The GSA offers several different awards and bursaries for students in financial need.

Only GSA members will be eligible to apply for grad student funding.

GSA University Graduate Student Compassionate Bursary Fund

This bursary is administered by the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies. The fund normally provides up to $2,000 for expenses that are incurred due to extenuating circumstances.

Typical examples include: travel expenses due to a death or illness of an immediate family member (spouse/common-law partner/child/parent/sibling); travel to arrange a permanent change in parental obligations, including adoption; emergency living costs during family breakdown/dissolution; emergency food, living and/or school supplies required as a result of a delay in external agency support; emergency surgery for self or immediate family member (spouse/child); uninsured loss due to fire, theft, or accident. Students are encouraged to apply with any emergency situation.

Any registered student may contact a Graduate Scholarships Officer in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS), prior to making an application for support. The Graduate Scholarships Officer will assist students in finding any other possible sources of support as well as making an initial determination of the amount of support available from this fund.

GSA Travel Grant

Students who have presented at conferences, workshops, or seminars within the academic year, may be eligible to receive a travel grant up to $500 (once for masters and twice for Phd during their grad studies career). The student must have been registered as a graduate student in the term that student has presented.

Pre-approved applications are no longer accepted.

GSA Activities Grant (PDR)

Priority is given to events that directly enrich the graduate community.  

PDR Funding requests of $500 or less will be reviewed by the GSA Finance Committee. Requests exceeding $500 must be reviewed and approved by the GSA Board at its monthly meeting. For questions, please contact the GSA main office at [email protected] 

GSA Child Care Bursary

A Child Care Bursary is available for graduate students who demonstrate financial need, once during their grad study degree. Students on leave, or residing in a province other than Ontario, are ineligible. The GSA cannot accept applications for care provided in an unlicensed day care/babysitting centre/facility. The GSA cannot accept applications for children registered in private education institutions, such as a private school or Montessori school.

DEI Bursary

This bursary, valued at $400, is for both domestic and international students belonging to equity seeking groups for:

• Emergency circumstances in their previous or current semester.
• Attending a conference in a student’s current or next semester where additional financial support is needed to ensure the student is travelling to a safe destination due to their belonging to an equity-seeking group.
• Funding gender affirming health care not otherwise covered by a student’s available insurance(s) in any semester of their graduate studies.
• Equity-seeking groups include Black, Indigenous, and students of colour; LGBTQ2IA2S+ students, students with a disability, and other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Due to the impacts of ever-changing circumstances and intersectionality, we encourage applications from any graduate students who are unsure if they meet these criteria. Students must be registered as graduate students in the specified term. Please note that the committee may ask for additional documentation. Students may receive this bursary once within their graduate degree.

Please send your documents along with the complete application form to [email protected]