Financial Support

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Offers of financial support (assistantships and/or scholarships) are made upon admission into the graduate program (there is no separate application for financial support). Prospective students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents are encouraged to apply for NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR awards (see below) in early fall of the year prior to application to grad school.

Assistantships

Graduate students in good standing typically receive full funding through graduate assistantships, budget permitting, as follows:

• September through April (teaching assistantships for 12 hours/week)
• May through August (research assistantships for 12 hours/week)
• $23,250: base salary for 2012-2013
• Salary increases with seniority
• $1000 signing bonus to help defray expenses (e.g., cost of moving)
• Eligibility
• Up to 5 years of funding if entering with Bachelor’s degree (2 years at the Master’s level and 3 years at the Doctoral level)
• Up to 4 years of funding if entering with Master’s degree

Scholarships and Awards

Graduate students in our Department have been highly successful in winning major, prestigious awards at the national, provincial, and local levels -- worth $10,000 to $35,000/year (see list of 2012/2013 award winners).

• In 2012, the Department of Psychology was first across campus for per capita Tri-Council Master's awards (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC)
• 71% of eligible students received NSERC doctoral scholarships in 4 year period
• 57% of eligible Psychology grad students hold a major international, national, or provincial awards

Students are encouraged to compete for awards to cover living expenses, tuition, research, and/or conference travel.

Major Awards

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Provides support ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) to students engaged in master's or doctoral programs in psychology as a natural science.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Provides fellowships ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) for master's and doctoral students studying psychology as a social science.
• Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Master’s and doctoral research awards from CIHR ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) provide support to students pursuing a degree in a health-related field.
• Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS). AIHS Full-time Studentships ($19,000 to $20,000 annually plus $1000 to $1500 research allowance) enable full-time research training in basic bio-medical, health, or mental health sciences.
• Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships. Several master’s ($10,800) and doctoral ($15,000) awards are granted each year to Psychology students.

Incentive Awards (top ups for CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC winners)

• Walter H. Johns Graduate Scholarship.  Tuition and fees to students who receive major master’s NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR awards.
• President’s Doctoral Prize of Distinction.   $10,000 in Year 1 of a major doctoral scholarship (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) and tuition fees in each remaining year of scholarship

Department Awards

• Brendan Gail Rule Graduate Scholarship. Awarded annually to an outstanding student in the Department of Psychology whose primary research is in the psychology of aging.
• Dr. Jane Silvius Graduate Scholarship in Child Development. Awarded annually to an outstanding doctoral student in the Department of Psychology whose primary research is in child development.

Other Awards

• Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) General Awards. Current senior students may be eligible for the Andrew Stewart Memorial Graduate Prize, the Dissertation Fellowship, and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship.
• University of Alberta Administered Awards.  A variety of graduate awards are distributed to current students by FGSR each year.
• Recruitment Scholarships. Recruitment scholarships are available for superior master’s and doctoral students. Graduate applicants are nominated by the Department (no specific scholarship application required).

Travel Awards

• Skitch Travel Fund. Students may apply for travel support of up to $250 per year from the Department to make first-authored presentations at conferences.
• Epling Travel Fund. Students may apply for travel support of up to $400 one time to make first-authored presentations at a conference in the areas of behavioral psychology, animal learning, behavioral neuroscience, or physiology and behavior.
• Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Travel Grants. Students may apply for up to $1300 from FGSR for a research travel grant (Mary Louise Imrie, J. Gordin Kaplan, or Profiling Alberta’s Graduate Students awards) once during their master’s and once during their doctoral program.

Further information on graduate awards may be found at FGSR's Awards and Funding web page.

International Student Differential Fee

Tuition costs  are higher for international students, but funds are normally available to offset the fee differential.

Transportation

U-Pass (Universal Transit Pass) allow students unlimited access to regular public transit services for Fall (September - December), Winter (January - April), and Spring/Summer (May - August) academic terms.