Funding

Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC graduate student.

Graduate students in UBC French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies may receive funding from a variety of sources, including Teaching and Research Assistantships, Entrance scholarships, Tuition Awards and many other Departmental and University Fellowships.

In addition, external agencies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC/CRSH) or the Vanier Scholarship provide funding to many UBC graduate students.

All doctoral students at UBC are guaranteed a minimum funding package of $24,000 per year for the first four years of full-time study.

UBC French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies attempts to ensure that as many of its graduate students as possible receive some form of funding.

Eligibility for financial aid is contingent upon the applicants’ being admitted directly to the degree program for which they have applied and registering as full-time students during their first year of study for the degree. Students may continue to receive financial support only as long as they are full-time candidates in good standing and demonstrate satisfactory progress towards completion of their program.

Assistants and fellowship holders are not exempt from tuition fees. Fellowships and teaching assistantships are subject to income tax. Tuition fees may be deducted at source in instalments, by request to UBC Financial Services.


University Fellowships

Fellowship awards and renewals are made on a university-wide competitive basis.

The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) is a guaranteed minimum funding package that will be awarded to a limited number of our incoming doctoral students on a competitive basis.

The value of the 4YF is $18,200 per year plus full tuition coverage for the first four years of PhD studies. All Canadian and international PhD applicants offered admission are automatically considered for the 4YF funding. This scholarship is based on academic excellence.

The University Doctoral Fellowship (IDF) program supports top international students who are starting UBC Vancouver doctoral programs.

The fellowship provides funding for a total of five years: a $30,000 stipend plus tuition for four years and a minimum $18,000 funding package (from the recipient’s supervisor/department/Faculty, comprising awards, teaching assistantships and/or research assistantships) for the fifth year.

The Graduate Support Initiative is a system for funding incoming and ongoing MA and PhD graduate students through entrance scholarships, multi-year funding packages, tuition awards, and scholarship top-ups.

All students are considered and no application is requested. Renewals are subject to satisfactory academic progress.

Many international graduate students are eligible for an International Partial Tuition Scholarship of up to $3,200 per year which is applied to their tuition fees.

The University awards a limited number of fellowships to both Canadian and international students with outstanding records on a competitive basis. The value of such awards ranges from $175 to $30,000, but most are in the range of $16,000.

Killam Doctoral Fellowships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC. Approximately 30 awards are made each year to the top doctoral candidates in the Affiliated Fellowships competition.

At present, the Killam Doctoral Scholarship provides an annual stipend valued at $30,000 for two years and a $2,000 allowance for research-related travel during the 24 months of the scholarship, plus tuition – for a total value of approximately $35,500 per annum.

The Faculty of Arts Research Awards are to assist graduate students (PhD and MA) based in the Faculty in research directly associated with their degree program. Funds can be used for travel and direct research expenses.

The UBC Public Scholars Initiative (PSI) is an innovative pilot program intended to explore how a top-tier university can support doctoral pathways that encourage purposeful social contribution, innovative forms of collaborative scholarship, and broader career readiness for students.

Graduate students are eligible for reimbursement from the Graduate Student Travel Fund once per degree program. The Travel Fund provides travel support to a maximum of $500 to a graduate student who presents a paper at an official conference or symposium (student workshops are ineligible).


Departmental Funding

The Department is committed to offering substantial funding, on a competitive basis, to most of our incoming students.

The Dorothy Dallas Scholarship is intended to support PhD students whose research focuses on 17th- and/or 18th-century literature and culture. This scholarship provides an additional $5000/year to the minimal funding package for up to four years. This scholarship can be combined with other grants.

Graduate Entrance Departmental Fellowships are available for new MA and PhD graduate students in the first year of their program. All students are considered and no application is requested.

Our graduate students are typically granted teaching assistantship positions. PhD students normally hold these positions for five years.

Wages and working conditions of teaching assistants are set in accordance with the terms of the collective agreement between UBC and CUPE local 2278.

Holding of a teaching assistantship is contingent both upon the candidates’ good academic standing and upon their ability to perform the required duties satisfactorily.

PhD students who are Advanced to Candidacy are eligible to apply for a sessional lectureship.

Graduate Research Assistantships are also available. Stipends vary according to the duties assigned. Positions are dependent on faculty research grants.

The UBC French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies (FHIS) Graduate Research Grant is designed to help graduate students who are doing research outside of B.C. associated with their thesis. Grants up to $2,000 are designed to cover the costs of travel and other research-related expenses.

In recognition of the contribution of Graduate Student Leaders to our graduate programs, the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) will provide up to three awards per year in this category. Each prize includes a certificate, $100, and announcements on social media.

The award is open to all FHIS graduate students.

UBC French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies (FHIS) provides travel support up to $500 to encourage MA and PhD students to present a paper at an official conference or symposium.

To be eligible, students must have already received funding from the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies’ Travel Fund.

In recognition of the contribution of Graduate Teaching Assistants to our graduate programs, the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) will provide up to three awards per year in this category. Each prize includes a certificate, $100, and announcements on social media.

The award is open to all FHIS graduate students.

The Ximena Osegueda Prize, in the amount of $200, is awarded every year to three graduate students — one in French, one in Hispanic Studies and one in linguistics — who have been selected for the best essay in a graduate seminar.

The essays should be written in the target language (French or Spanish), unless they have been written in a course taught in English.

An annual prize of approximately $1500 has been endowed by family and friends in memory of Benjamin Edinger (1969-1993).

The award is offered to an outstanding student in the MA program whose studies focus on European French literature, and is made on the recommendation of UBC French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.

The value of this prize varies according to the income earned by the endowments in any given year.


External Funding

Our students have been successful in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC/CRSH) competitions and a number of our PhD students have secured external awards, such as the Vanier Scholarship.

Graduate students are highly encouraged to apply for a SSHRC scholarship, not only to receive funding, but to strengthen the competitiveness of one's C.V.

A substantial programme of scholarship support for MA and PhD candidates is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) / Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH).

SSHRC Master's Scholarships are available to Canadian MA candidates in the first year of their program.

  • An average mark of 80% is a criterion of eligibility
  • Research skills and refereed publications are part of the file to be assessed
  • The value of this scholarship is $17,500 (tenable for 12 months)
  • Students who are Canadian citizens, and who meet the eligibility criteria are required to submit an application

SSHRC Doctoral Scholarships are available to Canadian Ph.D. candidates in the first four year of their program.

  • An average mark of 80% is a criterion of eligibility
  • Research skills and refereed publications are part of the file to be assessed
  • The value of these scholarships is $35,000 per annum (tenable for 3 years) for the J.-Armand Bombardier Doctoral scholarships, and $20,000 per annum (tenable for 12, 24, 36, or 48 months) for the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
  • Students who are Canadian citizens, and who meet the eligibility criteria are required to submit an application

The Vanier Scholarships Program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies and leadership skills.

Both Canadian and international students are eligible to apply for Vanier Scholarships, which have a stipend of $50,000 per annum and are tenable for up to 36 months.

The Association internationale des études québécoises aims at promoting research on Quebec studies.

The B.C. Ministry of Education offers bursaries to residents of the province who take at least 55% of their courses in French while pursuing full-time studies at an accredited post-secondary institution in Canada.

The Baxter & Alma Ricard Foundation offers scholarships to Canadian citizens who are finishing their BA or starting an MA or PhD degree and are living in a Francophone minority environment.

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