Graduate students in the School of Religious Studies receive funding from several different sources during their time at McGill University. There are many external funding opportunities for McGill students, and all graduate students are expected to apply regularly for funding for which they are eligible. Students also regularly receive internal funding for their studies. While the size and length of funding packages offered each year may vary, the four-year funding packages offered for students admitted for Fall 2021 can serve as a sample.
In the tables below are the amounts newly admitted Ph.D. students (Fall 2021) will receive from all sources for each of the first four years of their Ph.D. program, if they do not receive external funding in that year.
Guaranteed award funding
Ph.D. Canadian Students
| YEAR 1 | YEAR 2 | YEAR 3 | YEAR 4 | |
| Total Expected Funding | $14,725.00 | $14,776.00 | $14,889.00 | $15,063.00 |
| Guaranteed Award Funding | ||||
| All students | ||||
| Tuition* | $2,700 | $2,751 | $2,864 | $3,038 |
| Base | $2,025 | $2,025 | $2,025 | $2,025 |
| Students not holding external awards | ||||
| Supplement | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
* Tuition amounts are approximate. Annual increases to tuition are calculated at a rate of 4%. The amount a student will actually receive will be the confirmed amount of tuition during the applicable year.
Ph.D. International students
| YEAR 1 | YEAR 2 | YEAR 3 | YEAR 4 | |
| Total Expected Funding | $28,932.00 | $29,415.00 | $29,914.00 | $15,750.00 |
| Guaranteed Award Funding | ||||
| All students | ||||
| Tuition* | $16,132 | $16,615 | $17,114 | $2,950 |
| Base | $2,800 | $2,800 | $2,800 | $2,800 |
| Students not holding external awards | ||||
| Supplement | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
* Tuition amounts are approximate. Annual increases to tuition are calculated at a rate of 4%. The amount a student will actually receive will be the confirmed amount of tuition during the applicable year.
Tuition and base funding details
All newly admitted Ph.D. students will receive sufficient award amounts to pay their university tuition in full. They are responsible for any additional university fees. For current tuition and fees, visit the Student Accounts’ Graduate Fee Calculator.
All students also receive a base amount in award funding towards living expenses for each of the first four years, on condition of satisfactory progress in completion of degree requirements.
Supplement award funding details
Supplemental award funding is provided for students who do not hold external funding. If a student does not hold an external award during Year 1, they will get the supplement amount for Year 1. The same applies to each of their first four years in the program. All students in the Ph.D. program are required to apply for external awards each year they are eligible in order to be guaranteed their supplement award funding.
Additional information regarding award funding
See details on eligibility and how to apply for internal and external awards at https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/funding/opportunities/phd. Students must report to the School of Religious Studies the names and amounts of any award(s) you receive within two months of receiving the notice of the award(s).
Continued award support from McGill is dependent on satisfactory progress towards a degree as evaluated annually by a progress tracking committee. Make sure to review the Award Holder’s guide for internal funding. External awards may have additional restrictions or obligations, see https://www.mcgill.ca/gps/funding/getting-paid for more information about maintaining an award.
Awards that affect guaranteed sources of support
Graduate students that receive funding from foreign agencies to pay for tuition, fees and/or living expenses may have a different guaranteed base, supplemental or tuition funding amounts. Students receiving a major internal fellowship (e.g Tomlinson Doctoral or Stavros Niarchos) will also have different guaranteed base, supplement or tuition funding amounts. However, the overall total funding levels per year will not be less than the ones offered in a funding package and illustrated in the tables above.