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Graduate Students

Laurier’s Indigenous graduate student community has access to all of our Indigenous student services, and then some! In partnership with Laurier’s Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, you will receive support from the application process through to graduation – and mentorship for life.

Program and degree specific questions should be addressed to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. A physical copy of the Indigenous Graduate Student Handbook is available at both Indigenous Student Centres and from the Graduate Student Association.

Financial Aid

Laurier is committed to providing financial assistance to Indigenous graduate students to support their academic goals. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the different types of financial aid available.

Your Go-To For Golden Guidance

As a self-identified Indigenous student, there is an Indigenous Student Support Coordinator (ISSC) dedicated to your academic success and personal development.

ISSCs offer culturally-relevant, responsive and wholistic support services and programs. Contact your campus-specific ISSC to schedule a one-on-one meeting and learn more about the ways we are here for you.

Support Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement

*This program is currently on hold*

Support Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement (SAGE) Laurier is an interdisciplinary, student-driven peer mentoring program designed to support Indigenous graduate students with successful transition into and completion of their master’s or PhD programs. SAGE connects First Nations, Inuit and Metis students to a community of peers, faculty, Elders and support workers at the Indigenous Student Centre.

Goals of the SAGE Program

  • Create a network of First Nations (status and non-status), Metis and Inuit graduate students for social and academic support.
  • Identify gaps in services to Indigenous graduate students which will be used to design future programming.
  • Provide a safe, culturally relevant environment for students to share resources and have fun!

Guiding Principles

  • Peer-mentoring: Quarterly meetings will bring together Indigenous graduate students to share research, challenges and solutions to problems unique to them.
  • Faculty support: Indigenous faculty members and alumni can be contacted to mentor and support young academics as they navigate further studies.
  • Support services: The Indigenous Students Centers and the Indigenous student support coordinator curate access to services available on campus.

Graduate Student Association

The Graduate Students Association (GSA) is run by elected graduate students responsible for advocating on behalf of Laurier’s graduate student body. Familiarize yourself with Laurier's GSA and their programming, including: health and dental plans, funding, a mentorship program, housing resources and thesis printing.

Indigenous Graduate Student Representative

The Indigenous Education Council (IEC) promotes a positive educational experience for Indigenous students at Laurier. Your IEC representative meets with the GSA Presidents Council, which represents minority and social issues for Laurier’s graduate students, once a month to voice the concerns of Laurier’s Indigenous graduate students. The IEC graduate student representative currently serving is Trevor Stace. For information regarding the IEC, email Trevor at tstace@wlu.ca.