Graduate Student Parental Leave Bursary application

Graduate Student Parental Leave Bursary application (PDF)

 Applications and supplementary documents must be submitted to GSPA using the Graduate Student Bursary/Award Submission Form.

Use this form to:

• Apply for a Graduate Student Parental Leave Bursary.

About the parental leave bursary:

Limited funding for up to eight months (two terms) is available to eligible students who take a parental leave (includes adoption). For information about birth, parental and partner leaves, please refer to the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Value:

The bursary is intended to maintain income at about 95% of the average level of income received by the student during the three previous academic terms, net of tuition, to a maximum of $5,000 for the first term and $3,000 for the second.

The amount of the Parental Leave Bursary is based on the following information for the three academic terms preceding the leave:

A = average income per term from sessionals, TAs and RAs;

B = average income per term from scholarships and bursaries (both internal and external);

C = average tuition paid per term (does not incidental fees and UHIP)

If the student has been registered at Waterloo for two or three academic terms prior to the leave, then the average financial support and tuition fees for that duration will be used in calculating (A), (B), and (C). However, if the student has only been registered at Waterloo for one academic term prior to the leave, then the student’s current funding, expected funding and financial details in the Offer of Admission will be used in the calculation of the bursary amount.

Eligibility and Requirements:

To be eligible for a Graduate Student Parental Leave Bursary, a student must:

• be a full or part-time graduate student (with no outstanding fees) who has been registered for at least one academic term prior to the start of the leave
• be receiving financial support (ie. TA, RA, scholarship, bursary, awards)
• be taking a parental leave
• not take up employment at the University of Waterloo, in any capacity, for the period during which the bursary is being paid
• if both parents are graduate students, only one of them may apply for the bursary

If a student is receiving a tri-agency scholarship or tri-agency funding through a supervisor’s grant (i.e. GRS or RA) in the term immediately prior to taking the parental leave, he/she may be eligible for tri-agency parental leave benefits. In addition, he/she may also be eligible to apply for a Graduate Student Parental Leave Bursary as a “top up” after the tri-agency parental leave benefits have run out. Students should review the appropriate tri-agency websites below for further information regarding paid parental leave benefits and contact the Manager, Graduate Financial Aid and Awards for assistance:

• Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide (for students in receipt of a Tri-Agency award)
• Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide – Administrative Matters – Paid Maternity and Parental Leave for Students and Postdoctoral Fellows (for students being paid from a grant in the form of a GRS or Research Assistantship, in the term immediately preceding their leave)

Deadline:

A completed application form, should be submitted to GSPA using the Graduate Student Bursary/Award Submission Form, normally two months prior to the start of the leave.

Notification and Payment:

Applicants will normally be notified of bursary decisions within three weeks of submission of the complete application.

Bursaries are paid in one installment each term through Quest during the period of the parental leave. Funds are only released after the birth of the child (which may differ from commencement of the leave) and upon provision of confirmation of birth to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.