Funding in Canada for an American

[etoile15]

Hello everyone,

After a few years away from academia, I have decided that I want back in. I miss researching too much, and cannot stand the idea of spending my entire life slaving away in corporate America. I am aiming to begin in fall 2012.

My field is French literature, and I have decided that I wish to do my doctorate in Canada. I have spoken with some of my mentors about these plans, and most of them think it'd be a great idea, because one of my interests is Québec literature (and also Acadian literature).

However, one of my mentors has warned me that going to school in Canada may be risky as far as funding goes. Like most everyone else, I am not independently wealthy, and must get some funding in order to complete a PhD. Most all of the schools I'm looking at are in the province of Québec (Laval, Université de Montréal, McGill, possibly UQAM...), with the exception of the University of Western Ontario in London. This is for obvious reasons: part of my thesis will have to do with Québec and/or Acadian literature, so naturally I want to go somewhere in Québec; however, if there are schools elsewhere in Eastern Canada (or Ontario), I'd be open to other suggestions if anyone has any.

My question is the following: will I realistically be able to secure enough funding to be able to afford living up there? Obviously, I realize that I will not be making tons of money, but I want to be able to survive without taking out too many more loans or constantly asking family to borrow money. Keep in mind that I am not Canadian, but that I am from the US...are there any scholarships specifically for people with my profile (an American, studying French literature in Canada, who already holds a MA in French Lit from a public top-30 institution in the US)? I know that Québec is trying to preserve the French language and culture, so maybe there's special funding put in place for those who study Francophone lit/culture in Québec? I know my MA school is respected up there; while doing my MA, I presented at a prestigious conference at the University of Toronto, and everyone seemed in awe about the school where I got my MA.

Thanks!

Edited March 8, 2011 by etoile15

[lewin]

I'm in psychology and in Ontario, so I can't speak specifically to the Quebec or French literature contexts, but good idea checking with the provicial government on language preservation. A quick search also turned up this page at McGill, which looks like a good guide. Your topic certainly sounds relevant.

In my discipline most graduate students are funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Unfortunately its fellowships are only available to citizens and permanent residents. So maybe if you meet a cute local boy/girl....

Edit to add: "Permanent residency" is an immigration status where you can stay in the country forever but are not a citizen.

Edited March 8, 2011 by lewin00

[thepoorstockinger]

As of right now most Canadian schools offer decent funding for grad students that aren't dependent on citizenship.

The big one to look at in terms of external awards for international students is the Vanier Scholarship offered by the tri-councils.

[etoile15]

Thanks for the all information! If anyone else has anything else to contribute, I'm all ears!

I've also got another question: based on your responses, is it accurate to say that most everyone gets external funding? Aren't there possibilities for TAships or RAships? I need to work on my teaching, and I'd love to be a RA too (I love researching!), but are these options less common?

Again, cheers for the info you've shared so far!

[wtncffts]

Thanks for the all information! If anyone else has anything else to contribute, I'm all ears!

I've also got another question: based on your responses, is it accurate to say that most everyone gets external funding? Aren't there possibilities for TAships or RAships? I need to work on my teaching, and I'd love to be a RA too (I love researching!), but are these options less common?

Again, cheers for the info you've shared so far!

Your question: I don't think that's the case at all; I'd venture to say that most student funding is from TA or RAships. In the department I was in doing my MA, many, if not most, of the PhD students were TAs and/or RAs, especially those not ABD.

[hg1]

Most schools (that I've applied to, anyway) provide a minimum funding package for PhD students, somewhere in the $20,000 range per year including a TA-ship (which usually makes up around $10,000). If you're a competitive applicant the guaranteed funding usually exceeds that. Some PhD students have external funding or extra fellowships on top of that, but certainly not all. The problem you'll have is that you'll be paying international fees and so most of that funding would go towards tuition. If you manage to become a permanent resident in Quebec, the fees drop enormously (even in comparison to other places in Canada), but my understanding is it isn't easy. You will definitely need to apply for some other fellowships or programs and you may find some really good funding (Vanier and also Trudeau are two options)! On the plus side, I think the cost of living (even in Montreal) is substantially lower than cities in Ontario.

I hope that helps a bit!

[lewin]

...is it accurate to say that most everyone gets external funding?

I think it varies very much from program to program. As a baseline (and hoping this doesn't sound ostentatious), my program is one of the better ones in its area and 80% of the students have external funding. So certainly not most everyone. But everyone here without an external award gets internal funding that's enough to live on (~22k/yr).

[lewin]

... The problem you'll have is that you'll be paying international fees and so most of that funding would go towards tuition. ...

Some programs offer extra funding to international students to make up the tuition difference. Good thing to check for!

Edited March 10, 2011 by lewin00

[FionatheFeminist]

Does anyone know how loans work? I'm American and applied to one Canadian school (University of British Columbia). I haven't heard back from them yet but does anyone know if it would be possible to get American loans to study in Canada?? I know that I was able to get loans from American banks when I studied in London for a year but that was an exchange program through my American school... I've been wondering about this since UBC in my top 3! ANy help would be appreciated!!

[PrettyVacant]

Does anyone know how loans work? I'm American and applied to one Canadian school (University of British Columbia). I haven't heard back from them yet but does anyone know if it would be possible to get American loans to study in Canada?? I know that I was able to get loans from American banks when I studied in London for a year but that was an exchange program through my American school... I've been wondering about this since UBC in my top 3! ANy help would be appreciated!!

You should be able to get a Stafford loan. See: https://secure.staffordloan.com/apply/ Check Non-US, then University of BC will appear in the college name drop down box.

As for other non-Federal loans, it depends on the bank. Citibank doesn't do international as far as I know. I know you are able to get a student loan for most Canadian schools through Sallie Mae, but their interest rates are kinda high.

Edited March 13, 2011 by PrettyVacant

[FionatheFeminist]

You should be able to get a Stafford loan. See: https://secure.staffordloan.com/apply/ Check Non-US, then University of BC will appear in the college name drop down box.

As for other non-Federal loans, it depends on the bank. Citibank doesn't do international as far as I know. I know you are able to get a student loan for most Canadian schools through Sallie Mae, but their interest rates are kinda high.

Thanks so much, this is really helpful!! Best of luck to you!