Graduate Funding Opportunities

Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

All students accepted and registered full-time in our graduate programs will be eligible for financial assistance from teaching assistantships and the Graduate Support Initiative (GSI).

Use this Cost of Living calculator to plan your budget as a student.

Graduate Entrance Scholarships

Incoming graduate students may be awarded scholarships at the discretion of the department. We receive modest Graduate Support funding each year, and allocate this to students in both the on-campus and Optional-Residency Programs.

Aboriginal Graduate Fellowships

The University of British Columbia offers multi-year fellowships to masters and doctoral Aboriginal students. Award winners are selected on the basis of academic merit through an annual competition, administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in consultation with the First Nations House of Learning.

Teaching Assistantships

Students accepted into our programs are eligible for teaching assistantships (TA). These positions are awarded to qualified graduate students on a full or part-time basis. The salary for a part-time TA is calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Research Assistantships

Faculty members in our programs are actively engaged in research and are therefore often able to provide research assistantships to qualified students. The stipend, hours and duties will vary according to the faculty member’s research program.

Awards

Department of Theatre and Film Awards

The department’s various graduate program streams also have internal scholarships available. Some of these awards are available to both undergraduate and graduate students.


Neil Freeman Memorial Scholarship

A scholarship is offered annually by Julie Stockton in memory of her husband, Neil Freeman. Professor Emeritus Neil Freeman taught in the Department of Theatre and Film from 1991 to 2006. He was renowned for his unique approach to the unlocking of Shakespearean text for young actors. Students always left his classes with a new respect for Shakespeare and new insights into how to decipher the mysteries of the Bard. His research into the First Folio and his writing on the use of these texts for the actor changed the way Shakespeare is approached by thousands of actors around the world. The scholarship is given to an undergraduate or graduate student in theatre who shows exceptional aptitude for Shakespeare or the advancement of Shakespearean research. The award is made on the recommendation of the Department of Theatre and Film and, in the case of a graduate student, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Mr. and Mrs. G.E. Poole Award
This award is given to a student or students in theatre showing financial need.

IODE Fine Arts Foundation Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to a student who demonstrates excellence in the field of theatre.

Norman Young Scholarship in Theatre
Awarded to an MFA student in design or a BFA student in Design or Production.

Bill Millerd Award in Theatre
Divisible to create a series of mentorships, primarily with the Arts Club Theatre Company.

Follow Your Dreams Scholarship in Theatre
This scholarship is awarded to a BFA or MFA student to allow them to follow their dreams.

John Brockinton Scholarship in Theatre
MFA Directing award

Sydney J. Risk Graduate Award in Directing
An annual award for a student entering the second year of the MFA Directing program.

Thea Koerner Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to a full-time student leading to a degree in theatre every four years. The next scholarship will be awarded in 2024.

Stuart Keate Award
Awarded to a Graduate Student in Theatre to honour Stuart Keate, a former member of the UBC Players' Club, the Board of Governors of the University, and Publisher of the Vancouver Sun.

Dorothy Somerset Memorial Scholarship in Theatre
Awarded to a graduate student in the department of Theatre & Film, in honour of Dorothy Somerset, B.A., LL.D., founder and first Head of the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia.

North Shore Studios Scholarship in Film Production 
Awarded to an MFA or BFA student in Film Production.

Mark Harris Memorial Scholarship 
This scholarship is awarded to a 4th year BA Cinema Studies major or Honours student or an MA in Cinema Studies and who demonstrates a passion for cinema. Please visit the UBC Mark Harris Memorial page.

Brian McIlroy Scholarship in Film Studies 
This scholarship is awarded to a 4th year BA Cinema Studies major or Honours student or an MA in Cinema Studies.

Fairchild Group Scholarship 
Awarded to a Film Production graduate student in good academic standing, who is focusing on cultural diversity and entrepreneurial leadership.

External Awards

Scholarship Awards Program (BC Arts Council)

The BC Arts Council Scholarship Program supports the development of B.C.’s future professional artists by providing funding of up to $6,000 per year to outstanding arts students studying at the post-secondary level. B.C. residents attending full-time studies in a fine-arts diploma or degree program at a recognized college, university, institution or academy, in any country, are eligible to apply.

Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Canadian applicants are eligible for SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Master’s Scholarships. Students who are eligible for SSHRC funding are encouraged to apply prior to admission.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

UBC Affiliated Fellowships

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers Affiliated Fellowships each year to both masters and doctoral students.

Food Support

The UBC Food Hub offers resources to promote food security on campus, including the Food Hub Market, which provides at-cost groceries for the UBC Vancouver campus in a welcoming community space.

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