Types of financial support
The Departmental funding package comprises of these sources.
Graduate fees and funding
Before starting your graduate program, make sure you understand your tuition and general fees, and learn about funding available.
Fee information
For more details and the most accurate information about graduate tuition and fees, go to the Academic Calendar.
Scholarships and awards
Learn more about scholarships and awards available to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Student loans
If you're a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or American citizen, you can apply for a student loan.
Working during grad school?
Have a competing award or assistantship? The Faculty of Graduate Studies can help explain the rules and regulations concerning awards, grants and assistantships graduate students are eligible to receive.
Languages, Literatures and Cultures Funding and Employment
Departmental Funding is offered to Graduate students on a competitive bases. You must apply for the departmental funding by February 1st to be considered and we recommend you also seek external funding opportunities throughout the program.
If you are completing your MA thesis-based, you will receive at least $20,000 annually for twenty months of the program and if you are completing your PhD you will receive at least $22,000 annually for four years in the program.
Scholarship
We provide cholarships and research awards such as the FGSS (Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarships) and EPE (Enrollment Planning Envelope) Award for Language Learning Enhancement to students on the basis of academic merit.
You are required to apply for:
Graduate Assistantships
Faculty members will share their experience, give knowledge, offer guidance and contribute towards the students professional development as well as prepare you for an academic career.
- Teaching (GAT) are designed to help teaching staff with instructional responsibilities.
- Non-Teaching (GANT) assist with non-teaching responsibilities. This could be a variety of research activities.
- Research (GAR) help a grantholder with a research project, with duties similar to those described above for a GANT.
Sessonal Teaching Appointments
You may also have the opportunity to gain teaching experience with beginner and/or intermediate level language courses through sessional teaching assignments under article 23.4 of the TUCFA Collective Agreement between the Governors of the University of Calgary and the University of Calgary Faculty Association.
Graduate students in a teaching role are subject to class observation, direction or evaluation by the course coordinator. The Graduate Program Director, the Director or a delegate may also observe and report on the teaching of a graduate student.
Linguistics Funding Policy
The Linguistics Graduate Program guarantees sufficient funding to cover tuition plus basic living expenses for MA students for two years, and PhD students for four years.
1. Minimum Doctoral Stipend
Students who are enrolled full time in the PhD program receive at least $22,000 annually during their first four years in the program. Students who are externally sponsored (i.e. admitted with documented financial support from an external agency meeting the minimum amount) are not normally funded from university sources, and are exempted from the Minimum Doctoral Stipend.
2. Minimum Stipend for Master’s students
Students who are enrolled full time in the MA program receive at least $20,000 annually during their first two years in the program. Students who are externally sponsored (i.e. admitted with documented financial support from an external agency meeting the minimum amount) are not normally funded from university sources, and are exempted from the Minimum Stipend for Master’s students.
3. To be eligible to receive financial support, a student must be registered full time and active in the program
Employment income as a teaching or research assistant is included in the guaranteed funding amount offered to students. Students must be available to take this employment as a GAT or GANT; otherwise the amount of the GAT or GANT refused will be deducted from the annual funding offered to the student for that academic year. More information about sources of funding is available in the Board of Governors/GSA Collective Agreement.
- All of the following count toward meeting the student’s guaranteed funding amount (i.e. the amount guaranteed in the student’s offer of admission):
- Stipend/scholarship payment from supervisor’s research grant (GAR)
- GAT/GANT income
- Research assistantship income from research grant
- Income as sessional instructor
- External scholarships
- Internal scholarships, including from program, or university competitions such as the Graduate Awards Competition
- GSA executive stipends (where GSA duties extend time in program)
4. Income not counted
Income from the following sources is not counted toward the student’s guaranteed funding amount:
- Bursaries
5. External scholarships
Students are required to apply for external scholarships for which they are eligible.
6. Success in scholarship competitions
Success in external and internal scholarship competitions will affect the student’s funding in the following way: Any student who receives a major award ($15,000 or more) will be guaranteed funding greater than the floor (specified in paragraph 1 or 2 above).
7. Reimbursement of international fee differential
International students admitted prior to Spring 2020, if resources are available, the Program will provide funding towards reimbursement of the international fee differential (specified in paragraph 1 or 2 above) for students paying their own international fees. The maximum reimbursement will be equivalent to the fee differential not paid by the Faculty of Arts.
Students whose tuition is paid by a third-party sponsor are not eligible to receive this reimbursement.
8. Funding allocation
If a student receives an award after having received their annual funding letter from the Program, the Program may alter their funding package for that year, but in no case will the total value of the student's funding package for that year be reduced.
If a graduate student has not completed their thesis in the normal funding period (2 years for MA's, 4 years for PhD's), AND if the Program has funds available after meeting all commitments to graduate students in the normal funding period, that student may be awarded funding. This funding will be subject to the following condition: The student must submit to the Graduate Committee a written plan for completing their thesis developed in collaboration with their supervisory committee, and deemed to be feasible by the supervisor.
9. Annual tuition and fees
Students are responsible for paying tuition and fees annually. View current fee schedule.
Students with funding from university sources can apply for a payment plan. More information on payment plans.