PhD Funding Announcement
The University of Toronto is increasing the base funding amount for PhD students to $40,000 effective fall 2025. Read the university's announcement and visit the School of Graduate Studies website for frequently asked questions.
Supporting Graduate Student Success
Graduate students are key to the University of Toronto’s success, driving cutting-edge research and innovation across all disciplines. The Faculty of Arts & Science is continually assessing funding packages to support students in their graduate studies and to help attract and retain future students from across Canada and around the world.
Graduate units can distribute up to 5 years of doctoral-stream funding between master's and PhD programs per student. Many graduate units provide enhanced funding packages using department and supervisor resources.
Graduate students are expected to help fund their graduate studies by applying for major scholarships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships. If income from these sources is lower than the base funding amount, University of Toronto Fellowships (UTF) are provided to make up the difference.
Base Funding Package Overview
Graduate units in the Faculty of Arts & Science provide a minimum level of financial support to all graduate students in the funded cohort.
Beginning in fall 2025, the base funding package for PhD students will increase to $40,000 (approximately $31,000 net of tuition and fees). Learn more about this doctoral funding increase and find answers to common questions. Funding begins in the first session of registration in the funded program. (See terms and conditions below.)
Funding for students without high-value awards consists of TA income (maximum $7,500, subject to availability and acceptance by the student), RA income and sufficient UTF funds to ensure they receive the A&S minimum financial support package.
Note: For 2024–25, the A&S base funding package for master's and PhD students is $30,102 (approximately $21,750 net of tuition and fees) at the St. George campus rate for domestic graduate students.
Students With High-Value Awards
For students who receive high-value and tri-agency awards, these awards replace the base funding package. Awardees receive TA income (maximum $7,500, subject to availability and acceptance by the student) and UTF-top ups above the package.
PhD Program Minimum Funding
| Academic Year | Base Funding | Net of Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | $40,000 | $31,000 (approximate) |
| 2024–25 | $30,102 | $21,750 |
Master's Program Minimum Funding
| Academic Year | Base Funding | Net of Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | TBD | TBD |
| 2024–25 | $30,752 | $21,750 |
These minimum amounts are calculated based on domestic tuition and St. George campus fees. The final amounts will vary, depending on tuition and fees charged, which are based in part on program, domestic or international status and campus affiliation. The A&S minimum financial support package covers tuition and fees for all students in the funded cohort, regardless of their domestic or international status, and the incidental fees charged by the campus with which they are affiliated at the start of the academic year.
Student income often exceeds the A&S minimum level of financial support and may do so significantly in graduate units that have abundant TA opportunities or high-value RA-ships.
Funded Cohort
Students in the funded cohort are eligible for financial support for up to five years of funding at a level which is equal to or exceeds the A&S minimum financial support package. Graduate units determine which years and which programs to fund. They may fund one or more years of the master’s program and may choose to fund a given year at 50%. If a program is funded, funding commences in the first session of registration in the program.
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions of graduate funding for students in the Faculty of Arts & Science are appended to the annual funding letters provided to students in the funded cohort at the beginning of each academic year.
This information may vary from year to year in response to changes in the context in which graduate funding is provided or to improve clarity for students and administrators.
The Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) establishes graduate funding terms and conditions for each academic year. The graduate funding terms and conditions are appended to the annual funding letter for each student in the funded cohort.
The Faculty of Arts & Science funding model requires that students fund their graduate education through academic awards, teaching assistant work and research assistant work. If a student’s income from these sources falls short of the A&S minimum level of financial support, University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) funds will be used to bring the student’s package up to the minimum amount.
The A&S minimum level of financial support for 2024–25 is $30,102, equivalent to $21,750 after tuition and fees at the St. George campus rate for domestic graduate students. Total tuition and fees vary by legal status (domestic or international), program (master’s or PhD) and campus affiliation. St. George campus affiliation fees are used by default unless the student has either affiliated with UTM or UTSC prior to the issuance of funding letters in September or formally switches campus affiliation and notifies the graduate administrator by October 31.
Tuition and fees are announced annually in July prior to the start of the academic year. Individual student funding packages and their composition also change from year to year for a variety of reasons, including increases in the A&S minimum level financial support, fluctuations in graduate unit resources, the availability of TA and RA opportunities and any awards that students may obtain.
For 2024–25, the A&S Graduate Funding Terms and Conditions are:
Students must be within the funded cohort to qualify for a Faculty of Arts & Science minimum financial support package.
The definition of funded cohort varies across departments. UTF funds cannot be received by students outside the funded cohort. Students receiving 0.5 of a funding package are funded for the full academic year at 50%.
For students in the funded cohort, funding typically commences in the first session of the first year of registration in the program.
Funding commences in the first year and session of registration unless program design dictates that funding starts in the second year for all students in the program. Funding packages cannot be deferred by the student until a subsequent year or session. In some rare cases, a two-year Master’s program may require that all students receive funding in the second year of the program, usually to enable students to meet specific language requirements in their first year.
Students must be registered full time to receive the Faculty of Arts & Science minimum level of financial support.
Students must be registered for a full 17-week session to qualify for funding for that session. If a student takes an approved leave of absence, the funding package will be revised to reflect the student’s enrolment status. This applies in the event of a retroactive leave of absence. Part-time and Flex-time students are not eligible to receive the A&S minimum financial support package.
Students must be working full time on their program.
It is recommended that students who take paid employment limit their hours of work to no more than 10 hours per week, on average, in all forms of employment, including TA, other employment at the university and employment outside the university, while receiving a funding package.
Students must be in good academic standing.
If academic standing is in question, the graduate unit will inform the student before funding will be withdrawn.
Students must apply for and accept external awards.
As a condition of funding, graduate students are required to apply for and accept external awards for which they are eligible. It is a great honour to receive a prestigious fellowship. Writing applications for such awards is part of academic training.
External awards become a part of, or replace, the student’s funding package. Examples of major awards are SSHRC, NSERC, OGS and foreign government awards, such as the CONACyT or China Scholarship.
Tuition and fees are typically deducted from the January and May instalments of external awards administered by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Students with major awards that are included in the funding package, but paid directly by an external source, such as a foreign government, are required to pay their tuition and fees.
Students must seek TA work, accept any TA work that is offered and advise the graduate unit of any TA work that is accepted.
Income from TA work is a component of the A&S minimum financial support package for most students. Failure to apply for and accept TA work may result in the forfeiture of the TA component of the funding package, which is specified in the annual funding letter, unless the student has an award that exempts the student from the TA requirement.
If a student’s TA income is below the $7,500 maximum prescribed by the collective agreement with CUPE 3902, Unit 1, at the time that the funding letter is issued, and the student subsequently receives additional TA hours, the funding package may be revised at the discretion of the graduate unit.
To ensure that graduate units know how much work students take on, graduate students are required to disclose TA positions held across multiple departments and campuses to the graduate administrator.
Students who are terminated from their TA position “with cause” will lose the TA component of the A&S minimum financial support package for the academic year to which it applied.
Students must accept RA-ships or similar opportunities if they are offered as part of the funding package.
The amount of RA income included in funding packages varies by department and may generate employment income or a stipend, depending on the nature of the opportunity and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy.
The Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) establishes graduate funding terms and conditions for each academic year. The graduate funding terms and conditions are appended to the annual funding letter for each student in the funded cohort.
The Faculty of Arts & Science funding model requires that students fund their graduate education through academic awards, teaching assistant (TA) work and research assistant work. If a student’s income from these sources falls short of the A&S minimum level of financial support, University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) funds will be used to bring the student’s package up to the minimum amount.
The A&S minimum level of financial support for 2023–24 is $20,000 for students in the humanities and social sciences and $20,500 for students in the sciences, plus tuition and fees. Total tuition and fees vary by legal status (domestic or international), program (master’s or PhD) and campus affiliation. St. George campus affiliation fees are used by default unless the student has either affiliated with UTM prior to the issuance of funding letters in September or formally switches campus affiliation and notifies the graduate administrator by October 31.
Tuition and fees are announced annually in July prior to the start of the academic year. Individual student funding packages and their composition also change from year to year for a variety of reasons, including increases in the A&S minimum level financial support, fluctuations in graduate unit resources, the availability of TA and RA opportunities and any awards that students may obtain.
For 2023–24, the A&S Graduate Funding Terms and Conditions are:
Students must be within the funded cohort to qualify for a Faculty of Arts & Science minimum financial support package.
The definition of funded cohort varies across departments. UTF funds cannot be received by students outside the funded cohort. Students receiving 0.5 of a funding package are funded for the full academic year at 50%.
For students in the funded cohort, funding typically commences in the first session of the first year of registration in the program.
Funding commences in the first year and session of registration unless program design dictates that funding starts in the second year for all students in the program. Funding packages cannot be deferred by the student until a subsequent year or session. In some rare cases, a two-year Master’s program may require that all students receive funding in the second year of the program, usually to enable students to meet specific language requirements in their first year.
Students must be registered full time to receive the Faculty of Arts & Science minimum level of financial support.
Students must be registered for a full 17-week session to qualify for funding for that session. If a student takes an approved leave of absence, the funding package will be revised to reflect the student’s enrolment status. This applies in the event of a retroactive leave of absence. Part-time and flex-time students are not eligible to receive the A&S minimum financial support package.
Students must be working full time on their program.
It is recommended that students who take paid employment limit their hours of work to no more than 10 hours per week, on average, in all forms of employment, including TA, other employment at the university and employment outside the university, while receiving a funding package.
Students must be in good academic standing.
If academic standing is in question, the graduate unit will inform the student before funding will be withdrawn.
Students must apply for and accept external awards.
As a condition of funding, graduate students are required to apply for and accept external awards for which they are eligible. It is a great honour to receive a prestigious fellowship. Writing applications for such awards is part of academic training.
External awards become a part of, or replace, the student’s funding package. Examples of major awards are SSHRC, NSERC, OGS and foreign government awards, such as the CONACyT or China Scholarship.
Tuition and fees are typically deducted from the January and May instalments of external awards administered by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Students with major awards that are included in the funding package, but paid directly by an external source, such as a foreign government, are required to pay their tuition and fees.
Students must seek TA work, accept any TA work that is offered and advise the graduate unit of any TA work that is accepted.
Income from TA work is a component of the A&S minimum financial support package for most students. Failure to apply for and accept TA work may result in the forfeiture of the TA component of the funding package, which is specified in the annual funding letter, unless the student has an award that exempts the student from the TA requirement.
If a student’s TA income is below the $7,755.00 maximum prescribed by the collective agreement with CUPE 3902, Unit 1, at the time that the funding letter is issued, and the student subsequently receives additional TA hours, the funding package may be revised at the discretion of the graduate unit.
To ensure that graduate units know how much work students take on, graduate students are required to disclose TA positions held across multiple departments and campuses to the graduate administrator.
Students who are terminated from their TA position “with cause” will lose the TA component of the A&S minimum financial support package for the academic year to which it applied.
Students in most graduate units must accept RA-ships or similar opportunities if they are offered as part of the funding package.
The amount of RA income included in funding packages varies by department and may generate employment income or a stipend, depending on the nature of the opportunity and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy.
The Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) establishes graduate funding terms and conditions for each academic year. The graduate funding terms and conditions are appended to the annual funding letter for each student in the funded cohort.
The Faculty of Arts & Science funding model requires that students fund their graduate education through academic awards, teaching assistant (TA) work and Research Assistant work. If a student’s income from these sources falls short of the A&S Base Funding Package amount, University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) funds will be provided to bring the student’s package up to the A&S Base Package.
The A&S Base Funding Package for 2022–23 is $19,000 for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences and $19,500 for students in the Sciences, plus tuition and fees. Total tuition and fees vary by legal status (domestic or international), program (international Master’s students pay a higher tuition fee) and campus affiliation. St. George campus affiliation fees are used by default, unless the student has either affiliated with UTM prior to the issuance of funding letters in September or formally switches campus affiliation and notifies the graduate administrator by October 31.
Tuition and fees are announced annually in July prior to the academic year. Individual student funding packages and their composition also change from year to year for a variety of reasons, including increases in the base funding package, fluctuations in graduate unit resources, the availability of TA and RA opportunities and any awards that students may obtain.
For 2022–23, the A&S Graduate Funding Terms and Conditions are:
Students must be within the funded cohort to qualify for a Faculty of Arts & Science base funding package.
The definition of funded cohort – that is which programs and years are funded - varies across departments. UTF funds cannot be received by students outside the funded cohort. Students receiving 0.5 of a funding package are funded for the full academic year at 50%.
For students in the funded cohort, funding typically commences in the first session of the first year of registration in the program.
Funding commences in the first year and session of registration, unless program design dictates that funding starts in the second year for all students in the program. Funding packages cannot be deferred by the student until a subsequent year or session. In some rare cases, a two-year Master’s program may require that all students receive funding in the second year of the program, usually due to the need to meet specific language requirements in the first year.
Students must be registered full time to receive a Faculty of Arts & Science Base Funding Package.
Students must be registered for a full 17-week session to qualify for funding for that session. If a student takes an approved leave of absence, the funding package will be revised to reflect the student’s enrolment status. This applies in the event of a retroactive leave of absence. Part-time and Flex-time students are not eligible for a base funding package.
Students must be working full time on their program.
It is recommended that students who take on paid employment limit their hours of work to no more than 10 hours per week, on average, in all forms of employment, including TA, other employment at the university and employment outside the university, while receiving a base funding package.
Students must be in good academic standing.
If academic standing is in question, the graduate unit will inform the student before funding is withdrawn.
Students must apply for and accept external awards.
As a condition of funding, graduate students are required to apply for and accept external awards for which they are eligible. It is a great honour to receive a prestigious fellowship. Writing applications for such awards is part of academic training.
External awards become a part of, or replace, the student’s funding package. Examples of major awards are SSHRC, NSERC, OGS and foreign government awards, such as the CONACyT or China Scholarship.
Tuition and fees are typically deducted from the January and May instalments of external awards administered by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Students with major awards that are included in the funding package, but paid directly by an external source, such as a foreign government, are required to pay their tuition and fees.
Students must seek TA work, accept any TA work that is offered and advise the graduate unit of any TA work that is accepted.
Income from TA work is a component of the A&S Base Funding Package for most students. Failure to apply for and accept TA work may result in the forfeiture of the TA component of the funding package, which is specified in the annual funding letter, unless the student has an award that exempts the student from the TA requirement.
If a student’s TA income is below the $7,896 maximum prescribed by the collective agreement with CUPE 3902, Unit 1, at the time that the funding letter is issued, and the student subsequently receives additional TA hours, the funding package may be revised at the discretion of the graduate unit. Graduate students are required to disclose TA positions held across multiple departments and campuses to the graduate administrator. Students who are terminated from their TA position “with cause” will lose the TA component of the A&S Base Funding Package for the academic year to which it applied.
Students must accept RA-ships or similar opportunities if they are offered as part of the funding package.
The amount of RA income included in funding packages varies by department and may generate employment income or a stipend, depending on the nature of the opportunity and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy.
Funding packages may be revised to include RA-ships that are offered after the funding letter is issued.
The Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S) establishes graduate funding terms and conditions for each academic year. The graduate funding terms and conditions are appended to the annual funding letter for each student in the funded cohort.
The Faculty of Arts & Science funding model requires that students fund their graduate education through academic awards, teaching assistant (TA) work and Research Assistant work. If a student’s income from these sources falls short of the A&S Base Funding Package amount, University of Toronto Fellowship (UTF) funds will be used to bring the student’s package up to the A&S Base Package.
The A&S Base Funding Package for 2021-22 is $18,500 for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences and $19,000 for students in the Sciences, plus tuition and fees. Total tuition and fees vary by legal status (domestic or international), program (international Master’s students pay a higher tuition fee) and campus affiliation. St. George campus affiliation fees are used by default, unless the student has either affiliated with UTM prior to the issuance of funding letters in September or formally switches campus affiliation and notifies the graduate administrator by October 31.
Tuition and fees are announced annually in July prior to the academic year. Individual student funding packages and their composition also change from year to year for a variety of reasons, including increases in the base funding package, fluctuations in graduate unit resources, the availability of TA and RA opportunities and any awards that students may obtain.
For 2021–22, the A&S Graduate Funding Terms and Conditions are:
Students must be within the funded cohort to qualify for a Faculty of Arts & Science base funding package.
The definition of funded cohort varies across departments. UTF funds cannot be received by students outside the funded cohort. Students receiving 0.5 of a funding package are funded for the full academic year at 50%.
For students in the funded cohort, funding typically commences in the first session of the first year of registration in the program.
Funding commences in the first year and session of registration, unless program design dictates that funding starts in the second year for all students in the program. Funding packages cannot be deferred by the student until a subsequent year or session. In some rare cases, a two-year Master’s program may require that all students receive funding in the second year of the program, usually to enable students to meet specific language requirements in their first year.
Students must be registered full time to receive a Faculty of Arts & Science Base Funding Package.
Students must be registered for a full 17-week session to qualify for funding for that session. If a student takes an approved leave of absence, the funding package will be revised to reflect the student’s enrolment status. This applies in the event of a retroactive leave of absence. Part-time and Flex-time students are not eligible for a base funding package.
Students must be working full time on their program.
It is recommended that students who take paid employment limit their hours of work to no more than 10 hours per week, on average, in all forms of employment, including TA, other employment at the university and employment outside the university, while receiving a base funding package.
Students must be in good academic standing.
If academic standing is in question, the graduate unit will inform the student before funding will be withdrawn.
Students must apply for and accept external awards.
As a condition of funding, graduate students are required to apply for and accept external awards for which they are eligible. It is a great honour to receive a prestigious fellowship. Writing applications for such awards is part of academic training.
External awards become a part of, or replace, the student’s funding package. Examples of major awards are SSHRC, NSERC, OGS and foreign government awards, such as the CONACyT or China Scholarship.
Tuition and fees are typically deducted from the January and May instalments of external awards administered by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS). Students with major awards that are included in the funding package, but paid directly by an external source, such as a foreign government, are required to pay their tuition and fees.
Students must seek TA work, accept any TA work that is offered and advise the graduate unit of any TA work that is accepted.
Income from TA work is a component of the A&S Base Funding Package for most students. Failure to apply for and accept TA work may result in the forfeiture of the TA component of the funding package, which is specified in the annual funding letter, unless the student has an award that exempts the student from the TA requirement.
If a student’s TA income is below the $8,043.00 maximum prescribed by the collective agreement with CUPE 3902, Unit 1, at the time that the funding letter is issued, and the student subsequently receives additional TA hours, the funding package may be revised at the discretion of the graduate unit.
To ensure that the graduate units knows how much work students take on, graduate students are required to disclose TA positions held across multiple departments and campuses to the graduate administrator.
Students who are terminated from their TA position “with cause” will lose the TA component of the A&S Base Funding Package for the academic year to which it applied.
Students in most graduate units must accept RA-ships or similar opportunities if they are offered as part of the funding package.
The amount of RA income included in funding packages varies by department and may generate employment income or a stipend, depending on the nature of the opportunity and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) policy.