jameswhitby

Hello, my department gives a yearly $20,000 (CAD) stipend for Ph.D. students. I'm thinking of applying for a OGS or SSHRC (currently in my second year). The OGS is $15,000 and SSHRC is $20,000 if I remember correctly. But whatever the amounts are, if I win any of them, my department only gives me a "top-up" of $5,000 to $25,000. Is this legal? I'm a Ph.D. student, so I should get the $20,000 stipend. But if I apply for and win an external award of say $15,000, I should get a total of $35,000, no? The department says that if I win the OGS (or SSHRC), the $15,000 becomes part of my funding package, but with a few additional thousands of dollars "in recognition of my success". How does your department work? If that's the standard, I'm not sure if getting transcripts and letters is worth the hassle. For an *extra* $15,000 (or $20,000), yes, but for a mere bonus of $5,000??? Thoughts? James