Under the title “Funding Package First Year” on your Offer of Admission letter we have outlined the specific funding items that comprise your personal graduate funding package, the amount of each funding item for the first year (one year equals three terms of study), and the total value of the funding package in year one. To understand what each funding item is and how it will be paid to you, please review all of the relevant information found here.

Some funding items are deposited to your student financial account in one lump sum in term one of your studies (e.g. DGS Entrance Scholarship), some are deposited to your student account in two or three instalments at the beginning of each academic term per year (e.g. Graduate Fellowship), and some are employment items and are paid to you bi-weekly during the period of your employment contract to your bank account (e.g. Graduate Assistantship).

When a funding item is paid to your Brock Student Financial Account the funds are used to pay any fees owing to the University (e.g. tuition and ancillary fees). This means that the funding assists in offsetting the term fees and will only result in payment to you if your funding items exceed the number of fees owing that term. If you have a balance in your student account after the fees owing have been paid, you will be sent instructions for a direct deposit to your personal bank account once you have registered for your graduate course(s).

Each graduate program has a defined program length (master’s programs range from three to six terms and doctoral programs are all 12 terms), the base graduate funding package items are applicable to the defined program length. Base funding packages typically include a Graduate Fellowship, a Graduate Assistantship, an International Tuition Fellowship (for international students).

For example, if your master’s program defined length is six terms, you can assume that you will receive a funding package for terms four to six that is similar to the base funding package you were offered for year one.

Funding items called Entrance Scholarships (e.g. DGS Entrance Scholarship) and named donor internal scholarships (e.g. Kenneth White Memorial Scholarship) do not continue beyond year one.

Graduate students must check with their Supervisors to determine if the Research Fellowship funding offered in year one will continue in subsequent years of study.

Graduate students are strongly encouraged to seek out and apply for additional financial support through internal and external scholarships prior to and throughout their graduate study period. Application deadlines for the major external scholarship competitions are typically early Fall so it is important to familiarize yourself with these opportunities and deadlines as early as possible.

It is the responsibility of each graduate student to understand the costs associated with the pursuit of their graduate degree. Familiarize yourself with the tuition and fees you will be charged, determine what living expenses you will be paying, and utilize our Budget Resource Tool to determine how your funding package will assist you with your total expenses. The graduate funding package is not guaranteed to cover all of your costs. You are responsible for managing your individual financial situation throughout your graduate study period.

Please note that the employment funding (Graduate Assistantship, which is often a Teaching Assistantship) is arranged through your graduate program and is contingent on the fulfillment of employment obligations. Ongoing employment is subject to maintaining satisfactory work performance.

Further information and/or questions regarding your funding package may be sent to: gradfunding@brocku.ca.