Funding

Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

The Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies has various funding opportunities for all graduate students including internal and external awards, scholarships, and research funding.

MA Program Funding

MA students receive base funding of at least $17,000 for a maximum of two years, although funding in the Germanic Studies program is usually well above that level. The funding package may consist of a combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships.

International students qualify for $3,200 annually in tuition support in the form of the International Tuition Award.

In addition, all students are expected to apply for teaching assistantships, SSHRC scholarships, and Affiliated Awards as long as they are eligible.

Sample funding breakdowns can be obtained from the Graduate Director upon request.

PhD Program Funding

All full-time students who begin a PhD program will be provided with a funding package of at least $22,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD, although funding in the Germanic Studies program is usually well above that level. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships.

International students qualify for $3,200 annually in tuition support via the International Tuition Award.

UBC also offers Four-Year Doctoral Fellowships (4YF) for qualified PhD students. The number of Four-Year Fellowships available varies from year to year. The fellowships are awarded on the recommendation of the Graduate Director.

In addition, as long as they are eligible, all students are required to apply for teaching assistantships, SSHRC scholarships, and Affiliated Awards, which includes the Killam Doctoral Fellowship that amounts to a total of $30,000 per year for two years, including tuition coverage and a research travel allowance.

Funding for the fifth year and beyond of PhD study is subject to budgetary considerations, as well as competitive qualifications such as satisfactory progress.

Sample funding breakdowns can be obtained from the Graduate Director upon request.

Awards

UBC offers the International Tuition Award for international students who hold a valid Student Authorization (Study Permit). Students who receive external funding for their tuition which is equal to or higher than the value of the International Tuition Award are not eligible.

Funded by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, “the Graduate Support Initiative is a program for funding graduate students through entrance scholarships, multi-year funding packages, tuition awards and scholarship top-up.” These are typically assigned by the department at the beginning of each academic year.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) offers several graduate scholarships to students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and meet the eligibility criteria. SSHRC Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence (first-class standing) and research potential.

SSHRC-CGS Master’s Competition

The stipend for the Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s (CGS M) Program is up to $17,500 for one year. Eligible MA students who intend to study at UBC (or eligible students who are currently enrolled in the MA program) can apply to the annual SSHRC CGS-Master’s competition. In their online application, prospective students must indicate UBC as one of five universities they may wish to attend. Applicants to the CGS competition must immediately notify the Graduate Program Assistant of their intention to apply for admission to the Master’s program and submit their application for admission before the deadline.

SSHRC Doctoral Competition

Students in the Doctoral program can apply for the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS D) program, which provides fellowships in the range of $35,000 annually for up to three years.

Affiliated Fellowships are open to Master’s and PhD students regardless of citizenship or visa status. The awards are for full-time study and/or research leading to a graduate degree and are open to current and prospective full-time students. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence, and fellowship values range from $175 to $16,000 at the Master's level and $175 to $30,000 at the Doctoral level.

All graduate students are eligible to apply for travel assistance from the CENES Graduate Travel Fund. Students must submit the application form and supporting documents (e.g., abstract, confirmation of acceptance, travel estimate) to the Graduate Advisor. Priority will be given to students who have not yet received a CENES Graduate Student Travel Grant. Applications are due on April 1 for travel plans that will take place up to October 31 of the same year. If funding permits, a second due date will be November 1, for travel plans up to March 31 in the following year.

The CENES Graduate Student Travel Award may be combined with the graduate student travel award ($500) from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students must apply for and use up the Graduate School's travel funds and any other UBC travel awards for fellowship holders first.

All CENES graduate students are eligible to apply on a rolling basis. The annual maximum for which a student may apply is $500. Examples of expenses include books or periodicals, organizational memberships, archival scans or copies, software/methods training, research equipment and supplies, and research dissemination costs. A detailed explanation and justification for your expenses must accompany your application. The application must show how these expenses relate directly to your overall research program. Any items purchased with the funds become the property of UBC.

Questions can be directed to the CENES Administrator.

Teaching & Research Assistantships

Students applying to the graduate program in Germanic Studies will be considered for teaching assistantships at the time of their application and in subsequent years. Students who are offered admission will be invited to submit an updated CV and cover letter during the formal application period for teaching assistantships.

Teaching assistants at UBC belong to the CUPE 2278 union and are covered by the Collective Agreement.

Teaching assistants’ hours are limited to an average of no more than 12 hours a week, to a maximum of 192 hours per term. Pay rates and classification can be found on the CUPE 2278 website.

Graduate faculty members typically have multiple research assistantships (RA) available each year. All graduate students in the Germanic Studies program are eligible to apply for RA positions in our department as well as in any other UBC program. Specific details are to be outlined on RA job postings, and students are selected based on qualifications and department hiring guidelines.

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