Graduate student funding
Athabasca University financially supports graduate student research through the Graduate Student Research Fund which is administered by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Visit Financial Aid and Awards for information about graduate student awards or contact that Faculty of Graduate Studies at fgs@athabascau.ca.
Student external award funding calendar
Graduate students are encouraged to apply for the following funding opportunities. These opportunities are sorted by agency.
If you would like feedback on your application for any of these awards, please email your working draft to research@athabascau.ca. Be sure to include any relevant information, including the application deadline.
| Opportunity | Agency | Internal deadline | External deadline | Award amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Ambassadors in the Natural Sciences and Engineering | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) | Minimum of 2.5 months before start of activity. | Minimum of 2 months before start of activity. | Up to $5,000. |
| Accelerate | Mitacs | Anytime | Anytime | $15,000 for each 4-month internship. Master’s students can do up to two 4-month internships and PhD students can do up to 6. |
| Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships | Tri-Agency | Sep. 6 | Sep. 20 | $70,000 per year for 2 years. Non-renewable. |
| Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral program | Tri-Agency | Oct. 9 | Nov. 21 | $35,000 per year for 26 months |
| Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s program | Tri-Agency | n/a | Dec. 1 | $17,500. Non-renewable. |
| Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements | Tri-Agency | varies | varies | Up to $6,000. Non-renewable. |
| Elevate | Mitacs | July and September | July and September | $50,000 per year for 2 years. |
| Globalink Partnership Award | Mitacs | Anytime | Anytime | Up to $15,000. |
| Globalink Research Award | Mitacs | January and September | January and September | Varies. |
| SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships | SSHRC | Oct. 9 | Nov. 21 | $20,000 per year for up to 4 years. |
| SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships | SSHRC | Sep. 6 | Sep. 20 | $40,500 per year for up to 2 years. Non-renewable. |
| Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships | Tri-Agency | Oct. 2 | Nov. 1 | $50,000 per year for 3 years. Non-renewable. |
Updated May 27, 2025 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)