Graduate Student Medical Leave Award

Award type: 
Financial need awards/bursaries
Award description: 

Limited funding is available for eligible research-based master’s and doctoral students who must go inactive for medical reasons (e.g., physical or mental health). Students will automatically be considered for a Graduate Student Medical Leave Award with a maximum value of $5,000.

Students must have been registered full time for at least one academic term and have been in receipt of a financial package from their Department/School in the term immediately prior to going inactive for medical reasons. Eligible students who provide medical documentation (e.g., official medical documentation completed by a health care practitioner) to AccessAbility Services, to support their request for going inactive due to medical reasons, will be automatically considered for this award. Details regarding the process for submitting medical documentation to AccessAbility Services can be found on the AccessAbility website. 

Value description: 

One-time award with a maximum value of $5,000 for eligible research-based master’s and PhD students who have been registered for at least one academic term prior to going inactive for medical reasons. The value will be automatically assigned without the need for a complete needs assessment.

Based upon the department funding details in the offer of admission, students registered in a research-based master’s program will receive up to 1/3 of their annual funding package value (including IMSA) to a maximum medical leave award of $5,000; doctoral students will automatically receive the medical leave award maximum of $5,000. University refund and government reporting regulations and the date of the accommodation may also affect the value of the award.

Eligibility & selection criteria: 
  • Students must have been registered full time in a research-based master’s or PhD program for at least one academic term prior to going inactive for medical (e.g., physical or mental health) reasons
  • Students must be within the time limits of their program; students beyond term 6.0 of master’s program or term 12.0 of a doctoral program will not be considered; students who were admitted directly into a PhD from their bachelor’s degree or who fast-tracked from a master’s into a PhD will not be considered for this award after term 18.0
  • Students must have been in receipt of a financial package from their department/School in the term immediately prior to going inactive for medical reasons; government/agency sponsored students may be eligible for support through this program if they can provide proof that their monthly living allowance is withheld for inactive terms
  • Student enrolment must be approved as “Inactive for Medical Leave”
    • Eligibility for Inactive for Medical Leave status is verified by AccessAbility Services based on the health professional form provided by the student.
  • Students may receive the medical leave graduate award once during their program (once during their master’s program and once during their PhD program)
Level: 
Masters, Doctoral
Program:
Open to any program
Citizenship: 
Canadian/Permanent resident, International/study permit student
Selection process: 
Application required
Additional instructions: 

To initiate the process in order to automatically be considered for the Graduate Student Medical Leave Award, students must complete a Change of enrolment status form and submit the appropriate documentation.

Contact person: