Funding Information for International Students

The University of Alberta strives to provide the best possible funding opportunities for our international student body. As an initial step, applicants should consult the department in which they are seeking admission regarding potential assistantship appointments. Please note students must already be admitted into their program of study in order to be considered for any Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) administered scholarships.

The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) administers or co-administers awards open to international applicants, and also collaborates specifically with the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Research Assistantship (RA), Teaching Assistantship (TA) & Graduate Research Assistant Fellowships (GRAF) Appointments

Research and teaching assistantships and Graduate Research Assistantship Fellowship are types of employment for graduate students which could entail assisting a faculty member with a class (teaching assistantship) or with a research project (research assistantship). This type of employment is entirely handled by each department and students should contact their departments for more information on this. Please consult the GPS Student Employment page for more information.

Note: Before accepting an assistantship, please make sure to sign a contract with your supervisor/department.

Financial Aid

For information on Bursaries and Emergency loans for international students, please see here. Additional information can also be found on the GPS Financial Support page.

Award Opportunities

University of Alberta offers a number of recruitment scholarships at the Doctoral and Master's level. Please consult our Recruitment Scholarships page for more information.

Outstanding international students should consider applying for some of the most prestigious scholarships in Canada, including the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, the most prestigious award at the University of Alberta, is also open to international students and covers the international differential fee.

There are also a number of provincial scholarships for which you can apply depending on your area of research. For health-related programs, please contact the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) for funding opportunities. Please note that GPS does not administer the AIHS scholarships. If your research involves Information and Communication Technology, Nanotechnology, or Omics, you may be eligible to apply for an Alberta Innovates Graduate Student Scholarship.

Among other awards that you may consider are the Andrew Stewart Prize - awarded for outstanding research carried out by continuing students who are actively engaged in thesis research. Travel Awards are also available, and are allocated to graduate students to help offset costs associated to the presentation of their research material at academic conferences. Finally, international students may also qualify for certain department-specific awards.

Be sure to check the Government of Canada international scholarship database for additional international funding opportunities.

International Agreements - Sponsored Students

Some international students receive funding for their program from their home countries. For information on the types of international agreements and support available for students studying on such agreements, please visit the Sponsored Student Program page. One such agreement is the UAlberta collaboration with the China Scholarship Council Program.

China Scholarship Council (CSC)

The University of Alberta is delighted to have a very active collaboration with the CSC under their State-Sponsored Scholarship Program. This program provides scholarships of up to four years for top Chinese students who wish to obtain a Doctoral degree from the University of Alberta. The scholarships are open to all areas of study.

Value: Under the master agreement with the CSC, the CSC provides the student with a monthly stipend of $1,600 for up to four years, while the University of Alberta will cover the CSC students' tuition and fees. The University of Alberta will also refund the CSC scholar's application fee, upon arrival at the University of Alberta.

Process: The student applies for admission to a University of Alberta Doctoral program by following the standard application process; please indicate on the application under funding, that you will be applying for the CSC. If recommended for admission by the department, the student will use the official letter of admission as part of their scholarship application to the CSC early in the New Year. The results will be made available in the spring.

For further information on the CSC, please visit the China Scholarship Council website. Should you have further questions regarding the University of Alberta CSC agreement, please contact Nicole Dewart (ndewart@ualberta.ca) at University of Alberta International. You can also direct your questions to the administrator of the graduate program to which you are applying.

We encourage CSC candidates to apply early to ensure that admitted applicants receive their official admission letter in advance of the CSC application deadline in early March.

Additional Funding Resources Additional Information

For additional funding resources for international students, please contact the International Student Services (ISS).