Financial Support

All students admitted to the Botany Graduate Program are guaranteed a minimum level of financial support. Graduate student stipends are derived from a combination of Teaching Assistantships (TA), Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA), and scholarships.

All full-time students who begin PhD program in Botany starting September 2022 will be provided with a funding package of at least $29,093 for each of the first four years of their PhD. In addition to this stipend, PhD students will receive a tuition waiver for the first 4 years of their studies. To be considered for the tuition waiver, tuition must not be funded from other sources.

All full-time students who begin a MSc program in Botany starting September 2022 will be provided with a funding package of at least $31,092 for each of the first two years of their MSc. Please note that MSc students do not receive a tuition waiver.

All financial support is subject to satisfactory performance and annual review.

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During a graduate career in the Botany Department, most students have occasion to apply for scholarships and other sources of funding. Competition for these limited funds is intense and various criteria contribute to your overall ability to win these awards. The most important criteria are (i) academic excellence (based on grades and letters of reference) and (ii) research ability or potential (this means primary research articles published in good national or international journals, presentations at conferences etc.). The other criteria include (iii) your oral and written communication ability, and (iv) interpersonal and leadership abilities.

Teaching Assistantships (TA’s) / Research Assistantships (RA’s)

Students admitted to Graduate Studies in Botany who do not have a scholarship or fellowship are normally supported financially, subject to maintaining satisfactory academic standing and/or progress in research, by a graduate teaching assistantship plus a graduate research assistantship. In 2021/2022, a full TA stipend is $12,979.44 for GTA II TAs and $13,488.40 for GTA I TAs. The balance of a student’s stipend is generally made up as a Research Assistantship from the supervisor.

Foreign students are admitted on a student visa and are only permitted to receive payment for activities directly related to their graduate studies program such as the above mentioned scholarships and assistantships. A foreign student’s spouse may obtain a temporary work permit, provided the student is registered as a full-time graduate student. See also UBC International House.

For further information on UBC graduate awards, visit G+PS Awards.

Scholarships and Awards

PhD Tuition Waiver

Graduate Support Initiative funds are currently used to cover tuition fees for students in their first four years of their PhD program. To be considered, tuition must not be funded from other sources.

NSERC Scholarship (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council)

Please note that NSERC scholarships are only available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The NSERC website may be accessed at http://www.nserc.ca. Students who are eligible for NSERC funding MUST apply, so as to be eligible for other university funding. The doctoral competition occurs during September and the master’s competition during December of each year.  Please contact the Department of Botany for the departmental application deadlines.

Affiliated Fellowships

These are available to incoming students and registered full-time UBC graduate students. For more information, visit G+PS Affiliated Fellowships Doctoral Program and G+PS Affiliated Fellowship Master's Program.

Please note that students applying for NSERC will automatically be entered in the Affiliated Fellowships competition; students need only complete the NSERC application.

Affiliated Fellowships competitions run concurrently each year with NSERC competition.  Please contact the Department of Botany for the departmental application deadlines.

Four Year Fellowships

The department offers a small number of four year fellowships each year to outstanding first year domestic or international PhD students. There is no separate application form for the Four Year Fellowships; they are awarded based on the information in the application for admission to the program. Visit G+PS 4YF for further details.

JONATHAN PAGE FELLOWSHIP IN BOTANY

A one-year $25,000 fellowship has been made available annually through a gift from the Ngan Page Family Fund, a charitable fund established by Jonathan Page (B.Sc. 1991, Ph.D. 1998) for an outstanding graduate student in the Department of Botany. Preference will be given to a student whose research focuses on plant biochemistry or metabolism. Jonathan studied under the eminent UBC Botany Professor Neil Towers, which influenced his career path. He has focused his research on the biochemistry of medicinal plants and is internationally recognized for his work on the cannabis plant. Jonathan co-founded Anandia Labs, a leading cannabis science company that was acquired by Aurora Cannabis in 2018. The fellowship is made on the recommendation of the Department of Botany, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Please contact the Department of Botany for the application deadline.