Doctoral Faculty Awards
The McGill Engineering Faculty Awards program aims to recruit the best and brightest new doctoral students from all over the world. Selection for these awards is based on the excellence of a student’s academic and research record. This includes publications, presentations, and the student's potential to make a major impact on the quality of research both in McGill University's Faculty of Engineering and in the field of engineering as a whole.
"The tangible success stemming from my research project is greatly owed to the faculty’s generous MEDA award. Allocated as a stipend for the duration of my degree, the award conveniently relieved concerns and distractions associated with daily monetary struggles, enabling me to lend undivided focus towards my work."
Zaid Ghouleh, PhD Candidate, |
Doctoral Funding Information
Base Rate
- A base rate of $3,000 is given to all PhD students for the first 4 academic years of PhD studies.
- This stipend applies to all PhD students, except those receiving external scholarships who also hold a leveraged Faculty award and already have a take-home amount of $35,000 or more (after deduction of differential tuition for international students).
- The base rate is already included in the faculty funding packages as outlined further below on this website.
- The $3,000 stipend will be disbursed in three installments of $1,000 (each term), at the end of September, January, and May.
General Funding Information
- All students stay on the funding packages that correspond to the semester and year that they began their program.
- Graduate students are required to notify their supervisor, department, and graduatestudies.engineering [at] mcgill.ca of any external awards they receive.
- Awards are not subject to taxes.
- Awardees are responsible for paying their tuition and fees. For information on tuition and fees, please view McGill’s Tuition & Fees Calculator.
- For information on program progression and program residency, please visit McGill’s PhD Program Progression page.
McGill Engineering Faculty Awards
All funding schemes below are for incoming students as of Winter 2025. Please note that the funding structures below all have the base rate of $3,000 included in the calculations. Award payments are subject to the awardee remaining a full-time student. The definition of “full-time student” can be found on McGill's Program Requirements section of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Calendar. Please refer to your offer letter or contact the Faculty of Engineering at graduatestudies.engineering [at] mcgill.ca for further information on your funding package. For external awards valued greater than $40,000, no top-up contribution or base rate will be provided by the faculty.
McGill Engineering Doctoral Award (MEDA) - Domestic
Candidates who are eligible for domestic tuition fees at the PhD level are nominated for this award by their department during their PhD application. MEDA awardees receive $27,000 each year for four academic years for a total value of $108,000.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
Leveraged MEDA - Domestic
Leveraged awards are Faculty Awards that are adjusted due to the awardee receiving an external, federal (NSERC), and/or provincial (FRQ) award. Leveraged awards are only available for the duration of the Faculty Award, as indicated in the original award letter from the Faculty of Engineering and the student’s department. For example: If a student receives a FRQNT B2X award in year 4, then only year 4 of the Faculty Award will be leveraged. Funding from the Faculty will discontinue at the end of that year.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
The minimum amount Leveraged MEDA students will receive for their top-up is $5,000 per year. The most common top-ups are for students who are also awarded FRQNT B2X awards or NSERC CGS-D awards. Leveraged MEDA students who receive $25,000 from a FRQNT B2X award will receive a top-up of $7,000, with a total award value of $32,000. Leveraged MEDA students who receive $40,000 per year from an NSERC CGS-D award receive a top-up worth $5,000, with a total value of $45,000 per year.
McGill Engineering International Tuition Award (MEITA)
Candidates who are eligible for international tuition fees at the PhD level are nominated for this award by their department during their PhD application.
MEITA awardees starting as PhD1 will pay 4 academic years of tuition at the “PhD Full-Time” rate. They are awarded $38,300 each year for 4 academic years with a total award value of $153,200.
MEITA awardees starting as PhD2 pay 3 academic years of tuition at the “PhD Full-Time” rate until they are finished their program residency. In their fourth year of full-time study, awardees who started as PhD2 will pay tuition at the “Additional Thesis Session” rate. These awardees receive $38,300 for 3 academic years. In their fourth year they will receive $22,500. This is adjusted due to the fourth year’s tuition decrease.
Leveraged MEITA
Students who were awarded a MEITA during their PhD application and then receive an external award, federal (NSERC), and/or provincial (FRQ) award, will have their MEITA adjusted to be a Leveraged MEITA. Leveraged awards are only available for the duration of the Faculty Award, as indicated in the original award letter from the Faculty of Engineering and the student’s department.
Currently, the minimum amount Leveraged MEITA students will receive for their funding package is $18,300.00. These numbers are subject to external funding agencies increasing their awards. The most common Leveraged MEITA adjustment is for students who are also awarded an FRQNT B2X award. These students receive$25,000 from their FRQNT B2X award and $18,300.00 from their Leveraged MEITA, with a total of $43,300.00 per year.
Vadasz Engineering Fellowship
The Vadasz Engineering Fellowship was established in 2006 by the Vadasz Family Foundation to recruit outstanding domestic students into the Faculty of Engineering's doctoral programs. With the generous support from the Vadasz Scholars Program, future engineering leaders will gain the expertise and skills needed to solve problems that matter.
Candidates who are eligible for domestic tuition fees are nominated for this award by their department during their PhD application. Awardees receive $32,000 per academic year for 4 years, which amounts to a total of $128,000.
Leveraged Vadasz Engineering Fellowship
Students who were awarded a Vadasz Engineering Fellowship during their PhD application and then receive an external, federal (NSERC), and/or provincial (FRQ) award, will have their fellowship adjusted to be a Leveraged Vadasz Engineering Fellowship. Leveraged awards are only available for the duration of the Faculty Award, as indicated in the original award letter from the Faculty of Engineering and the student’s department.
The minimum amount Leveraged Vadasz students will receive for their top-up is $5,000 per year. The most common Leveraged Vadasz adjustments are for students who are also awarded FRQNT B2X awards or NSERC CGS-D awards. Leveraged Vadasz students who receive $25,000 from a FRQNT B2X award will receive a Leveraged Vadasz package of $12,000, with a total value of $37,000 per year. Leveraged Vadasz students who receive $40,000 per year from a NSERC CGS-D award, receive a $5,000 Leveraged Vadasz package, with a total value of $45,000 per year.
McGill Engineering Doctoral Award (MEDA) International-(PhD2)
Replaced by new MEITA funding structure for new incoming cohorts as of Winter 2025
Candidates for this award are nominated by their department during their PhD2 application. Awardees receive $42,000 each year for three academic years and $27,000 In their fourth year. This amounts to a total value of $153,000. MEDA International awardees starting as PhD2 pay three academic years of tuition at the “PhD Full-Time” rate until they are finished their program residency. In their fourth year of full-time study, awardees who started as PhD2 will pay tuition at the “Additional Thesis Session” rate.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
Leveraged MEDA International (PhD2)
Students who were awarded a MEDA International and who receive federal (NSERC) and/or provincial (FRQ) and/or other external awards will have their MEDA International adjusted to be a Leveraged MEDA International. Leveraged awards are only available for the duration of the Faculty Award, as indicated in the original award letter from the Faculty of Engineering and the student’s department.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
The most common Leveraged MEDA International adjustment is for students who are also awarded a FRQNT B2X award. These students receive $25,000 from their FRQNT B2X award and $22,000 from their Leveraged MEDA International, with a total of $47,000 per year. In year 4, students who receive $25,000 from a FRQNT B2X award will receive a top-up of $7,000, with a total award value of $32,000.
McGill Engineering Doctoral Award (MEDA) International-(PhD1)
Replaced by new MEITA funding structure for new incoming cohorts as of Winter 2025
Candidates for this award are nominated by their department during their PhD1 application. Awardees receive $42,000 each year for four academic years with a total value of $168,000.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
Leveraged MEDA International (PhD1)
Students who were awarded a MEDA International and who receive federal (NSERC) and/or provincial (FRQ) and/or other external awards will have their MEDA International adjusted to be a Leveraged MEDA International. Leveraged awards are only available for the duration of the Faculty Award, as indicated in the original award letter from the Faculty of Engineering and the student’s department.
Please note that students who were initially awarded a three-year award will remain on their three-year funding package. These students are not eligible for a fourth year of funding.
The most common Leveraged MEDA International adjustment is for students who are also awarded a FRQNT B2X award. These students receive$25,000 from their FRQNT B2X award and $22,000 from their Leveraged MEDA International, with a total of $47,000 per year.
International Sponsorship Agreement Top-up
The Faculty of Engineering offers top-up awards to international students who are commencing a doctoral program in engineering and who have received an external fellowship from their home country's government e.g. China Scholarship Council, etc. (full list available upon request). The top-up value is dependent on the value and duration of the external award. Top-ups are a minimum of $5,000 each year, for the duration of the foreign government award. No application is required for this award. Please contact your department and inform them of your external award.
Foreign government funded doctoral scholarship programs include:
- Chile (Becas Chile): http://www.conicyt.cl/becasconicyt/
- China: (China Scholarship Council)
- Columbia (ICETEX): https://portal.icetex.gov.co/portal
- Ecuador (Universidades de Excelencia): http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec/listado-de-universidades-de-excelencia-2017/
- Germany (German Academic Exchange Service): https://www.daad.de/en/
- Libya (Libyan-North American Scholarship Program): http://cbie.ca/what-we-do/current-programs/libyan-north-american-scholarship/
- Mexico (CONACYT): https://www.conacyt.gob.mx/
- Norway (Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education): https://www.siu.no/eng
- Russia (The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation): http://xn--80abucjiibhv9a.xn--p1ai/
- Qatar (Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani Scholarship; Tamim Bin Hamad Scholarship): http://www.edu.gov.qa/En/ServicesCenter/Pages/Supported-Universities.aspx
- Saudi Arabia (King Abdullah Scholarship Program): https://www.saudibureau.org/en/inside.php?ID=16
- United States (Fulbright Association): http://fulbright.org/
- Vietnam (Vietnam Education Foundation): https://home.vef.gov/
Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowship
Please note: These funding numbers came into effect in Winter 2024
The McGill Faculty of Engineering is committed to increasing the diversity of the Canadian workforce by increasing the number of underrepresented populations in the engineering profession. As part of our efforts to encourage, mentor, support and enhance the preparation of tomorrow’s diverse leaders, the Faculty of Engineering has created the Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowship to attract and financially support domestic applicants who identify as Indigenous* or Black.
This prestigious Fellowship will provide financial support of $33,000 per year for 4 academic years for McGill University recipients. This funding support will allow recipients to pursue advanced degrees and undertake both traditional and/or non-traditional areas of research without incurring financial hardship.
This Fellowship is intended to help build and support an equitable environment that is reflective of Canada’s population and reconcile the under-representation of Indigenous and Black scholars at McGill University. An integral component of the IBET Momentum Fellowship will be access to mentorship and community-wide support.
*For the purposes of this Fellowship, an Indigenous person is a person who self-identifies as First Nations (Status/Non-Status), Métis, or Inuit as defined in the Canadian Constitution Act 1982.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this award applicants must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada who self-identifies as being Indigenous or Black.
- Meet the minimum admission requirements (normally a cumulative GPA of 3.0) for their chosen Faculty of Engineering PhD program.
- Be admitted into the PhD program. Direct entry (from Bachelors) Ph.D. applicants may also be considered for the Fellowship.
Selection Process
- Candidates should indicate to their PhD supervisor that they are eligible for the IBET MEDA; supervisors will submit nominations to the Faculty during the Faculty Awards selection process (February and November each year). No additional application is required.
- Candidates will be selected based on combined undergraduate + Masters CGPA (or undergraduate GPA only for direct entry candidates).
Graduate Excellence Fellowship (GEF)
In the Faculty of Engineering, this award is designed to assist in funding new and continuing Graduate students. The value of the GEF is at the discretion of the Department or School and is available to Research Masters students registered full-time within their first two years of study (M1-M2) and PhD students in PhD1-PhD5.
Nomination for this award is at the discretion of the Department or School. No additional application is required.
Differential Fee Waiver (DFW)
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) allocates DFWs to McGill University faculties for international Doctoral students, and exceptionally to international thesis master’s students. Only international students who are allocated a DFW, by their respective faculties, are exempt from paying the international tuition supplement.
The Faculty of Engineering assigns DFWs as part of the Faculty Awards process. Only international students who are receiving faculty awards (MEUSMA, MEITA and MEDA International) might be assigned a DFW. The value of the original award will remain the same, regardless of if a student is assigned a DFW. PhD DFWs for 2024/2025 are valued at $15,272.40.
Eligibility
DFWs are restricted to international graduate students at McGill whose visa status requires them to pay full international tuition fees. Recipients must be:
- Registered with a full-time status for the Fall and Winter semesters. Must be registered as “continuing” for the Summer.
- Within Curriculum Year 1-3 (for Ph.D.) or Curriculum Year 1 (for thesis master’s). See Student Advising Transcript.
Please note that if a student withdraws or is withdrawn from McGill University during the eligibility period, the DFW may be revoked. Removal of the DFW will result in the student having to pay full international student fees for the term in question. Students in a qualifying year or additional session are not eligible. Students in "privatized" programs are not eligible. Eligible international students are automatically considered by their academic unit. Since DFWs are awarded based exclusively on unit nomination, there are no application forms provided/required.