General
Every full-time graduate student admitted to one of our programs is guaranteed financial assistance for the prescribed duration of the program. This support fully covers tuition, fees, and health insurance, as well as funds for living expenses. Domestic and international admitted students have equal access to the full funding package. Currently, students are eligible for up to $2,000 per year in departmental travel funding to present their research at conferences and workshops (more travel funding available through SGS; see below).
To ensure the efficient and secure transfer of all fellowships and financial assistance, students are strongly encouraged to set up a direct-deposit account on Acorn.
Find information below about
- Breakdown of financial support
- Internal awards
- External awards
- TA income and funding
- Philosophy graduate student funding information and payment schedule
- Travel Funding Details
Need more details? Visit the Faculty of Arts & Science Graduate Funding Facts page.
Breakdown of Financial Support
MA students studying full-time who complete their degree in three terms (one full academic year) receive a minimum of $21,000 in annual funding, as well as funding to cover their tuition and fees. Domestic students applying to the MA are strongly encouraged to apply for the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s (CGS M) Program. CGSM winners are not expected to TA for any of their funding.
PhD students studying full-time receive a minimum of $26,000 in annual funding, as well as funding to cover their tuition and fees, for either four or five years depending on whether they were admitted to the four- or five-year program.
We provide more than the minimum funding outlined above to many of our PhD graduate students. For more information, see the graduate funding page of the Faculty of Arts & Science.
Readily available teaching assistantships and summer instructorships allow for further income.
Upcoming Funding Update for 2024-25 Academic Year:
- MA students’ minimum annual funding will increase to $24,000.
- PhD students’ minimum annual funding will increase to $30,000.
Internal Awards
Thanks to the generosity of friends, donors, alumni, current and retired faculty, the Department of Philosophy has several internal awards to support students, including
- the Sidney P. H. Robinson Graduate Scholarship in Ancient Philosophy
- the Gordon Cheesbrough Graduate Fellowship
- the Donald Ainslie Graduate Fellowship
- the Julia Ching Memorial Fellowship in Chinese Thought and Culture
- the David Gauthier Graduate Scholarship in Moral Philosophy
- the Philosophy and Law Alumni Award
- the Michael J. Herman Graduate Fellowship in Philosophy
- the Ian Hacking Graduate Travel Award
- the Richard W. Yee Fellowships in Medieval Philosophy
- the Pronovost Morgan Family Foundation Fellowship in Ethical AI
No special application is needed for these awards, which are allocated annually.
External Awards
Because the Faculty of Arts and Science provides guaranteed funding in the form of University of Toronto Fellowships, each student is required to apply for funding from major sources outside the University of Toronto for which they are eligible. When a student succeeds in securing external funding, the University of Toronto component is reduced accordingly. The two principal external funding sources are the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the provincial government of Ontario.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Fellowships
The SSHRC offers two doctoral awards, one valued at $20,000 per year for one to four years, and the other at $35,000 for three years. Only Canadian citizens and landed immigrants are eligible. We strongly encourage domestic students interested in our master’s program to apply for the Canadian Graduate Scholarship Master’s (CGSM). Find information about the CGSM on the School of Graduate Studies website.
Details about these application processes are available in the Graduate Office in early October or throughout the year on the SSHRC website.
Domestic and international students in our program are eligible for the Vanier Award, valued at $50,000 per year for three years; find details on the Vanier CGS website. Toronto Philosophy has a strong record of winning these awards.
Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
The OGS is valued at $15,000 for one year. Domestic and international students are eligible; many domestic students receive these annually.
School of Graduate Studies Fellowships
As part of its admissions process, the Department of Philosophy annually nominates a ranked list of PhD applicants (domestic and international) for a variety of fellowships managed by the School of Graduate Studies. Major awards for international students include the Connaught and Trillium Fellowships. Because nominations form part of the department’s regular admissions process, student applicants need not take any special to be considered. For information about the SGS fellowships, see the relevant SGS website.
School of Graduate Studies Emergency Grant
The School of Graduate Studies has established an Emergency Grant to help currently registered students meet financial emergencies. Details of eligibility, application process, and application forms are available from the SGS website.
Departmental Travel Subsidy for Graduate Students
The Department of Philosophy funds graduate student travel to conferences if the purpose of attending is to present or comment on a paper, at a refereed conference, in the student’s area of research.
Only students registered as graduate students in the department, and who remain in good standing, are eligible to apply for travel funding. Students may be reimbursed for a maximum of 2 conferences per year (September 1 – August 31), with a maximum of $1000 per conference from the general departmental fund. Students wishing to apply for these funds must do so in writing, using the Travel Funds Request Form.
The School of Graduate Studies also has funds available for both domestic and international graduate student research-related travel.
NOTE: Students must register with Safety Abroad and meet their requirements to access the SGS Conference and Travel Grants. These requirements apply to all university-funded student research travel (even to the United States). Follow the four steps for Safety Abroad requirements.
TA Income and Funding
Teaching Assistantships
The Department of Philosophy considers teaching assistantships an integral part of the professional training it provides in its graduate programs. In the PhD program, the level of responsibilities associated with these appointments progresses with increasing seniority. Typically, the student begins as a grader of tests and essays in undergraduate semester courses, then serves as a tutorial leader in a large year-length introductory course, and finally becomes responsible for teaching a course. The TA coordinator makes specific assignments. Rates of pay and conditions of appointment for teaching assistants (TA) are determined by a collective agreement between the University of Toronto and the graduate students’ chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Students who do not complete their degree during the period of guaranteed funding remain eligible for TA assignments.
Philosophy Department Funding Practices Policy
The Philosophy Department Funding Practice starts with the A&S Base Funding Package. Details are available on two Faculty of Arts & Science sites: The A&S Base Funding Package and How Graduate Funding Works in A&S.
Currently students without reduced expectations regarding the amount of TA income that contributes to their funding package are expected to contribute $7,755. This amount will be reduced in both 2024-25 and 2025-26.
There are reduced expectations for TA income to count toward the funding package in the following situations:
- Year 1 PhD students are not expected to work as TAs as part of their funding package.
- Students with domestic external awards with an annualized level of $15,000 or above are not expected to contribute TA income toward their A&S Base Funding Packages during the terms in which they hold the award. These include domestic students with CGSMs, CGSDs, SSHRC Ds, Vanier, and OGS awards.
- Students with a FAST Award are not expected to contribute TA income toward their funding packages during the terms as award holders.
- International students who receive Vanier Awards are not expected to contribute TA income toward their funding package during their award-holding terms.
- International students who receive an OGS award are not expected to contribute TA income toward their funding packages during their award-holding terms.
- International students who receive a University of Toronto Beatty Scholarship have reduced expectations regarding TA work that contributes toward their funding package during their terms as award holders: they are expected to contribute one half (1/2) of the current year’s maximum TA contribution toward their package. For the 2023–24 year, this will be $3877.5.
NOTE: Students who receive Connaught or Robinson Awards are expected to contribute the maximum amount of TA income toward their funding packages.
Philosophy Graduate Student Funding Information and Payment Schedule
Tuition and Fees
Students who hold external awards such as OGS, CGSM, CGSD, SSHRC Doctoral or Vanier Awards pay their own tuition and fees out of the award. The funding package includes the costs of tuition and fees for these students.
For students without such external awards, the university pays the tuition and fees. The payments are made in two installments, in September and in January.
All award holders—including those with a TAship and or an RAship— must request a fee deferral on Acorn to avoid being charged service charges on the amount owing. A fee deferral enables you to register prior to paying your tuition and it defers the service charge until April. It is best practice for all philosophy graduate students to request a fee deferral on Acorn by no later than August 15.
Timing of Funding
Research Assistantships are paid as per the schedule stated in your RA offer letter.
TA pay is paid monthly.
Other sources of funding will be paid in three installments, in September, January, and May.