Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
We offer many funding opportunities to graduate students who demonstrate financial need. This funding includes:
While these opportunities are ones supported and administered by Waterloo, funding for these programs is limited; as such, students are also encouraged to seek financial assistance through their banks (e.g., student lines of credit), families/friends or through external agencies.
OSAP provides various types of assistance based on financial need to eligible students. This assistance is intended to supplement, not to replace, the resources of students and their families. Although assistance is not based on academic standing, students are expected to make satisfactory progress in their studies.
Note: Students from provinces other than Ontario must apply for government student aid through their home provinces.
Detailed information including application forms and deadlines is available on the OSAP website or by visiting the Student Awards & Financial Aid (SAFA) Office website.
Bursaries are available to full-time and part-time Waterloo graduate students who are Canadian or Permanent Residents of Canada and are experiencing short term financial need. These bursaries are meant to financially assist with basic needs and educational expenses only.
For further information regarding these bursary opportunities, please visit the Student Awards & Financial Aid (SAFA) website.
The University of Waterloo will provide an eight-month birth and parental leave (includes adoption) bursary to eligible graduate students. The bursary, together with any other continuing support, is intended to maintain income at about 95% of the average level of income received by the student during the three previous academic terms, less tuition. The maximum value of the bursary is $5,000 for the first term and $3,000 for the second term. For further details or to apply see the Graduate Studies parental leave bursary guidelines on the Graduate Studies forms website.
Full-time graduate students may be eligible to receive funding to assist with day care expenses. Bursaries are awarded on the basis of financial need. Students interested in applying for this bursary must complete a Graduate Student Day Care Bursary application (Graduate Studies forms website) and submit it to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Eligible research-based master’s and doctoral students who must go inactive for medical reasons (e.g., physical or mental health) may be eligible to receive a Graduate Student Medical Leave Award, valued at a maximum of $5,000. To initiate the process in order to automatically be considered for this award, students must complete a Change of enrolment status form and submit the appropriate documentation. For further information refer to the Graduate Medical Leave Award description in the Graduate funding and awards database.
The purpose of the Graduate Student Contingency Bursary is to provide short term financial assistance to eligible international students. To be considered, complete a Graduate Student Contingency application (Graduate Studies forms website) and submit it to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Interest-free emergency loans are available to full-time graduate students who are experiencing short-term financial difficulty. These loans are not meant to provide funding for arranging fees to become registered. Loans must be re-paid by the end of the term, and proof of an acceptable form of repayment must be provided.
To be considered for an emergency loan please complete an Emergency Loan Application form and upload the required documents.
These awards are based partially or solely on demonstrated financial need. Many of these awards were established through generous contributions from private donors.
In order to be eligible for the awards below* applicants must:
*Exception: Catherine Booth and Michael Kirk Graduate Award, Harvey Bains and Ben Kaak Doctoral Award, Inch Engineering Research Award, and Nihar and Mina Bose Graduate Scholarship in Economics.
Applicants must carefully review the award descriptions in the database and submit the appropriate application and documentation by the deadline to either Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) or Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA).
Faculty | Award Name | Spring Term (Due June 1) | Fall Term (Due Oct 1) | Winter Term (Due Feb 1) | Submit to: |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open to All |
X (due June 15) |
X (due Oct 15) |
X (due Feb 15) |
GSPA | |
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
X (due June 15) |
X (due Oct 15) |
X (due Feb 15) |
SAFA | ||
|
X (due Oct 15) |
|
SAFA | ||
|
X (due Oct 15) |
|
SAFA | ||
X (due June 15) |
X (due Feb 15) |
X (due Oct 15) |
SAFA | ||
Health |
|
X |
|
GSPA | |
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
|
X (due Nov 1) |
|
SAFA | ||
X |
GSPA | ||||
Arts |
X |
|
|
GSPA | |
|
|
X |
GSPA | ||
X |
|
|
GSPA | ||
|
|
X |
GSPA | ||
NA Engineering Associates Inc. Research Travel Award in Hellenistic Studies |
|
|
X |
GSPA | |
|
|
X |
GSPA | ||
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
Engineering |
|
|
X |
GSPA | |
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
|
X |
|
GSPA | ||
Environment |
|
X |
|
GSPA | |
X |
GSPA | ||||
|
X (due Oct 15) |
X (due Feb 15) |
SAFA | ||
X |
X |
X |
GSPA |
Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Office of Indigenous Relations.