Admission applications must be 100% complete by the February 1 deadline to be considered for Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and the Tri-Agency scholarships, which are available for Canadian and/or permanent residents only. Applications to our programs are due February 1.
All full-time SERS graduate students in the MES thesis and PhD programs receive a ‘guaranteed minimum’ funding package. The guaranteed minimum funding packages are normally provided through teaching assistantships, graduate research assistantships or stipends, Tri-Agency Scholarships (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR), Ontario Graduate Scholarships and additional scholarships (e.g., the graduate experience award or entrance scholarships).
The guaranteed minimum funding packages are:
- Full-time MES Thesis option students: Between $17,849 and $31,773 based on academic averages (across two years of study)
- Full-time PhD students: $108,520 minimum total ($27,130/year for four years)
- Full-time MES Master's Research Paper (MRP) students: Entrance awards for exceptional students - $2000 (for averages of 80% to 84.5%) or $4,000 (for averages of 85%+)
Aside from the entrance awards, MES students taking the Master's Research Paper (MRP) do not have a funding guarantee, although occasional financial support provided by faculty advisors may be available.
Students enrolled full-time often receive additional financial support over and above the minimum guarantee because faculty advisors often provide funding from their research projects, or because students receive major scholarships or awards.
External awards are offered by federal and provincial scholarship agencies, foundations or private companies who rely on UWaterloo to adjudicate competitions and manage payment of awards. At UWaterloo, we encourage our top graduate students to apply for external awards including those from Canada’s three major research granting agencies and Ontario's major scholarships programs.
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
- Tri-Agency Awards (CIHR/SSHRC/NSERC)
- Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Doctoral Scholarships
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Scholarship
Financial need
The Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) offers many funding opportunities to graduate students who demonstrate financial need.