University Funding

In addition to the resources available within the department, there are additional funding opportunities administered by other units within the university.

Faculty of Social Science Awards

  • Graduate Research Awards Fund is designed to support the costs of research undertaken by full-time graduate students. Applicants must be engaged in doing research as part of their degree requirements. The maximum award available from this fund is $750 per recipient. Funds can be requested to help offset the costs of field or lab research. Support for conferences is the lowest priority for this fund. Complete information about eligibility for this award can be found on the Faculty of Social Science website.  Application form. Application deadline March (Date TBA)

  • Social Science Graduate Alumni Awards recognize graduate student academic excellence combined with financial need in the Faculty of Social Science. There are four awards of $3,000 available each year.
  • *Note: Students must meet OSOTF Ontario Residency requirements to be eligible for this award. Application deadline: May (Date TBA)
     
  • Indigenous Social Science Doctoral Fellowship (ISSDF) The Faculty of Social Science prioritizes encouraging, mentoring, and supporting Indigenous scholars. As part of these efforts, we annually offer a $20,000 scholarship ($5,000 per year for four years) to support Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) applicants to any of our PhD programs. Successful applicants will demonstrate outstanding research potential and dedication to scholarly activity, which come in many forms. Indigenous scholars will also be considered for our Equity and Diversity Social Science Doctoral Fellowship (EDSSDF)
     
  • Equity and Diversity Social Science Doctoral Fellowship (EDSSDF) The Faculty of Social Science is committed to increasing representation of racialized and other historically marginalized groups. It is a Faculty priority to recruit and support students who are Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), LGBTQ2s+, and students with a disability. Successful applicants will demonstrate outstanding research potential and dedication to scholarly activity, which come in many forms. We annually offer up to two $20,000 scholarships ($5,000 per year for four years) to support successful applicants to any of our PhD programs. Indigenous scholars may also apply to our Indigenous Social Science Doctoral Fellowship (ISSDF)
     

  • Global Opportunities Award - Graduate Students planning fieldwork in international locations can apply for funding to support such research under the Global Opportunities Award program at Western. Application deadline: November 15 & March 15 annually.

  •  ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship is an industry-sponsored award designed to support top students conducting GIS research using ESRI software/technology. Application deadline: March (Date TBA)
      
  • Check the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies for an extensive list of other available Funding Opportunities.

  • Various sources of financial support such as bursaries and emergency loans are also available through The Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) and the GTA union. Please review their websites for more information: