Fees and Financial Support

Fees

The tuition fees at McGill are regulated by the Québec Provincial Government. They are set at a rather low level relative to other North American universities.

The Department of Physics currently provides tuition fee subsidies to out-of-province Canadian PhD and MSc students and International PhD and MSc students as needed so that these students pay the same amount for tuition as a Quebec resident.

In summary, all graduate students in physics pay the same tuition amount and miscellaneous fees, while health insurance may differ from student to student. The table below shows the annual fees payable for the 2024-2025 academic year. The most up-to-date information on fees may be obtained from "https://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-charges/fallwinter-term-tuition-and-fees/graduate-fees.

Financial Support

In addition to tuition fee assistance outlined above for out-of-province and international students, financial support for every graduate student consists of a stipend, a Teaching Assistantship (TA) if eligible, and any external scholarships/awards.

Stipend

For the 2024-2025 academic year, non-scholarship students will receive a stipend of $26,010, contingent upon satisfactory progress toward the degree, within the normal time frame for its completion. Students holding an external award or scholarship that is less than $26,010 will receive a stipend such that the total of the scholarship and the stipend is $26,010.

Scholarships, Awards and Top-Ups

All students holding a scholarship/award of a value less than $40,000 per year receive an award top-up bonus, in addition to the stipend described above. Holders of NSERC and FRQNT scholarships with a value of less than $30,000 per year receive an award top-up bonus of $6,500. Holders of other scholarships and awards will receive an award top-up bonus equivalent to 20% of the value of their awards, up to a maximum total amount of award plus top-up of $40,000. Top-up bonus for holders of scholarships and fellowships of a value greater than $40,000 is left at the discretion of the supervisor.

If the scholarship or fellowship includes an amount to cover the extra tuition fees paid by international students, that amount will first be subtracted before calculating the top-up.

TA-ship

Graduate students may apply for TAships of approximately $5,945 totalling 180 TA hours over the course of the academic year. The conditions of TAships are governed by a collective agreement, and graduate students are considered to be in a ‘priority pool’ for the first two years of their MSc program, and the first five years of their PhD program. TAships are not compulsory, and while the department typically is able to offer TAships to all priority pool students, this cannot be guaranteed.

Example Funding Scenarios

Pay schedule

There are currently two pay schedules. TA support is paid in every two weeks while all others are paid twice a month. Note that the total amount you receive in a month varies during the year. For example, TA support is paid from September 1st to April 30th, whereas other support such as stipend or fellowships is paid throughout the year, leading to a smaller amount in the summer months. Other variations in the amount of the pay cheque (up to a few hundred dollars) can occur at other times in the school year.

Please note that graduate students will receive a stipend only while registered in the program.

Some Available Scholarships and Fellowships

There is a wide range of scholarships/fellowships available for excellent students.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents are encouraged to apply for NSERC scholarships and those who are residents of Québec should also compete for FRQNT scholarships. The annual award amounts are currently:

There are also scholarships available for international students. For a comprehensive list, please visit the McGill international funding webpage. The Department has also other fellowships and scholarships available to new and continuing students.

For further information, consult the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website or contact our graduate program coordinator.

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