When Joan Letting chose to pursue her PhD studies in Communication at Simon Fraser University (SFU), she was stepping away from a promising career trajectory in Kenya - one where she had earned a reputation as a seasoned journalist and leader of high-impact initiatives. With a newborn on the way, two young children and a costly international move, the decision felt like standing on the edge of an unknown future.
The financial risk alone might have made the leap impossible. But SFU's minimum funding guarantee and PhD Research Scholarship helped tip the odds in her favour, turning an overwhelming gamble into a courageous but achievable leap forward.
Her story is only one piece in a much larger change unfolding at SFU: a commitment in its Strategic Research Plan 2023-2028 to take meaningful, coordinated steps toward supporting the graduate student community.
University-wide minimum funding guarantee levels the playing field
In December 2023, the Senate approved Graduate General Regulation 1.17, establishing a minimum funding level of $28,000 per year for 12 terms for all incoming research PhD students starting in Fall 2024 and onward. Not every institution in Canada has a minimum funding guarantee, and SFU now offers one of the highest minimums in the country.
Before this regulation came into effect, support varied across programs. Some incoming students started with stable funding, while others had to primarily rely on their teaching assistantship (TA) assignments or outside work to make ends meet.
"It levelled the playing field across all programs," says Mary O'Brien, vice-provost and dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies. "Now every incoming PhD student starts at the same place. No one gets left behind."
New universal scholarship further expands financial breathing room
Alongside the minimum funding guarantee came another major addition to graduate student support at SFU: the university-wide PhD Research Scholarship.
Approved by the Board of Governors in June 2023, the $5,400 scholarship supports all eligible PhD students who entered programs in Fall 2023 and those in the first four years of study. And unlike many scholarships that require lengthy applications and offer funding to only a select few, this one is universal for PhD students, as long as they remain in good academic standing.
"That's over $4 million a year that the university has committed," O'Brien says. "And for many students, it's the difference between hardly getting by and having enough financial resources to focus their time on doing meaningful research."
For Letting, who's always had to rely on loans and her salary to fund her education and support her family while in Kenya, that difference was profound.
"In a city as expensive as Vancouver, financial support at SFU has given me something I had never experienced academically before: breathing room," she says. "Not luxury - just the stability needed to research heavy subjects like online violence against Black women journalists with clarity and emotional grounding."
Less financial stress means equity and improved well-being
The change also affects student well-being and research output, as they can now focus on their work instead of worrying about their next pay cheque. Less financial stress means better mental health, improved time-to-completion and a greater ability to fully participate in their academic community.
Letting's research and teaching assistant positions, together with the stability provided by the minimum funding guarantee and PhD Research Scholarship, have become anchors in her academic and community life. They allow her to build relationships with faculty and students, gain teaching experience and access networks that enrich her research, all while raising a family in a new country.
"The financial stability, combined with academic engagement, has allowed me to do difficult research without breaking under its emotional weight," she recalls. "It creates mental clarity, emotional availability and the psychological distance necessary to analyze trauma without absorbing it."
And at a deeper level, the changes reflect an institutional commitment to equity.
Under the terms of Graduate General Regulation 1.17, each graduate program must define how it upholds equity in its own funding policies. While some programs may exceed the annual $28,000 minimum or extend funding to master's students, all must meet the baseline and ensure no PhD student admitted after Fall 2024 falls through the cracks.
Still, challenges remain. Sustaining the minimum funding level and PhD Research Scholarship while maintaining the same number of graduate students requires ongoing work, especially as the university navigates changing availability of TA positions and tightened faculty funding budgets. SFU is actively meeting with associate deans and academic units to identify pain points and ensure transparency as the regulation is reviewed in 2026.
A sense of belonging for international scholars
Beyond the numbers and policy language, for Letting, these supports signal to her that she has a place in SFU's - and Canada's - academic community.
"As a Black African woman navigating Western academic spaces, belonging can be fragile," she says. "But the funding told me my scholarship matters. It told me I belong here not just as a student, but as a scholar."
Halfway through its Strategic Research Plan, SFU's progress is measured in stories like Letting's, where regulations enable possibility and research thrives because researchers do.
Learn more about SFU's ongoing progress and other initiatives supporting graduate students on the Strategic Research Plan's implementation plan website and midway progress snapshot (PDF).
