Funding

There are various ways graduate students can fund their studies at the University of Alberta. Funding can be from awards and scholarships, teaching and research assistantships, principal instructorships and off-campus employment. There are also loans, bursaries and tuition remission.

Awards and Scholarships

The University of Alberta is one of six beneficiaries of the $400 million Killam Trusts, one of Canada's largest and most prestigious endowments for scholarly activities. Our students are eligible for consideration for the Killam Trust Dissertation Fellowships and Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarships.

Our graduate students who apply for national Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Fellowships enjoy a high success rate.

Also available are:

Project funding is available from the:

Students with research interests in the Canadian and Circumpolar North will find special funding opportunities for their field work from UAlberta North on campus. UAlberta North awards grants-in-aid to support the research programs of students, and contributes greatly to our excellent record of obtaining Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) awards and the University of Alberta Northern Research Awards.

To support student travel for research and conferences, awards are offered through the Department of Anthropology, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and the Graduate Student Association.

Support for graduate student research is also supported through a generous endowment from our founding departmental members, Ruth Gruhn and the late Alan Bryan.

Other awards are administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Government of Canada, Graduate Student Association, and Financial Support through the University of Alberta's Office of the Registrar. Applicants are encouraged to explore external scholarship sites such as Scholarships Canada and Student Awards for additional award competitions they may be eligible for.

The Department of Anthropology hosts a Grant Writing workshop every fall to help students prepare strong grant/award applications.

Employment

Many of our students are able to obtain teaching assistantships and research assistantships during their tenure, from three to 12 hours per week in a given term. These opportunities help the student financially and are part of professional and academic development.

All teaching and research assistantships are regulated by the Graduate Student Assistantship Collective Agreement.

Research Assistantships are through faculty members directly. If you are interested in a research assistantship, please contact faculty members.

Teaching Assistantships are through the Department of Anthropology. Please refer to the Teaching Assistantship page for further information.

Two primary criteria for allocating graduate assistantships are the needs of the Department and the merit of the individual student. Ranking of students by merit is generally done in conjunction with decisions on admission, and this ranking takes into consideration the applicant's statement of intent, letters of recommendation, record of awards and publications and GPA (not necessarily in that order).

If available, students who are close to completing their program, are able to be a principal instructor for one of our introductory undergraduate courses, depending on Department need and the merit of the student.

Students are allowed employment outside of the University independent from their studies. International students must remain in compliance with their study permits.

If you have any questions , please contact the Graduate Advisor, anthgrad@ualberta.ca.