PhD Funding

Effective January 1, 2026, new Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students (Winter 2026 admits) will fall under the new FGS funding standard.  Annual funding will include: base funding + tuition amount + inflation adjustment (2% per year after 2026-2027). For the 2026-2027 Academic year, PhD students (Winter 2026 admits and later) will receive funding opportunities for the first four years of program no less than:

Domestic Students: $27,750 (Base Funding) + $3,575.05 (Tuition) = $31,325.05

International Students: $27,750 (Base Funding) + $8,576.65 (Tuition) - $3,060.00 (IGTA*) = $33, 266.65 

*IGTA – International Graduate Student Tuition Award

According to FGS policy, funding amounts will be adjusted yearly. 

Students who have started program under the 2022 policy (prior to and including Fall 2025 admits) will not have their minimum funding adjusted ( i.e.,  not be less than $22,000 annually for domestic and  $24,000 annually for international student for each of the first four years of their program)

Funding opportunities may come from multiple sources, such as, Graduate Assistantship Teaching (GAT), Graduate Assistantship Non-Teaching (GANT), Graduate Assistantship Research (GAR), priority sessional instructor contracts or other opportunities. Graduate Programs in Education will attempt to offer a range of funding opportunities to students but not all opportunities may be available. If a student turns down provided funding opportunities, funding will be adjusted accordingly.

Any or all the following sources of funding may count toward a student’s minimum funding (i.e., the amount guaranteed in the student’s offer of admission):

  • External scholarships and awards, such as SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, AIHS, AITF, and donor scholarships;
  • Internal scholarships and awards, such as Werklund School awards, Graduate Awards Competition (GAC), and other program or university competitive graduate awards;
  • Research Assistantships, such as Graduate Assistantship Research (GAR), Research Stipends, and/or Scholarship payments from research grants;
  • Graduate Assistantship Teaching (GAT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
  • Graduate Assistantship Non-Teaching (GANT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
  • On-campus paid internships;
  • Paid Residencies (i.e., internships; practical experience – only available to PhD EDPS students).

Sources of funding will vary year to year.

PhD students will receive funding based on the following conditions. Students must :

  • be registered as a full-time student;
  • be available on campus during office hours in the Fall and/or Winter terms (during years 1 and 2 of the program);
  • apply for tri-council funding and eligible internal scholarships, failure to apply will result in a decrease or cancellation of departmental funding;
  • maintain satisfactory academic standing in the program / job performance (research).
  • not be self-funded

Depending on the source(s) of funding, monthly payments may not be consistent. For example, the timing of the receipt of a scholarship or the dates of a Graduate Assistantship appointment will impact the amount paid in a given month.

Finances: It is your responsibility to plan for the costs of your studies when living in Calgary. To help build your budget and plan your finances, please refer to the following resources:

Students who are offered admission to a PhD program will receive general information regarding funding in the offer package.

Details regarding specific activities to which students will be assigned will be provided after the offer of admission has been accepted.

Students may choose to waive an offer of work as a teaching assistant or sessional instructor without jeopardizing an offer of admission to a graduate program.

For more information about PhD funding, please contact the Graduate Programs in Education office.