Internal Scholarships and Awards

Laurier Graduate Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to full-time entering or continuing graduate students who achieve high academic standing in their program. All qualified students meeting the current scholarship standard for the academic unit are automatically considered. An application is not required.

Scholarships are awarded on academic merit, not financial need. Laurier Graduate Scholarships have a minimum value of $1,000 and are tenable for study at Laurier while enrolled as a full-time student completing coursework and/or research. Normally, scholarships are paid in three equal instalments over three terms. Students awarded a Laurier Graduate Scholarship must abide by the terms and conditions.

Terms and Conditions of Laurier Graduate Scholarships

• All Laurier Graduate Scholarships are conditional on registering as a full-time graduate student and being deemed in good academic standing during the term in which the scholarship is held.
• Scholarships are awarded for registration in the program indicated on the offer, and are not transferrable from one program to another.
• Scholarship funds will be credited to student accounts. Upon written request using the Online Refund Request Form, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit no earlier than one week following the last day for a late registration for the term.
• Students who withdraw from the program during the term will be required to repay a pro-rated portion of their scholarship.
• Laurier Graduate Scholarships may not be held concurrently with a major external award. In its place, either a Graduate Incentive Scholarship (for students in professional master's programs) or a Dean's Graduate Scholarship (for students in research-intensive programs) may be offered. Under exceptional circumstances an eligible doctoral student may be allowed to hold a Dean's scholarship concurrently with a Laurier Graduate Scholarship.

The Dean's Graduate Scholarship is awarded to students in research-intensive master's and PhD programs who hold a major external award.

This scholarship, coupled with a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, comprises a top-up funding package in excess of $10,000 to eligible students. The scholarship is held in addition to the external award and is renewable each year such an award is held. 

Eligibility

• Registered as a full-time student.
• Enrolled in a research-intensive graduate program.
• Within the normal funding period.
• Hold any of the following awards:
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
  • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology.
  • Canadian Graduate Scholarship – Master’s.
  • Tri-Council – Doctoral (excluding Vanier).

Professional Programs

Students holding a major external award while enrolled in a professional program (MBA, MSW, MFin, MMT) are awarded a $1,000 Graduate Incentive Scholarship in addition to the external award. Students in professional programs are not eligible for the Dean's Graduate Scholarship.

Terms and Conditions of Dean's Graduate Scholarship

• The Dean's Graduate Scholarship is conditional on registering as a full-time student during the term in which the scholarship is held.
• Scholarships are awarded for registration in the program indicated and are not transferrable from one program to another.
• Scholarship funds will be credited to student accounts in equal instalments for the academic year in which the external award was granted, regardless of when the external award commences. Upon written request using the Online Refund Request Form, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit no earlier than one week following the last day for a late registration for the term.
• Students who withdraw from the program during the term will be required to repay a pro-rated portion of their scholarship.
• Students who hold funding at $50,000 or more per year to pursue their graduate studies are ineligible for Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies funding.
• Dean's Graduate Scholarships (for students in research-intensive programs) may not be held concurrently with either a Graduate Incentive Scholarship or a Laurier Graduate Scholarship. Under exceptional circumstances an eligible doctoral student may be allowed to hold a Dean's scholarship concurrently with a Laurier Graduate Scholarship.

Laurier offers Graduate Incentive Scholarships to students entering Laurier's professional graduate programs (MBA, MFin, MMT, MSW) who are successful in major external scholarship competitions (e.g. OGS, NSERC, SSHRC). No application is required. The value of a Graduate Incentive Scholarship is $1,000.

Terms and Conditions of Graduate Incentive Scholarships

• The Graduate Incentive Scholarship is conditional on registering as a full-time student and being deemed in good academic standing during the term in which the scholarship is held.
• Scholarships are awarded for registration in the program indicated and are not transferrable from one program to another.
• Scholarship funds will be credited to student accounts. Upon written request using the Online Refund Request Form, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit no earlier than one week following the last day for a late registration for the term.
• Students who withdraw from the program during the term will be required to repay a pro-rated portion of their scholarship.

The Lazaridis School of Business and Economics Graduate Scholarship is available to students enrolled in the PhD in Management program in the Lazaridis School. Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to full-time entering or continuing graduate students who achieve high academic standing in their field.

Terms and Conditions of SBE Graduate Scholarships

• The Lazaridis School Graduate Scholarship is conditional on registering as a full-time student and on being deemed in good academic standing while maintaining a full-time course load (as defined by the department) during the term in which the scholarship is held.
• Scholarships are awarded for registration in the program indicated and are not transferrable from one program to another.
• Scholarship funds will be credited to student accounts. Upon written request using the Online Refund Request Form, a credit balance will be refunded by direct deposit no earlier than one week following the last day for a late registration for the term.
• Students who withdraw from the program during the term will be required to repay a pro-rated portion of their scholarship.

The primary purposes of a Graduate Studentship is to further the student's education and training as she or he pursues a graduate degree. The funding is typically from a faculty research grant or contract. The funding researcher is a mentor, and the student is expected to make an intellectual contribution to the research, which may be a component of the faculty member's research. The research undertaken is directly related to the student's own academic pursuits, and the activities will include all those necessary to learn to become an independent researcher.

Faculty are required to complete a Graduate Student Support form to help determine the nature of the relationship between the student, the faculty researcher and/or the project through this funding opportunity. This completed form must be submitted to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to make payment arrangements.

Laurier encourages graduate students to engage in scholarly activity by providing financial support to students who make presentations at academic conferences related to their program of study at Laurier. For PhD students, financial support is also available for field research related to their program of study at Laurier.

Graduate students may submit an application to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for a travel award by the end of a term in which the travel took place, via submission of the Travel Award Application Form.

Eligibility

• Students who are registered as full-time master’s or doctoral students at Laurier at the time of the conference and at the time of application for the FGPS Travel Award are eligible. (Note: Students registered in a program at Martin Luther University College are not eligible for this award. Please contact martin@luther.wlu.ca for more information.)
• The applicant must have travelled in connection with their program of study at Laurier.
• The applicant must have presented the paper/poster at a conference (if applicable).
• Master’s applicants must have an approved MRP/thesis proposal with documentation in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to be eligible to apply.

If submitting an application for participation at a conference, the conference must have been national or international in scope and sponsored by an established professional association (as verified by the student's advisor on the Travel Award Application Form).

Value of Award

• $250 for travel within Ontario and $500 for travel outside of Ontario (out of province and international).
• If the fund is depleted, the program may be suspended without notice until further funds become available.

Application Procedures 

• Submit a Travel Award Application Form to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (DAWB 1-102). Applications may be submitted after the event/travel takes place and up until the end of the term in which the event/travel took place (i.e. Dec. 31, April 30 or Aug. 31 annually).
• The award will be granted for the term in which the event/travel took place.

Notes

• Your completed (and signed) application for funding must contain the signature of your advisor, certifying the national/international scope and the professional stature of the association sponsoring the conference (if applicable). Note the deadlines for submission (above).
• The total amount available each year is modest and the amount of award may vary depending on the total number of applications received and moneys granted. Priority will be given to doctoral applicants who have not already received this award twice and to master’s students who have not already received this award once.
• The applications will be reviewed and you will be notified in writing, with a copy to your advisor and graduate/program officer. The award will be credited against your student account and does not require submission of receipts. Funds will not be paid to your advisor or transferred to an internal index/fund.
• Funding from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is unlikely to cover all travel related expenses, and you are encouraged to seek additional funding from your advisor, department, and/or faculty/school.
• You may also inquire with the Graduate Students' Association for conference travel funding opportunities.

Laurier's bursary program is for students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (a limited budget for bursary assistance is available for students studying at Laurier on a study permit).

Bursaries do not have to be paid back to the university. Students may only receive one bursary assessment per academic year, to an established maximum amount.

The Office of Student Awards manages award competitions for various internal and endowed awards.

Program Description

The grant is available to full-time graduate students pursuing a research degree with a funding package who take a temporary leave from graduate studies during the first year of their child’s birth, adoption, or when their child first comes into their custody, care and control. It is intended that the per-term grant, together with any other available Employment Insurance (EI) benefits or continuing support, will maintain financial support at the level of 95% of the average pre-leave, per term funding amount, less tuition, to a maximum amount per term.

If a parental leave is required, students should inform their departments in a timely way to allow departments to plan for and accommodate the leave of absence. Students must inform their advisors and program graduate coordinator at least two months in advance of the start date of their intended leave. Students who do not return to their studies following the leave must repay the grant in full. Exceptions may be made if the student is unable to return for medically substantiated reasons.

Eligible graduate students can apply for the grant using the Graduate Student Notification of Parental Leave Form. Students can contact the Graduate Admissions and Records Officer, Amanda Kristensen, at akristensen@wlu.ca with any questions.

Eligibility

Students who become parents may elect to take an uninterrupted parental leave during the first year of birth, adoption, or when the child first comes into their custody, care and control. The maximum duration of the parental leave is 12 months (three consecutive terms). This leave can be taken regardless of the application for or receiving of a parental leave grant (see "General Regulations: Registration Status" information in the Graduate Academic Calendar for the Laurier Policy). To receive a parental leave grant during a parental leave period, the following eligibility criteria must be met:

• Master’s students: Registered as a full-time graduate student in a research-based program with a funding package for at least one complete academic term, but not more than two academic years (six terms), prior to the start of the leave.
• Doctoral students: Registered as a full-time graduate student in a research-based program with a funding package for at least one complete academic term, but not more than four academic years (12 terms), prior to the start of the leave.

Only students in good academic standing with no outstanding fees will be eligible for the grant.  Students are only eligible for the grant if they are the primary caregiver for the child. If both parents are eligible Laurier graduate students, the parental leave grant can be shared and each parent may take a portion of the leave for a combined maximum of three terms (e.g. one partner can take two terms and the other can take one term) but both parents cannot receive the grant at the same time. Each parent must fill in a separate grant application and the leave must be taken within the first year of birth, adoption, or when the child first comes into custody, care and control of the parent. Graduate students can apply for this grant for each incident of birth, adoption, custody, care and control of parent during their graduate studies, in accordance with the eligibility criteria outlined above.

Application Process/Timelines

Students are expected to provide at least two months notice of their intention to take a parental leave, notifying both their supervisor and graduate coordinator of the intended start date of the leave.

Students must complete the Graduate Student Notification of Parental Leave Form at least two months prior to the term for which the parental leave is sought. The application must be accompanied by official documentation (e.g. physician’s statement, adoption certificate) confirming the expected date of birth, or confirming the date of adoption, or the date that the child is coming into the custody and care and control of the parent.

The application form includes a declaration of the intention to continue full-time graduate studies following the parental leave. Students are expected to confirm their return date giving at least four weeks’ notice in advance of the term in which they intend to return to continue with their graduate studies. Students who do not return to their studies following the leave must repay the grant they received in full. Exceptions may be made if the student is unable to return for medically substantiated reasons.

Parental Grant Amount

The parental leave grant, together with any other available Employment Insurance (EI) benefits or continuing support, will maintain financial support at the level of 95% of the average pre-leave, per term funding amount, less tuition, to a maximum amount per term as follows:

• First-term maximum = $4,000
• Second-term maximum = $3,000
• Third-term maximum = $3,000
• Total maximum = $10,000 

To calculate the grant amount, the following information is required from the student’s last three terms in their current program of registration prior to the leave. If the student has not completed three full terms in their current program prior to the leave date, then the grant will be calculated based on the terms completed.

• The average income received per term from the university (PTI) including graduate teaching assistantships, fellowships, studentships, research assistantships, and teaching stipends.
• The average awards received per term (PTA) including scholarships, bursaries, and/or award support.
• The average tuition fees paid per term (PTT).
• Other sources of income received by the student during the approved leave period such as Employment Insurance (EI) maternity/parental benefits, other parental leave supplementary benefits including those provided under the collective agreement for contract academic staff, or other forms of continued support related to a student’s income and/or awards (PTO).

Students receiving Tri-Agency scholarships/grants are eligible for the Tri-Agency Paid Parental Leave supplement and will receive benefits through that program that typically exceed the value of this grant. Therefore, graduate students with Tri-Agency scholarships/grants will not receive funding through the Laurier Parental Leave Grant program.

Students should contact the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer, Cherie Mongeon, at cmongeon@wlu.ca to discuss their eligibility.

Grant Payments

Upon receipt in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies of confirmation of the birth, adoption, custody, care and control of the child, the grant will be applied to the student’s account, at the start of each term of leave (maximum of three terms). The payments will be paid as an award and transferred to the student’s bank account upon receipt of a request for a credit balance refund.