Graduate fees and funding
Learn about your funding options before you start your graduate program. Make sure you understand your tuition and general fees.
Department funding
PhD students and thesis-based MA students are admitted with a guarantee of departmental funding. Departmental financial support comes in the form of teaching assistantships and scholarship payments. Advanced PhD students may be hired to teach their own courses. Supervisors with research grants may also provide support to students in the form of scholarships or research assistantships.
Teaching assistantships are typically held in the Fall term (September–December) and Winter term (January–April). There is no separate application form for departmental financial support; you will be automatically considered if admitted. Duties of teaching assistants include attending and preparing for lectures, holding tutorial sections with small groups of students, holding office hours, and grading student work. On average, a full-time teaching assistantship requires 12 hours of work per term. It is covered by the collective agreement with the Graduate Labour Union.
Thesis-based MA students are guaranteed financial support for the first two years of at least $15,000 per year. PhD students are guaranteed at least $22,000 for the first four years ($24,000 for international students). These are minimum amounts, and actual financial support is often higher. Course-based MA students are not funded.
Departmental financial support is contingent on availability of funding, student satisfactory progress. Students must also apply for all awards they are eligible for. Note that all students are responsible for paying tuition and feeds; there are no tuition waivers. The Department has no funding commitments to any student re-admitted into any one of its graduate programs or with deferred admission.
Awards
Financial support also comes in the form of major awards students must apply for. Canadian applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for the Canada Graduate Scholarships offered by SSHRC in the Fall term prior to applying. The deadlines are in October for the SSHRC doctoral awards and December 1 for the master's awards. International applicants may also be eligible for awards from their home country. All applicants for admission to the PhD program are strongly encouraged to submit an application for the University of Calgary Graduate Awards Competition by January 15.
Fee information
For more details and the most accurate information about graduate tuition and fees, see the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
Future students
Scholarships and awards
Learn more about scholarships and awards available to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Future students
Student loans
If you're a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or American citizen, you can apply for a student loan.
Future students
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.
Philosophy Graduate Student Travel Award
Philosophy Graduate Student Travel Awards are offered to continuing graduate students enrolled in a graduate program in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Calgary. The awards are given for the purpose of travel assistance to present at a conference.
Awards are limited to a maximum per applicant of $500 during the period April 1 - March 31. The department will accept applications on two deadlines:
March 15 -- for travel between April 1 and September 30
September 1 -- for travel between October 1 and March 31.
You should apply before travel occurs. If your paper/presentation has not been accepted yet, please apply by the preceding deadline. Funding will be contingent on acceptance. Unanticipated travel opportunities may arise between the two application dates. In this case an out of cycle application may be made, however please be aware that in these cases the opportunity must genuinely be the sort of thing you could not expect.
Application information will be shared with in program students prior to the deadline.
In addition to departmental funding, the Graduate Student Association offers Professional Development Grants which also cover conference travel.
Graduate program contacts
Contact us with any questions you may have.