Graduate Funding Opportunities

Students accepted and registered in the Department are eligible to apply for a teaching assistantship. These are fee-for-service contracts and not student awards. Ten hours per week is the maximum number of hours a full-time student can work. Further details can be obtained by writing directly to the Chair of the Department, giving full particulars of your academic training and experience.

Visit Financing Your Graduate Education for further information on financial support.

Financial support is available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents from the following federal and provincial government programs. These awards are competitive and are based on academic standing and letters of recommendation. Application forms are available in early Fall preceding the year of admission.

1. Canada Graduate Scholarship CGS M (NSERC/ SSHRC/CIHR) – $27,000
2. Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) – $15,000
3. CGS Doctoral (CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC) Scholarship – 
   1. CGS D - $40,000 per year for 36 months
   2.  NSERC PGS D - $40,000 per year for 36 months
   3. SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship - $40,000 per year for 12 to 36 months

Financial support is available to highly qualified graduate students, on the basis of academic excellence, from various sources at the University of Toronto. All complete applications for full-time studies received in the Department by January 15 are automatically considered for the following awards, for which there is a very small quota:

• Connaught International Scholarship for Doctoral Students – $10,000 top-up

A full list of scholarships and awards offered by the University of Toronto is available on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Non-Competitive Awards

The following is a list of fellowships endowed by generous alumni and friends of the Department of nutritional Sciences. No application is required; the funds are allocated to the core faculty members and will be considered as part of the guaranteed graduate student stipend.

• Annie L. Laird Fellowship in Food Sciences
• Betty Isobel MacKay Award
  • Donor: Estate of Betty Isobel MacKay
• Dairy Farmers of Canada Graduate Student Fellowships (OSOTF)
  • Donor: Dairy Farmers of Canada
• Department of Nutritional Sciences Graduate Student Fellowship (OSOTF)
  • Donor: Various industry members of the Program in Food Safety, Nutrition and Regulatory Affairs
• Edith Cosens Endowment Fund
  • Donor: Estate of Edith Cosens
• Faculty of Food Sciences Class of '69 Nutritional Sciences Award*
  • Donor: Multiple alumni from the class of 1969
• Household Science & Nutritional Sciences Alumni Graduate Scholarship (OSOTF)
  • Donor: Household Science and Nutritional Sciences alumni
• Ina Kniep Scholarship
  • Donor: Estate of Ina Margaret Kniep
• Lylla Doreen Lewis Scholarship
  • Donor: Estate of Lylla Doreen Lewis
• Marjorie Reynolds Scholarships
  • Donor: Estate of Marjorie Reynolds
• Mary Raymond Brown Memorial Scholarship in Nutritional Sciences
  • Donor: Estate of Genevra Richards
• Marjorie Van Veen Graduate Scholarship in Human Nutrition
  • Donor: Estate of Marjorie Van Veen
• Nora Martin Fellowship in Nutritional Sciences (OTSS)*
  • Donor: Nora Martin
• PPEF-Graduate Scholarships in the Program in Food Safety, Nutrition and Regulatory Affairs
  • Donor: Various donors
• Sharon Zeiler Nutrition Award*
  • Donor: Sharon Zeiler 

Competitive Awards

• Deborah J. Stone Human Milk Research Award
  • Donor: Deborah J. Stone, RN, IBCLC
  • Description: To be awarded to one or more domestic or international Masters and PhD graduate students in the Department of Nutritional Sciences on the basis of academic excellence. The award will be used to support human milk research in infant nutrition.
• Department of Nutritional Sciences Alumni Travel Awards
  • Donor: Department of Nutritional Sciences Alumni Association
  • Description: These annual awards are to fund travel for graduate students in the Department of Nutritional Sciences (MSc or PhD) and MPH Nutrition and Dietetics students to present a first-authored paper at a scientific meeting.
• Lilian Thompson Seminar Award*
  • Donor: Dr. Lilian Thompson, Professor Emeritus
  • Description: This annual award is for the best graduate student seminar (MSc or PhD) presented in the preceding academic year.
• Michael C. Archer Research Award*
  • Donor: Dr. Michael C. Archer, Professor Emeritus
  • Description: This annual award is for the best research article published in the preceding year in a journal by a student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences (graduate or undergraduate) who is first author of the paper.

*Click here for a list of recent award recipients. 

Funding Information

1. Total Base Funding

 2025-2026 Student Base Funding for doctoral-stream Masters and PhD

* Tuition and Fees for students who started in 2024-25 will differ from students starting in 2025-26. The living allowance will remain the same, but the overall funding package will differ to cover increased tuition costs. 

Tuition Fees include: Program fees, Mandatory Incidental, System Access & Ancillary Fees.

2. Merit-based Entrance Scholarships (MES)

One year Merit-based Entrance Scholarships, valued at no more than $5,000 each, can be offered to up to 20% of the most highly rated applicants (based on previous year’s enrollment) as determined by the participating graduate units. A student who receives such an Entrance Scholarship, approved by the Graduate Unit offering admissions, will be eligible to retain the full amount over and above their base funding. No other “admissions” or “recruitment” incentive scholarships may be offered by individual graduate units. Doing so would be considered a violation of the Harmonized Base Funding Agreement. Graduate Units will continue to determine and enforce the eligibility of their MES.

3. Top-up Practices 

All awards that require student applications are eligible for a top-up from their supervisor or graduate unit. The top-up amounts are as follows:

NOTE: 

a) Within an academic year (or 12 months period), the total cumulative top-up maximum is $5,000. That is, if a student holds an award of $25,000 and another award of $17,500, their total top-up is $5,000.

b) The top-up is only provided in amounts of $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000 per year (does not exceed 12 months) and is added above the base funding amount.

c) A student who receives award(s) higher than $50,000 is not eligible for any top-up and can only retain the award(s) up to a maximum total of $50,000.

d) Payment of top-ups will occur annually for the duration of the award and the student will revert back to the appropriate base graduate student funding package amount thereafter.

e) Top-up eligibility excludes University of Toronto Fellowship (e.g., UTF Open), Doctoral Completion Awards, Temerty Faculty of Medicine Entrance Scholarship, GSS funds, travel awards, and bursaries.

f) Only a single top-up can be administered for awards that span over two academic years. For example, CIHR, QEII, and OGS that commence in May – April annually. We highly recommend commencing such awards in September where possible. Administering top-ups for such awards with a May start should commence as of September in the new academic year.

4. Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Funds (OSOTF) Awards

Students who receive funding from needs-based and merit awards, such as OSOTFs, are required to consider such funds as part of their base funding. See above for top up policy for such awards.

More information about OSOTF and other endowed awards in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine is available here , including a list of awards.

5. Bursaries

Non-repayable grants, such as the UTAPS and SGS Emergency Grant, which assist students with sudden and/or unexpected financial need, are not part of the base funding outlined above. A student under these circumstances is therefore eligible to retain the entire amount of such an award.

6. Funding Terms

In general, provided that the student remains “in good standing”, a doctoral stream student will be funded for their thesis-based program, as per the approved graduate unit funded years. There are four basic principles that guide these funding terms, as follows:

a) Full-time MSc students are guaranteed base funding for their first 2 years.

b) PhD students admitted with completed master's degree are guaranteed base funding for a minimum of 4 years.

c) Transfer students (i.e., transfer from MSc to PhD students), are guaranteed minimum base funding for their first 5 years, which includes 1 year as an MSc student.

d) Direct-entry PhD students admitted with a bachelor's degree are guaranteed base funding for a minimum of 5 years.

7. Annual Review 

The Chairs/Directors below agree to meet at least annually with the Vice Dean, Research and Health Science Education, to discuss this Agreement and make any adjustments necessary for implementation effective the following academic year.