Financial Support

Offers of financial support (assistantships and/or scholarships) are made upon admission into the graduate program (there is no separate application for financial support). Prospective students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents are encouraged to apply for NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR awards (see below) in early fall of the year prior to application to grad school.

Assistantships

Graduate students in good standing receive competitive funding through graduate assistantships, budget permitting, as follows:

Eligibility

• Students entering with a Bachelor's degree are eligible for up to 2.3 years (2 years + one semester) of funding at the Master's level
• Students entering with a Master's degree are eligible for up to 4 years of funding at the Doctoral level

Scholarships + Awards

Psychology graduate students have been very successful in winning scholarships at many levels of competition including :

• National (e.g., NSERC, SSHRC)
• Provincial (e.g., Alberta Gambling Research Institute, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions)
• Local (e.g., Dr. Jane Silvius Graduate Scholarship Field Law Leilni Muir Grad Research Scholarship, WCHRI)
• Institutional (e.g., Dean's Excellence Award, Izaak Walter Killam Memorial Scholarship, President's Doctoral Prize of Distinction, University of Alberta Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship, University of Alberta Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship)
• Departmental (e.g., Deptartment of Psychology Student Research Award, Recruitment Award)

Students are encouraged to compete for awards to cover living expenses, tuition, research, and/or conference travel.

Major Awards

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC): Provides support ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) to students engaged in master's or doctoral programs in psychology as a natural science
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC): Provides fellowships ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) for master's and doctoral students studying psychology as a social science
• Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Master's and doctoral research awards from CIHR ($17,500 to $35,000 annually) provide support to students pursuing a degree in a health-related field
• Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS): AIHS Full-time Studentships ($19,000 to $20,000 annually plus $1000 to $1500 research allowance) enable full-time research training in basic bio-medical, health, or mental health sciences

Incentive Awards

(top ups for CIHR, NSERC + SSHRC winners)

• Walter H. Johns Graduate Scholarship: Tuition and fees to students who receive major master's NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR awards
• President's Doctoral Prize of Distinction: $10,000 in Year 1 of a major doctoral scholarship (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) and tuition fees in each remaining year of scholarship

Department Awards

• Dr. Brendan Gail Rule Graduate Scholarship: Awarded annually to an outstanding student in the Department of Psychology whose primary research is in the psychology of aging
• Dr. Jane Silvius Graduate Scholarship in Child Development: Awarded annually to an outstanding doctoral student in the Department of Psychology whose primary research is in child development
• Department of Psychology Graduate Research Award: Awarded annually for the best publication by a graduate student
• ISSBD 2012 Graduate Scholarship: Awarded annually to a full-time student with superior academic achievement in the Department of Psychology whose primary research is in the area of developmental science

Other Awards

• Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) General Awards: Current senior students may be eligible for the Andrew Stewart Memorial Graduate Prize, the Dissertation Fellowship, and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship
• Recruitment Scholarships: Recruitment scholarships are available for superior master's and doctoral students. Graduate applicants are nominated by the Department (no specific scholarship application required)

Travel Awards

• Epling Travel Fund: Students may apply for travel support of up to $300 one time to make first-authored presentations at a conference in the areas of behavioral psychology, animal learning, behavioral neuroscience, or physiology and behavior
• Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) Travel Grants: Students may apply for up to $1500 from GPS for a research travel grant once during their master's and once during their doctoral program

Further information on graduate awards may be found at GPS's Awards and Funding web page.

International Student Differential Fee

• Tuition costs: Higher for international students, but funds are normally available to offset the fee differential

Transportation

• U-Pass (Universal Transit Pass): Allow students unlimited access to regular public transit services for Fall (September - December), Winter (January - April), and Spring/Summer (May - August) academic terms