student Association, University of Waterloo (GSA-UW), and Justin Wan, Interim Co-Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA). 

Through its work, the committee engaged in open and productive conversations on motivations for student funding, the determination of appropriate levels, and the challenges associated with forecasting changes in costs experienced by graduate students at Waterloo. Additional details about the process of how the values and rates are determined can be reviewed on the minimum funding levels – annual review process web page. 

Effective May 1, 2025, the guaranteed minimum funding for eligible doctoral students in good academic standing will increase by 4.5% to $28,351 (up from $27,130 in 2024/2025); details are available on the minimum funding web page.  

The Research Assistant (RA) and Teaching Assistant (TA) rates will also increase by 4.5% and have been updated on the Teaching Assistantship (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA) web page.  

Should you have questions about the new rates, which go into effect May 1, 2025, reach out to your graduate studies program contact.