SSHRC and Graduate Funding

[CatherineRioux]

Hi everyone, 

 

I am a Canadian student in philosophy (in fact, a Quebecer).

I have applied to a dozen PhD programs in the US and to two programs in Canada, namely McGill and Toronto. 

So far, I only know that I have been accepted to Toronto. They offer me full funding for 6 years, which amounts to approximately 20 000$ per year and also offer to pay my tuition.

 

I apply to several scholarships, including Fulbright, SSHRC and FRQSC (Quebec's government). 

SSHRC's grant is 35 0000$ for three years. FRQSC's grant is 20 000$ for two years.

I did not get the Fulbright scholarship, but I think that I have a really good shot at SSHRC and FRQSC.

 

I didn't choose philosophy thinking it would make me rich .

But I have to admit that money will carry some weight in my program decision...

 

So my question is: 

 

Do universities (Canadian and American) usually offer less funding to applicants that already receive external funding? 

For instance, do you think that if I get the SSHRC 35000$ grant, the funding provided by my university could drop from 20 000$ per year to 10 0000$ per year? 

 

I don't really want to ask universities at this point in the process, because I am afraid of the impression that they could get. 

But at the same time I am anxious to know...

 

Thank you for your time!! 

[Melian4]

Hi Catherine!

 

As a fellow Quebecer who has gone through this process last year (although in classics rather than in philosophy), I would suggest that you ask programs whether or not they will allow you to hold both SSHRC/FRQSC and university funding, even if they haven't accepted you yet. 

 

Some universities in the US will allow you to keep their funding+ SSHRC, some will consider that SSHRC replaces the stipend they would have given you, and some allow you to keep SSHRC and give you a partial stipend. 

 

Especially if you've been shortlisted for SSHRC, I don't think it is pushy to ask departments what their policy on external funding is. They'll be happy to see that you have applied for fellowships outside the university, as it demonstrates your drive and independence. 

 

Please feel free to PM me if you have any question about doing a humanities Ph.D. in the US (or at McGill for that matter), ça me ferait très plaisir d'essayer de t'aider! 

 

[TakeruK]

In general, external funding does reduce internal funding as internal funding usually comes with the stipulation that you don't have other funding.

 

For example, when I had NSERC funding for a Canadian program (CGS-M, $17.5k/year), my offer went from $24k/year (all internal)( to $32k/year ($15k internal, $17k NSERC).

 

At my US school, I took the PGS-D down here, and my funding went from $30k/year (all internal) to $30k/year ($9k + tuition internal, $21k from NSERC).

 

So you might be able to negotiate for a small "bonus" with an external fellowship but it's rare that you will be able to have both completely. Also, many schools have a cap on what they're allowed to pay their graduate students (my current school's cap is $38,000/year).

[fuzzylogician]

In the Humanities the situation is often not as good as TakeruK describes. I would contacting the universities that you are considering, once you have your award, and asking about their policies. There are two common arrangement I am familiar with - (a) the external funding basically replaces your internal funding; you may get a small bonus or not at all; if your external funding is less than your internal funding would be, you get it supplemented to the "regular" amount for the program. (b ) your internal funding is saved for additional years when you don't have external funding, so if normally you'd have guaranteed funding for 5 years in your program and you got two years of external funding, you'd have guaranteed funding for 7 years. 

[Melian4]

In the Humanities the situation is often not as good as TakeruK describes. I would contacting the universities that you are considering, once you have your award, and asking about their policies. There are two common arrangement I am familiar with - (a) the external funding basically replaces your internal funding; you may get a small bonus or not at all; if your external funding is less than your internal funding would be, you get it supplemented to the "regular" amount for the program. (b ) your internal funding is saved for additional years when you don't have external funding, so if normally you'd have guaranteed funding for 5 years in your program and you got two years of external funding, you'd have guaranteed funding for 7 years. 

 

 

I believe this is true for most humanities programs, but some (like mine) do allow you to keep both the award and stipend in their entirety. It is far from being the norm however! 

[TakeruK]

In the Humanities the situation is often not as good as TakeruK describes. I would contacting the universities that you are considering, once you have your award, and asking about their policies. There are two common arrangement I am familiar with - (a) the external funding basically replaces your internal funding; you may get a small bonus or not at all; if your external funding is less than your internal funding would be, you get it supplemented to the "regular" amount for the program. (b ) your internal funding is saved for additional years when you don't have external funding, so if normally you'd have guaranteed funding for 5 years in your program and you got two years of external funding, you'd have guaranteed funding for 7 years. 

 

I think this is the same situation as I am describing. But perhaps the numbers are not the same. In Canada, a small bonus is more common and in the US, it seems like it just replaces your internal funding (if higher than internal value) or the school supplements it to match internal funding (my current situation).