The University of Toronto is increasing funding for PhD and SJD (doctor of juridical science) students across its three campuses in an effort to alleviate students' financial stress, advance equity, increase access to doctoral research opportunities and boost research outcomes.
Photo credit : Johnny Guatto, University of Toronto.
Beginning next fall, all current and incoming students in the funded cohort (the first four or five years) of PhD and SJD programs will be guaranteed an annual base funding package of $40,000 including tuition - one of the highest base funding packages in Canada.
The move is designed to place PhD students on a stronger financial footing so they can better focus on their research endeavors, boosting U of T's competitiveness in attracting top talent and, ultimately, strengthening the university's research enterprise and contributions to knowledge creation and economic growth in Canada.
"Our PhD students are at the heart of the University of Toronto's success in driving cutting-edge research and innovation across disciplines. Their creativity, intellectual prowess and dedication are vital to the university's mission of generating solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time," said Trevor Young, U of T's vice-president and provost.
"At the same time, financial pressures can have a detrimental impact on students' well-being and ability to advance their research. By increasing our financial support, we hope to alleviate some of that pressure and improve the graduate student experience, ensuring that our programs can continue to recruit and retain the next generation of exceptional scholars."
An estimated 2,800 domestic and international PhD students - more than half of the funded cohort - will see their funding increase under the new measure.
The new funding commitment comes as governments around the world increasingly recognize research as an engine of economic innovation. In its 2024 budget, Canada's federal government made a significant reinvestment in the country's research and talent. This included $1.8 billion over five years to the federal granting councils and $825 million to federally funded graduate scholarships, raising the value of doctoral scholarships to $40,000.
The federally supported scholarships, however, are competitive - most students do not receive them. The new funding commitment from U of T raises the minimum level that all PhD and SJD students receive.
"I have always loved U of T, and it has allowed me to excel to places that I could only dream of. However, many times I deeply struggled to balance my academic aspirations with the intense demands of living and studying," said Tina Keshavarzian, a PhD candidate in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's department of medical biophysics whose research focuses on using single-cell sequencing, data science and machine learning to understand how cancers become more aggressive. The increased funding, she said, "can provide the stability students need to engage in their research and research community, leading to better academic outcomes and shorter times to completion.
"When students feel supported and fulfilled, it creates a positive ripple effect in their academic teams and the entire university ecosystem."
The updated base funding package will be primarily supported by funds from divisional sources - such as research grants, fellowships and other funding streams administered by individual faculties and graduate units - with additional support from the university's central budget to soften the financial impacts on some academic divisions.
"I want to acknowledge, the tremendous leadership from deans across the university" said Joshua Barker, vice-provost, graduate research and education & dean of the School of Graduate Studies. "Increasing graduate funding for our PhD and SJD students is truly a collaborative effort, one that requires commitment from all our partners - graduate units, faculty members, the university advancement teams and the university's senior leadership. Together, we can meet this challenge and provide the support our graduate students deserve."
U of T has also launched a PhD scholarship matching program that seeks to create 250 new PhD awards as part of the Defy Gravity fundraising campaign. A donor's $100,000 gift, combined with U of T matching funds, will create a $250,000 endowed award, which will generate an annual income of approximately $10,000. This will combine with other sources of funding to increase the pool of funds available for PhD students.
"PhDs are our most research-intensive degrees and the students who pursue them spend a lot of time at the university," Barker said. "Their work has helped make U of T the highest ranked university in Canada and one of the world's top research institutions - and a large number of our PhDs go on to work across Canada in both academia and the private sector, strengthening the country's economy and innovation landscape.
"Investing in our PhDs means investing in Canada's future."
Barker noted the new funding initiative comes on the heels of extensive research and consultations. He pointed to U of T's annual Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) surveys, in which a substantial number of respondents cited financial pressure as an obstacle to their academic progress.
In fall 2022, U of T convened a Graduate Funding Working Group - chaired by Barker and comprising faculty members, divisional leaders and students - to examine the graduate funding landscape and make recommendations. The working group issued its report the following year, outlining its considerations and recommendations.
"We've heard the feedback, and the institution is now stepping up to do what's necessary to invest in our PhD students' well-being and success," Barker said.
Keshavarzian, a member of the tri-campus working group who previously directed Temerty Medicine's graduate representation committee, said the working group was key to understanding and addressing the concerns of graduate students across U of T's three campuses.
"This structure has allowed us to bring together diverse perspectives and create solutions at a university-wide level, rather than fragmenting the responsibility among various departments," said Keshavarzian, who earned her honours bachelor of science degree at U of T before returning for graduate studies. "I'm incredibly proud to be part of an institution willing to take on such hard work, aligning resources and leadership to address challenges systematically.
"This collaborative approach has helped ensure that our university remains responsive to the needs of graduate students and committed to creating an environment where they can thrive both academically and personally."
