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Funding & Scholarships

Grad Student Funding

The basic funding package for MA students may include a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) salary (one term or two terms). In addition to a GTA, the basic funding package for a PhD student will include a Western Graduate Research Scholarship (WGRS) which is automatically applied toward tuition. If you receive a funding package, it will be set out in the offer of admission welcome email from the department. Most MA students are expected to self-fund their studies. PhD students receive four years of funding. 

Tuition fees are paid each term. Three terms per year: Fall term, Winter term, Summer term. Graduate students must be continually enrolled each term until completion of all program requirements.

$27,000 per year for four years. For PhD students who receive an external scholarship, such as CGRS D, students will see a reduction of $12,000 related to support from the program, and for an external scholarship, such as OGS, students will see a reduction of $5,000 related to support from the program.
Most MA students are expected to self-fund their graduate studies.  Funded MA students will receive a full Graduate Teaching Asistant (GTA) position, valued at $15,252, or one-term GTA valued at $7,626. For MA students who receive an external scholarship, such as CGRS M or OGS, there will be no adjustment made by the Political Science Department.

Prospective students may apply for one PhD or one MA Public Opinion and Reconciliation Fellowship with fuding of $10,000 per year. Please send the following materials by separate cover to Dr. Alcantara (calcanta@uwo.ca) with the subject line, "Reconciliation Fellowship" before February 1, 2026: 

  • Include a cover letter (1-2 pages, single spaced) that indicates how you define reconcilation, and your interest in public opinion or public policy
  • Your education and career goals
  • Any substantive, theoretical, and methodological expertise that would benefit this project
    Your CV listing all relevant experience, training, publications, or attributes that would benefit the project, and which speak to your ability to successfully complete a graduate degree at Western.  

Department Awards

A variety of internal and external scholarship opportunities are available at Western that reward academic excellence and support graduate student research. A full listing and detailed information on Western, Provincial, National and International scholarship and award opportunities is provided on the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) website.

Pictured are Friderike Spang, Mrs. Margot Barnard, and Atilla Ataner. Friderike and Atilla are past recipients of the Barnard Scholarship  In memory of Frederick Mechner Barnard who was a distinguished political theorist and intellectual historian at Western. The F.M. Barnard Scholarship Trust offers scholarships to graduate students in political philosophy, entering MA or PhD programs in either Political Science or Philosophy at Western. Recipients must propose to work under the supervision of a member of the Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy Research Group. 

Awarded annually, the Barnard Scholarships may be held during the first year of a student’s program. The awards are additional to the regular funding provided by departments.

No special application is needed: recipients will be selected from the applicant pool by a committee appointed by the Chairs of Political Science and Philosophy.

Visit the Moral, Political and Legal Philosophy Research Group for affiliated faculty members.

Pictured above are Friderike Spang, Mrs. Margot Barnard, and Atilla Ataner. Spang and Ataner are past recipients of the Barnard Scholarshi.

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in the PhD program in Political Science, based on demonstrated ability and interest in Quantitative Research Methodology. Preference will be given to students who have defended a dissertation proposal that includes quantitative research and who have successfully completed PS 9592. The Political Science Graduate Committee will select the recipient from nominations by faculty members (supervisors or course instructors) received at the end of the winter term in each year. Typically only one fellowship will be awarded each year but in exceptional years two strong candidates could both receive fellowships.

Value @ $5,000

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student who is in a doctoral program in the Faculty of Social Science, and based on academic achievement and research merit with preference given to students in Political Science, candidates will be PhD students whose thesis research focuses on promoting one or more of the following: women’s human rights, women’s equality, women’s empowerment, and women’s full participation in decision-making in at least one level of governance.

Through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Matching Policy, this $5,000 scholarship becomes part of the OGS total worth of $15,000.

Value @ $5,000  
Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in a Masters or PhD program in Political Science, based on academic achievement.  Preference will be given to a student in the first year of their program specializing in the history of political thought, contemporary political theory, or the intersection between political theory and another field of political science. The Political Science Graduate Awards Committee will select the recipient. At least one member of this committee must hold membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Exceptional PhD students may receive this scholarship twice; Masters students may receive it only once. This scholarship was established by the LaSelva family in memory of their parents, Clara and Angelo LaSelva.

Clara and Angelo LaSelva (of Castellion del Biferno, Italy and St. Catharines, Ontario) took great pride in the fact that several of their children and grandchildren attended Western.

Value 1 @ $10,000
Political Science PhD students are eligible to apply to the RTDF to support their research and professional development. Priority will be given to dissertation research-related expenses (e.g., conducting field work; buying a sample for an online survey; paying in-lab participants, acquiring software, books or specialized equipment, among others). Students may also request funds to cover for additional methods training (e.g., ICPSR, Essex or short courses) or academic conference attendance, although these requests will receive lower priority.

Faculty Awards

The Social Science Graduate Alumni scholarships recognize graduate student academic excellence combined with financial need in the Faculty of Social Science. Awarded to graduate students registered in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and enrolled in any graduate program in the Faculty of Social Sciences who can demonstrate financial need and are maintaining a minimum 78% average. Recipients will be selected by the Dean of Social Science upon consultation with the Department Chairs and committees within the Faculty of Social Science. Recipients must meet OSOTF eligibility requirements. Value: 4 at $3000 each

Students must meet the following :
1) Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or protected person and resident of Ontario for 12 consecutive months prior to the beginning of post-secondary studies.
2) Pass a needs criteria. This means that anyone HOLDING a major scholarship (i.e., from tri-council, OGS, Trudeau etc.) are not eligible.

Value $3,000 (varies from year to year)
Deadline: First Monday in May to the Graduate Administrator 

Application Materials:

  • Transcripts (Western academic record) (GPA of 78%+)
    CV/Resume
  • Signed statement of financial need (200 word max.)
  • Signed statement that the student meets OSOTF Ontario residency requirements (identify which of the three criteria is met)*
  • ONE letter of support – from the supervisor or equivalent
Departments will nominate their ONE top candidate to forward to the Dean.

For information on how to apply please visit the Social Science graduate student awards page.

The Faculty of Social Science Graduate Research Awards Fund (GRAF) is designed to support the costs of research undertaken by full-time graduate students enrolled in an approved graduate program leading to a research degree. Applicants must be engaged in doing research as part of their degree requirements to be eligible for a GRAF award. Students past their normal funding period are not eligible. Further details can be found here.

Value up to $750 (varies from year to year)
Deadline: Third Monday in March to the Graduate Administrator

For information on how to apply please visit the Social Science graduate student awards page.

 

External Awards

All students are encouraged to apply for a Tri-Agency Scholarship. See Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's and Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral. 

PhD students in particular are encouraged to apply for these scholarships, not merely because of the financial advantage but also because grant-writing is an essential part of academic training, and success in acquiring grants will be essential to finding employment in the highly competitive academic job market.
OGS awards are merit-based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of graduate study. The OGS program is jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and Ontario universities. See the Ontario Graduate Scholarships website on how to apply.

Successful applicants will win the following award:

  • $15,000 for one year (three consecutive terms)

The one-year award will start September 1, May 1, or January 1 based on the award holder's program start date.