General Question Re: US student Trying to get Funding for Canadian School

[breaks0]

So I had a phone interview w/grad program director of geography @ york u in toronto today. Says I'm a good fit, my research topic is "fascinating" and he could make me a funded offer, problem is foreigners like me still have to come up w/outside funding for the higher tuition we pay, at least for 2-3 years till I get Canadian  residency.. So he's putting my file on hold b/c otherwise I'd have to make a decision  within 30 days. It appears I have maybe till April 1 to come up w/the money. This is bitter sweet, doesn't change anything yet, but this is first type of call like this I've ever had.

 

So does anyone have any suggestions on where to look for funding to study abroad at this time of year? I thought most US govt and major private sources had deadlines in early Fall. I know I must look terribly naive for asking this now, but figure it can't hurt. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Dedi]

I've been searching for things back around last summer, and our choices are very limited. I think your best bet is to apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Also, ask about the Ontario Trillium Scholarship and see whether you are eligible for that. Otherwise, you can try finding discipline specific external funding...

[victorydance]

Have you looked at OAS?

[TakeruK]

The Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) has a very small (but nonzero) quota of non-Canadian awards (it's like 3%?). The other common graduate awards in Canada are the SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR fellowships (for social sciences, natural sciences and health research, respectively). But the most common awards (like the NSF) are for Canadians only.

 

However, the three agencies do offer a very prestigious Vanier fellowship (not sure if you can apply in 2nd year though and it's too late for this year) that is meant to recruit/retain the best talent so international students are allowed. The award is $50,000/year for 3 years and there is usually at least one award per year per school in each of the social sciences/humanities, natural sciences/engineering, and health research.

 

More info: http://www.vanier.gc.ca/eng/home-accueil.html

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Thanks all for your feedback!

[Henry Hudson]

I almost applied to York for History. Funding and admission for non-Canadians now is actually better than it was a couple years ago, when depts were each only taking one non-Canadian.

 

from what I was told, the funding package I could have expected, had I applied this year, would be little more than tuition and related basic costs; I would have had to take out serious loans for my first two years until being able to apply for landed immigrant status. 

 

Trillium awards are possible, as I understand it. Vaniers are apparently so tough to get they are almost an urban legend - everyone heard of them but no one seems to know anyone first-hand who ever got one. 

 

Ontario (and Quebec, as I hear it) are not nearly as supportive of non-Canadian grad students as they used to be. I got my MA in Ontario; the policy changes even 4ish years ago felt like the door was slamming behind me. 

[happy little pill]

Just to weigh in on the QC question: The schools are all doing the best that they can, but the government has massively slashed uni budgets, and it seems like that's going to continue into the foreseeable future. Since about 95% of faculty budgets are tied up in staff, that only leaves about 5% that can be wiggled around - which unfortunately means grad support & TA/RA positions usually are the things that take a hit as they tend to be some of the heaviest hitters outside of capital expenditures. The thing is though that living in Montreal (where all but two of the universities here are located) is significantly cheaper than basically anywhere else in Canada so on some level it balances out, I guess.

 

I know that the university where I am now does tend to fund its grad students more lucratively than other institutions in the province, so that's maybe something to consider when applying?

Edited February 13, 2015 by happy little pill

[TakeruK]

Vaniers are apparently so tough to get they are almost an urban legend - everyone heard of them but no one seems to know anyone first-hand who ever got one. 

 

Indeed -- note that Vaniers are literally for the best (or top 2 to 3 at bigger schools) graduate student in all of your entire "agency" (i.e. all of social sciences & humanities, or all of natural sciences & engineering, or all of health research). A friend of mine did get one though, so I do know someone first hand!

[breaks0]

Thanks for additional responses. I forgot to mention, they do give a stipend of over 21k  canadian dollars for living expenses, which is plenty of course for that purpose. But the tuition equals nearly that much which you have to pay yourself, so you're practically paying for your own stipend. And the dept's grad program assistant told me most phd students don't usually attain perm residency  until their 4th  year in the program. At that point when your tuition then drops to the canadian rate, the stipend is usually enough to cover your tuition too. But that's likely at least 3 years and alot of money spent down the road from  when you enter the program.

Edited February 20, 2015 by breaks0

[breaks0]

I have another question about Trillium if anyone is stil reading this or knows. So I inquired the other day at York and was instructed, as it also says on the website, that you have to be nominated by the department where you're accepted. So this isn't something you can just apply to you on your own, no? I was informed that the department effectively ranks those it accepts and they inform those within their nominee quota (1 or however many) that they chooses to nominate. I asked my prospective program director and so far no response, and I'm guessing it's probably too late now since there are only a few weekdays left till the deadline. I would have liked to have gone for this b/c it really could make taking my offer possible, wheras w/o it, I'm now leaning against taking it. This is nervewracking.

Edited February 25, 2015 by breaks0

[TakeruK]

I have another question about Trillium if anyone is stil reading this or knows. So I inquired the other day at York and was instructed, as it also says on the website, that you have to be nominated by the department where you're accepted. So this isn't something you can just apply to you on your own, no? I was informed that the department effectively ranks those it accepts and they inform those within their nominee quota (1 or however many) that they chooses to nominate. I asked my prospective program director and so far no response, and I'm guessing it's probably too late now since there are only a few weekdays left till the deadline. I would have liked to have gone for this b/c it really could make taking my offer possible, wheras w/o it, I'm now leaning against taking it. This is nervewracking.

 

Yes this is correct, you have to work with them to submit your application. So I think your assessment is also correct, that if you were one of the nominees they should have already reached out to you, so perhaps they are expecting you to come up with funds elsewhere. But I guess it won't hurt to ask!