A variety of funding options are available to help you cover your study, research and living expenses while you are at McGill.
Graduate Student Expenses
Cost of Study
McGill's minimum residence requirement is three terms for the MA and six terms (3 years) for the Ph.D program. Following this period, graduate students can register as half-time. International students are also required to pay for compulsory medical health insurance throughout their time at McGill. Books and library fees are another important expense each term.
Further details about student expenses can be found on McGill's Student Accounts website.
Cost of Living and Housing
Living costs in Montreal are about average for a large North American metropolitan area. Fellowships and teaching assistantships are considered adequate income for a single student with no dependents.
Campus Housing
A limited number of rooms and apartments are available on campus for graduate students. For further information regarding on-campus housing, visit McGill's Graduate Housing webpage. You can also call the housing department directly at 514-398-6050, or grad.residences [at] mcgill.ca (email them).
Off Campus Housing
If you prefer to find off campus housing, begin your search by visiting McGill's Off-Campus Housing page, which includes apartment listings throughout the city. You can also call the off-campus housing department at 514-398-6010.
Types of Funding
Stipends and Teaching or Research Assistantships
The Department offers a limited number of paid teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Each of these requires a certain number of work hours per term, and is arranged on an individual basis. In other cases, stipends can be awarded from McGill faculty members' research grants or other research funds. Internal funding is offered on an individual basis. Students and postdocs should consult with the department and their supervisor to find out what internal funding options are available to them.
See the menu at left for more information about Teaching Assistantships.
Grants and Fellowships
Students can apply for a variety of fellowships and funding opportunities either through McGill or other sources. The Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies website provides details about these opportunities, application deadlines and how to apply. Also see the Grants, Fellowships, etc. tab (above, right) for guidance in finding funds that relate specifically to anthropology graduate students.
Internal Awards
The Department has generous donors which have established several awards for our current students. Students may apply for the awards according to their specified deadlines. For more information: https://www.mcgill.ca/internalawards/faculty/arts/anthropology
Grants, Fellowships, etc.
A variety of internal and external funding options are available to you as a McGill graduate student in anthropology. The information listed below is a general outline to help you get started. All deadlines are approximate. Please refer to each individual funding agency for full details.
Additional overviews and information can be found on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Funding page, at Scholarships and Student Aid, and in the Faculty of Arts listing of Awards and Grants.
You can also graduate.fellowships [at] mcgill.ca (email the Graduate Fellowships Office) directly with questions.
Canadian Students
Canadian graduate students or graduate students with permanent residency in Canada can apply for the following funding sources to support anthropology research.*
MA Students
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadline (to Department or Source) |
| McCall McBain Scholarships - Master's and Professional Programs: For Master's and second-entry professional undergraduate studies. | Applications open from June to September |
| Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (CGS D): Must apply to department | October (department submission) |
| Mackenzie King Scholarships: Must be a graduate of a Canadian university | February |
| Wolfe Graduate Fellowships: For research in science, technology and society, ideally in last year of program (thesis-writing) | Early March |
| FRQSC: Must be a Quebec resident | 3 months before proposed start of research |
| Industrial Innovation Scholarship (Bourses en milieu de pratique): For industrial innovation research | 3 months before proposed start of research |
| Tomlinson Master's Fellowships: Awarded by the department upon admission | May |
Ph.D Students
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadline (to Department or Source) |
| Schull Yang International Experience Awards for Graduate Travel: For travel and the dissemination of research | Mid-September, Mid-January OR Mid-May |
| Vanier CGS: By university nomination only, must apply to department | September (department submission) |
| Trudeau Foundation Scholarships: By university nomination only, must apply to department | January (department submission) |
| SSHRC CGS: Must apply to department | October (department submission) |
| Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants: For fieldwork | May 1 and November 1 |
| Mackenzie King Scholarships: Must be a graduate of a Canadian university | February 1 |
| Wolfe Graduate Fellowships: For research in science, technology and society, ideally in last year of program (thesis-writing) | Early March |
| FQRSC: Must be a Quebec resident | 3 months before proposed start of research |
| Industrial Innovation Scholarship (Bourses en milieu de pratique): For industrial innovation research | 3 months before proposed start of research |
| Bruce and Barbara Trigger Award: For the fieldwork of archaeology doctoral students | Early March |
| Tomlinson Doctoral Fellowships: Awarded by the department upon admission | n/a |
*Canadian MA or Ph.D students whose research studies health in addition to anthropology should also look up the following funding sources:
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadlines (to Department or Source) |
|
| FRQ: Must be a Quebec resident and apply to department | Check website | |
| CIHR CGS | October |
International Students
Graduate students with non-Canadian citizenship can apply for the following funding sources to support anthropology research.*
MA Students
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadline |
| Schull Yang International Experience Awards for Graduate Travel: For travel and the dissemination of research | TBD |
| Wolfe Graduate Fellowships: For research in science, technology and society, ideally in last year of program (thesis-writing) | Early March - April, consult here for the exact instructions and deadlines. |
Ph.D Students
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadline (to Department or Source) |
| Schull Yang International Experience Awards for Graduate Travel: For travel and the dissemination of research | TBD |
| Vanier CGS: By university nomination only, must apply to department | September |
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarships: By university nomination only, must apply to department | January |
| Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants: For fieldwork | May 1 or November 1 |
| Mackenzie King Scholarships: Must be a graduate of a Canadian university | February |
| Wolfe Graduate Fellowships: For research in science, technology and society, ideally in last year of program (thesis-writing) | Early March |
| PBEEE (Quebec Merit Scholarship): By university nomination only, must submit eligibility screening form to department | Early July (screening form submission) |
| Bruce and Barbara Trigger Award: For the fieldwork of archaeology doctoral students | Early March |
| Tomlinson Doctoral Fellowships: Awarded by the department upon admission | Early May |
*American Ph.D students are also eligible for the following funding sources:
|
Funding Source Name and Notes |
Deadline |
| Fulbright U.S. Student Program: For fieldwork abroad; must apply as an At-Large applicant | Mid-October |
| American Association of University Women Fellowships: For dissertation writing; must be a woman | Early November |
Additional Funding Options and Ideas
PLEASE NOTE: The below opportunities and organizations are not guaranteed. This list was generated (2012-2014) and includes opportunities from those years that may be available in any given year. Approach this list as an aid to begin exploring your options.
NEW: Bruce G. Trigger Fellowship for Indigenous Graduate Students: Bruce G. Trigger Fellowship Established in 2021 by Dr. Ronald F. Williamson, MA 1980, PhD 1985 in loving memory of Emeritus Professor Dr. Bruce G. Trigger, OC OQ FRSC. For one or more outstanding First Nations, Inuit, or Metis graduate students entering or enrolled in the Department of Anthropology pursuing research in the fields of Archaeology or Anthropology in North America. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts in consultation with the Department of Anthropology on the basis of academic merit. Value: varies. Non-renewable.
Graduate Award Program, Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP)
Outstanding graduate students whose current or proposed dissertation topics are interdisciplinary and connected to understanding how social conditions impact population health and welfare.
Website
Internship Award Program, Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP)
They are paired with IHSP faculty and staff, and spend 10-15 hours per week on a project defined by their supervisor.
Website
McBurney Latin America Program
The McBurney Fellowship Program provides support to students who plan to travel to Latin America in order to participate in a program or project that improves the health status and/or social conditions of marginalized populations in Latin America. Applications can be submitted directly to the program each year.
Website
Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Awards
Shree Mulay Graduate Award in Gender and Women's Studies - This recruitment award is granted to a graduate student who is enrolling in the Graduate Option in Gender and Women's Studies and exemplifies excellence in scholarship in gender and/or women's studies. This award will be offered based on a consideration of both the applicant's merits and funding needs.
Margaret Gillett Graduate Research Awards - This award is granted by the IGSF in honour of Dr. Margaret Gillett, Macdonald Professor of Education at McGill University (retired), who initiated the Women's Studies program at McGill.
Friends Graduate Best Paper Prize in Gender and Women’s Studies -
Awarded to a graduate student who has written the best essay in either WMST 601 or WMST 602 in the current academic year.
Website
Prix d'excellence de l'ACSALF Georges-Henri-Lévesque
Association canadienne des sociologues et anthropologues de langue française (ACSALF) donne ce prix pour promouvoir au deuxième cycle universitaire le dynamisme, la synthèse, l’accroissement et la diffusion de la culture savante de la sociologie et de l’anthropologie. Parmi une sélection de finalistes, il couronne habituellement deux mémoires de maîtrise rédigés en français, l’un en sociologie et l’autre en anthropologie. Soulignant de manière concrète la réalisation exceptionnelle de nos meilleur(e)s étudiant(e)s, ce prix a, par le passé, servi de tremplin à plusieurs carrières en recherche et en enseignement.
Website
Desjardins Foundation
More than 300 scholarships awarded in all fields and at all levels of study. Some scholarships are as much as $10,000. Education has always been Desjardins Foundation’s main priority. We work to promote knowledge as a way of contributing to the advancement of society and helping individuals reach their full potential. We make secondary, vocational, CEGEP, college and university studies accessible to young people from all walks of life. We reward excellence and encourage students to stay in school until they graduate.
Website
Faculty of Arts Internship Awards
Each year the Faculty of Arts offers students interning in their field of study the opportunity to apply for Arts Internship Awards. These awards help students off-set the costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses associated with their internships. Established through the generous support of McGill alumni, the Awards are administered through the Dean's Office in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts Internship Office.
Website
The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC)
Has a number of graduate awards available to students whose research is relevant to the study of Canada.
Website
Canadian Foundation for Governance Research
Robert Bertram Doctoral Research Awards fund senior PhD candidates from Canadian universities who are researching areas of corporate governance.
Website
Montreal Lakeshore University Women’s Club
Offers two $2000 scholarships to female university students. To be eligible, students must have high academic standing, full time university status, financial need, acceptance at a Québec university, be a resident of the West Island for at least one year prior to applying, and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Website
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
Offers several Fellowships and Grants for archaeological research and publications.
Website
BAnQ Awards
Dans le cadre de son Programme de soutien à la recherche, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) offre les bourses suivantes : deux bourses de doctorat ($12,500 chacune); deux bourses de maîtrise ($9,500 chacune); une bourse additionnelle de doctorat ($12,500) ou de maîtrise ($9,500); une bourse de recherche sur des sujets liés à la bibliothéconomie et à l’archivistique ($12,500); une bourse de recherche de L’Institut Canadien de Québec ($5000); cinq bourses de séjour de recherche pour les chercheurs du Québec ($500 chacune).
Website
Canadian Northern Studies Trust (CNST)
The Canadian Northern Studies Trust (CNST) is the student awards program of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS). It was established in 1982 to further the Association's mandate to advance knowledge and understanding of Canada's North by offering student awards for exceptional northern-based research. The purpose of the CNST is to foster scholars and scientists with northern experience and, at the same time, to enhance educational opportunities available for northern residents to obtain post-secondary education at Canadian colleges and universities.
Website