Funding

Stipends

Your funding will be outlined in the letter of offer.

There is currently a minimum-stipend policy for both thesis Master’s and Doctoral students.

Thesis Master’s students: Funding is guaranteed at a minimum of $18k/yr for at least 18 months. Higher stipends are encouraged for international graduate students to compensate for their higher tuition fees.

Doctoral students: Funding is guaranteed for 3 years for students starting at Ph.D. 2 and 4 years for students starting at Ph.D. 1. The minimum total yearly stipend varies depending on the student residency status (i.e., Quebec, non-Quebec Canadian, or international), anywhere from approximately $18,000/yr to $32,000/yr.

Some students with fellowships and awards may receive significantly more funding. There are a few Teaching Assistantships (TA’s) available for students in the program. A call for TA’s is sent out each semester.

Non-thesis Master’s students are expected to cover tuition and other fees themselves, but internships are normally financially supported by partner organizations and might be supported through the Mitacs program.

Graduate Fees

Graduate Tuition and Fees can be found on the fee calculator page.

Fellowships

For thesis Master's and Doctoral applicants eligibility for funding depends on your primary supervisor’s affiliation, as outlined in the table below.

Recruitment Awards: Primary Supervisor in Biomedical Engineering Department (Full time and associates members, excluding core members of Bioengineering Dept.)

These awards are designed to help recruit top students to our program and are offered to applicants wishing to start in Fall or Winter. The standard recruitment awards are $10,000/yr for two years for thesis Master’s students and three years for Doctoral students.

Master’s students:

The supervisor must guarantee a minimum of $17,000/yr of funding, excluding the Recruitment Award.

PhD students:

For Québec and out-of-Province students, the supervisor must guarantee a minimum of $17,000/yr of funding, excluding the Recruitment Award.

For international students: the supervisor must guarantee a minimum stipend of $17,000/yr plus the applicable fee differential.

The supervisor’s guarantee may take the form of a student research assistantship paid from the supervisor’s grants or student’s personal award (e.g. NSERC Studentship).

The awards  are being offered on a first come-first served basis until funds are exhausted.  Applicants to a Winter term will be treated equivalently on first-come first-served basis, while funds are still available. Otherwise applicants will be placed on a waiting list. To maximize the chance of being nominated prospective students who wish to be considered for the award are encouraged to complete their application dossier early and to request their proposed supervisor to nominate them.

The awards are offered to incoming students nominated by their supervisor. Please note that students already in the program who advance from Master’s to Doctoral are eligible for the award.

Criteria for Eligibility

• Nominations requested from supervisor. Applicant file must be complete at time of nomination.

• For Master’s applicants, cumulative grade point average (cGPA) must be ≥ 3.8 out of 4 or special strengths should be evident in the dossier. The cGPA must meet the criterion for each year of undergraduate studies in the last two years. For Master’s applicants who already completed a post-graduate degree, the postgraduate records will also be examined by the committee.
• For Doctoral applicants, cumulative grade point average (cGPA) must be ≥ 3.8 out of 4 or special strengths should be evident in the dossier. The cGPA must meet the criterion for the postgraduate record to date and the cGPA must meet the criterion for the last year of undergraduate studies.
• Applicants are required to accept the award and offer of admission within two weeks of receiving the notification.
• Applicants who are nominated after allocations have been exhausted or do not meet the criteria will be placed on a waiting list and evaluated by the committee should additional funds become available.

Note – Master’s thesis submitted early (3^rd term)

A Master’s student currently holding a Recruitment Award and submitting his/her thesis within the third term of study before the GPS deadline, will be allowed to keep the current award’s 4^th term installment during the first term of his/her Doctoral studies, and will be eligible to apply for a PhD recruitment award of 3 years duration starting in the following term. Aligned with policies above, the student must:

• Apply to the PhD program in BBME well before the beginning of the 4^th term of study;
• Have on file an active commitment from a BME supervisor for acceptance into the Doctoral program, with a nomination letter for the PhD recruitment award;
• Meet the academic standards for a PhD recruitment award outlined above.

Note – Master’s students fast-tracking

A Master’s student currently holding a Recruitment Award and fast-tracking, will be allowed to keep the current award’s 4^th term installment during the first term of his/her Doctoral studies, and be eligible to apply for a PhD recruitment award of 3 years duration starting in the following term. Aligned with policies above, the student must:

• Apply to the PhD program in BBME well before the beginning of the 4^th term of study;
• Have on file an active commitment from a BME supervisor for acceptance into the Doctoral program, with a nomination letter for the PhD recruitment award;
• Meet the academic standards for a PhD recruitment award outlined above.

Scholarships and awards for students accepted in the program can be found on the students page.