So, you’re considering grad school — congratulations! You’ll have the opportunity to further your education, gain valuable skills, and challenge yourself. While in grad school, you’ll be spending a lot of time on your research, academic studies, and research assistantships, which means you won’t want to spend any time worrying about how you’ll pay your tuition. Concordia University’s School of Graduate Studies gives out over 1,700 awards totalling more than $15 million so that you don’t have to be distracted from your studies.
There are plenty of funding opportunities available as you go through the various stages of your degree:
Incoming students
As you’re about to begin your first year of graduate school, you should consider these awards:
Entrance awards
When you’re just entering your first year of graduate school, you’ll be eligible for our entrance awards. The best part about these scholarships is that you don’t need to apply separately to be eligible for the award! When you apply to Concordia, you’ll be automatically considered for all entrance awards as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.
Check out some of the entrance awards that you could receive:
| Scholarship name | Award value | Scholarship description |
| Concordia Merit Scholarship | $10,000 | The Concordia Merit Scholarship awards $10,000 to eligible incoming students.
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| Out of Province Award | $8,878 | The Out of Province Award reduces the cost of tuition for out of province students to the Quebec rate.
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| Concordia University Doctoral Graduate Fellowships | $14,000 x4 | The Concordia University Doctoral Graduate Fellowships provides students with $14,000 per year for four years.
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| Concordia International Tuition Award of Excellence | $44,893 | International doctoral students will be awarded with a Concordia International Tuition Award of Excellence upon admission to the doctoral program. The Concordia International Tuition Award of Excellence reduces the tuition fees of international students to the Quebec rate.
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| Indigenous Graduate Scholarships | $10,000 | Concordia offers “top-up” funding to Indigenous graduate students who have been awarded scholarships. There are 10 doctoral and 20 master’s scholarships annually, each valued at $10,000, with the doctoral scholarship offering $10,000 per year for up to four years. Departments may nominate students upon their acceptance to a graduate program. Only Indigenous students from Indigenous communities and nations from Canada and the U.S. are eligible. Students may not apply directly.
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A bonus for these entrance scholarships is they are often topped up with teaching and research assistantships, making the overall funding package financially sufficient, and allowing you to finish your degree in a timely manner.
Want to see the difference between an out of province/international student’s tuition and the Quebec rate? Check out our tuition fee calculator to discover your potential costs.
Special entrance awards
Have you received a full external scholarship for your grad program? If so, you may be eligible for an additional scholarship from Concordia! Concordia offers these prestigious entrance awards if you begin your degree program with a full external scholarship from one of the designated provincial and federal granting agencies or recognized foundations i.e. Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship.
Once you submit a copy of the Notice of Award (generated by the relevant funding agency) to the School of Graduate Awards, you’ll receive a Special Entrance Award valued at $10,000 for PhD students and $6,000 for Master’s students in the first year of your scholarship/program.
Current students
Have you already begun your graduate studies? Don’t worry — there are plenty of funding opportunities throughout your degree!
Provincial and federal awards
One option for funding as you continue your studies is the provincial government. The Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ) offers graduate and postdoctoral researchers in Québec with financial support. You’ll find a handful of scholarships with each of the three agencies under the FRQ:
- Société et culture (FRQSC) — the FRQSC supports students in the fields of social science, humanities, education, management, arts, and literature.
- Nature et technologies (FRQNT) — The FRQNT helps students researching natural sciences, mathematical sciences, and engineering.
- Santé (FRQS) — The FRQS helps students researching in the fields of health (including basic, clinical, and epidemiological research), public health, and health services.
As for federal funding, the Canadian Tri-Agency is a major source of research funding for graduate students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The Canadian Tri-Agency is made up of three agencies with their own scholarships:
In-house awards
At Concordia, we also offer financial support for our grad students who want to show off their research:
| Scholarship name | Award value | Scholarship description |
| Conference and exposition awards | $15,000 | Registered graduate students can receive funding to present at major scholarly conferences, or artistic exhibitions in a peer-reviewed or juried context. Doctoral students can travel anywhere in the world and receive funding of up to $15,000 total when registered in their program (or $1,000 for every term of study in their first five years). In contrast, Master’s students are only eligible for this award once, anytime within the first six terms of their program.
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| Standout graduate research award | $1,000 | This biannual competition is meant to recognize exceptional research projects based at Concordia. The School of Graduate Studies offers up to two Concordia Standout Graduate Research Awards each competition; when possible, one will be awarded in the category of “Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences” and the other in “Engineering, Medical Sciences, and Natural Sciences.”
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At Concordia University, we want to encourage your drive for research. By providing scholarships and other funding opportunities, you’ll be able to spend your time focusing on your studies and conducting innovative research. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish!
Explore scholarships at Concordia