Different for Canadian Schools?

[vern23]

Now I don't know if anyone here knows but I applied to several canadian programs and ive been accepted to one so far and I wonder if they do their funding differently. The school is in vancouver which has a really high cost of living. Now usually the us programs i know pretty much waive tuition and then offer a stipend ranging form 15-30K. So the school says they guarantee funding with a minimum amount sufficient to cover living expenses and tution and that minimum being 22k with a mix of TA RA and a 1000 tuition award (i have no idea what that means). So am i to assume that I am supposed to pay tuition out of that 22k? Cause that would only leave me with like 12,000 for the whole year for ALL living expenses which is crazy where in a city a 1 bedroom costs like a 1000/month pls utilities.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[liszt85]

I got an informal email about the possibility of admitting me to a Canadian school. The professor mentioned that $20,000 (10K scholarship + 10K TAship) would be offered and that the difference between the international and canadian fees would be waived (via some new scheme, which I guess would be in place at all schools in Canada). So I'd have to pay the Canadian fees of about $5K CDN out of that. So I'll be left with around 15K before taxes (which might not quite suffice to support a non-working spouse on) but in my case, the cost of living is pretty low at that place.. so I might be able to manage.

I think they will waive at least the difference between the international and canadian tuition fee. McGill (Psychology) for instance waives the entire international fee (I believe, from what I've seen on their website). So that might also happen, depending on the university. Go ahead and email them with your question, they'll tell you exactly what it will be.

[vern23]

Unfortunately they're not the best at replying to emails and the info they sent in the mail said nothing, so I'm trying to be patient and wait till the visiting weekend but I've used up all my patients waiting for notifications.

[thepoorstockinger]

Canadian schools almost never waive tuition fees. Some programs will waive the international differential for international students (so you pay the same fees as Canadian students) but you are expected to pay your fees out of whatever funding package you are offered. In Canada most funding for top candidates is not supplied directly from schools but from the external granting councils (NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR). I don't know what eligibility is like for international students with NSERC, but you are eligible to apply for the Vanier Scholarship after your first year in the program.

Is it UBC or SFU? I know SFU's dean of grad studies has a fund specifically set up to match offers from competing programs for top candidates so if you have a larger offer elsewhere they will kick in extra cash if the department really wants you.

[vern23]

F*** thats what i was afraid of. Im in at UBC and and if they only offer 22k minus tuition thats crazy minus rent that would leave me with like 2000 spending money for bills and food and such all year thats insanse. Man im soo bummed that was one of my top choices too

[thepoorstockinger]

Call someone and ask about additional funding. You're certainly not the first international student at UBC in this sort of position and they may be able to help you out with additional funding, waiving the international differential, etc.

I know the frustration re: Vancouver. I had an offer of $33k first year and $15k second year for a two year MA and I simply couldn't make it work after I worked out the moving expenses and the cost of traveling for my research which helped me decide to go elsewhere. Vancouver is crazy pricey.

[jasper.milvain]

I've been living in Vancouver for the past six years, and I've lived on that amount. For the first year of my MA, I had TA work worth about $5000 a term, and made it work. I never ever want to do that ever again, of course, but it's doable for a few years while you're scraping together something better.

I got two $580 paychecks a month. One would go entirely to rent/utilities, and I'd live off the second. Out of that second check, about $200 or $250 would go towards paying down my tuition, leaving me with a little over $300 for food, clothes, beer, etc. Since SFU and UBC both have mandatory, insanely cheap buss passes included in tuition, I never had to worry about affording transportation. Every so often I would find some extra money from things like stipended committee positions, small internal awards, or a few dozen hours of marking work, and I'd use that to pay down my credit card.

Granted, I live with a partner and that brought my rent down. But I know people who have single bedroom apartments for $700-$800 in East Vancouver. If you really want to go to UBC, you can absolutely make it work.

[liszt85]

F*** thats what i was afraid of. Im in at UBC and and if they only offer 22k minus tuition thats crazy minus rent that would leave me with like 2000 spending money for bills and food and such all year thats insanse. Man im soo bummed that was one of my top choices too

I've seen that most schools, beginning 2007, have waived the difference between the international and canadian tuition fees. You should really scour the UBC financial assistance website and see if that's in place.

[vern23]

jasper thanks for giving me hope. I believe it said on there website they usually do some kind of scholarship to cut the difference between international and domestic tuition which is good. I'm sure i could make it work but id rather not be scrapping by month to month if I can help it. I'm still waiting on the information sent in the mail which will hopefully detail more about the funding since my emails and calls seem to be getting ignored. I've made plans to go visit in two weeks so then i can talk to the grad students as well.

so far its the only one ive been accepted to so even if the funding isnt the best might be the only option, but i do really want to go there.

Does anyone know if you still file a FAFSA with canadian schools or is FAFSA just for US ?

[Minnesotan]

If they don't waive the international fees, there might also be international studentships. I know I got one unexpectedly when I did my MA in Toronto, and that extra cash made a huge difference!

It's something to look into. Big Canadian cities are absurdly expensive places to live.