Graduate Funding Opportunities

MSc & PhD Degree Program – Funding Information

Assured Funding Policy: Funding Terms and Stipend Levels

Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek external support if they wish to be admitted to this department. Usually this means that applications to funding agencies must be filed about a year before planned entry into graduate programs. Prospective applicants may wish to visit the School of Graduate Studies' Awards & Funding webpage for applicable opportunities. 

A “stipend” is the total amount that a student receives as financial support during their graduate program.  Stipends are paid as T4A income and are obtained through one or more of the following:

  • the supervisor’s research grant; and/or
  • competitive scholarship/fellowship programs, internal or external to the University; and/or
  • departmental cohort funds (U of T Fellowships)

Teaching Assistantships

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.

Fellowships Awarded by Government Agencies

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) – $17,500
  2. Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) – $15,000
  3. CGS Doctoral (CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC) Scholarship – 
    1. CGS D - $35,000 per year for 36 months
    2.  NSERC PGS D - $21,000 per year for 36 months
    3. SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship - $20,000 per year for 12 to 48 months
  4. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) – Awarded to outstanding PhD students.  The award is $50,000 per year for three years.

EXTERNAL AWARDS DEADLINES 2019

Fellowships Awarded by the University

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.

Departmental Awards

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 2023-2024

                  Funding Information

                  1. Total Base Funding

                     2023-2024 Student Base Funding for doctoral-stream Masters and PhD

                     

                    Domestic

                     

                    International

                     

                     

                    MSc

                    PhD

                    MSc

                    PhD

                    Living Allowance

                    28,945.72

                    31,945.72

                    28,945.72

                    31,945.72

                    Tuition & Fees *

                     

                    8,213.96 (2022 & prior)

                    8,393.96 (2023-2024)

                    8,213.96

                    30,903.96

                    8,213.96

                    UHIP

                    N/A

                    N/A

                    756.00

                    756.00

                    Total (base funding)

                     

                    37,159.68 (2022 & prior)

                    37,339.68 (2023-2024)

                    40,159.68

                    60,605.68

                    40,915.68

                    * Tuition and Fees for students starting in 2023-24 will differ from students starting in previous years.

                    • Effective Fall 2018, International PhD students are subject to the same tuition fees as domestic PhD students.
                    • Tuition Fees include: Program fees, Mandatory Incidental, System Access & Ancillary Fees, and UHIP for international tuition are included.

                    2. Top-up Practices 

                    All awards that require student applications are eligible for a top-up from their supervisor or graduate unit excluding.

                    Award amount top-up
                    $0.00 to $2,000 There will be no top-up but the student gets to keep award(s), up to a combined maximum of $2,000.00. The amount of the award will not be deducted from the base funding.
                    Between $2,001 to $9,999 (cumulative awards) Award goes towards the base funding and the student receives a $2,000.00 top-up over their base funding. 
                    Between $10,000 to $15,000 (cumulative awards) Award goes towards the base funding and student receives a $3,000.00 top-up over their base funding. 
                    over $15,000 (cumulative awards $15,001 and up) Award goes towards the base fnding and student receives a $4,000 top up over their base funding

                    NOTE: 

                    • Within an academic year (or 12 months period), the total cumulative top-up maximum is
                      $4,000. That is, if a student holds an award of $5,000 and another award of $17,500, their
                      total top-up is $4,000.
                    • The top-up is only provided in increments of $2,000, $3,000 or $4,000 per year (does not
                      exceed 12 months) and is added above the base funding amount.
                    • A student, who receives award(s) exceeding the amount equivalent to the base funding and
                      maximum top-up of $4,000, will not be eligible to receive a top-up for these award(s).
                    • Top-up eligibility excludes University of Toronto Fellowship (e.g., UTF Open), Doctoral Completion Awards, and bursaries.
                    • Payment of top-ups will occur annually for the duration of the award. Thereafter, the student will revert back to the appropriate base graduate student funding package amount.

                    3. Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Funds (OSOTF) Awards

                    Students who receive funding from needs-based/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.

                    4. Bursaries

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

                    5. Funding Terms

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

                    1. MSc students are guaranteed funding for their first 2 years.   
                    2. PhD students admitted with completed master's degree are guaranteed student stipend funding for a minimum of 4 years.
                    3. Transfer students (i.e., transfer from MSc to PhD students), are guaranteed minimum funding for their first 5 years, which includes 1 year as an MSc student.
                    4. Direct-entry PhD students admitted with a bachelor's degree are guaranteed student stipend funding for a minimum of 5 years.

                    6. Annual Review 

                    The chairs/directors agree to meet at least annually with the Vice Dean, Graduate and Academic Affairs, to discuss this funding Agreement and to make any adjustments necessary for implementation effective the following academic year.