Funding/Scholarships

Departmental Scholarships and Assistantships

Assistantships and Western Graduate Student Scholarships

To be eligible for funding, students must have a minimum admission average of 78% or B+, as determined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS), based upon grades from the last two years (20 half courses) of study.

Canadian students admitted to the PhD-stream MA program receive funding packages consisting of scholarships for tuition and fees and include a Graduate Teaching Assistant position (GTA) to help offset living expenses.

There are funding packages available to international PhD-stream MA students not sponsored by their government or in receipt of scholarships from other sources in their home country. These funding packages consist of scholarships for tuition and fees, as well as a Graduate Teaching Assistant position (GTA) to help offset living expenses.

All eligible Canadian Ph.D. students are guaranteed a support package of domestic tuition and fees plus a Graduate Teaching Assistant position (GTA), which for the 2024-2025 academic year amounts to $26,448, during the first 4 years of study. Eligible International Ph.D. students are provided a support package of domestic tuition and international fees plus a Graduate Teaching Assistant position (GTA), which for the 2024-2025 academic year amounts to $27,204, during the first 4 years of study.

Support for PhD students after the initial four years may come in the form of a graduate fellowship, summer teaching positions, and summer research positions.

Outside Scholarships

Candidates are also urged to apply for all outside scholarships for which they are eligible. Students who obtain outside scholarships are eligible for supplementary assistance from the Department of Economics. For certain fellowships the combined support can total $25,000. Consequently, it is very much in a student's interest to win an outside scholarship in addition to qualifying for assistance from the Department.

In the recent past, students in the Department of Economics have held many of the following scholarships, and candidates for admission are urged to apply for all of these for which they are eligible. This is just a partial list of Awards that are available to students. To obtain a full listing, see The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) funding webpage. Since scholarship deadlines are generally early in the fall prior to the awards, candidates should apply during the fall of their last undergraduate year.

1. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowships (SSHRC)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
  • Value: $20,000 a year for up to 48 months.
  • Deadline: September 27.
  • Address: School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Western University, or the candidate's university, or Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, P.O. Box 1610, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6G4

2. National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
  • Value: $17,500 (one year) to $21,000 (three years).
  • Deadline: September 27.
  • Further Info: School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Western University, or the candidate's home university, or Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, 350 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1H5

3. Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens or permanent residents. (International students must have been granted a Student Authorization to Canada and be in Canada at the time of application to OGS).
  • Value: $5,000 per term for up to 3 terms.