Awards Adjustments

Background

The Faculty of Social Science (FSS) at Western University is dedicated to recognizing and rewarding excellence. We achieve this by ensuring that recipients of major external awards also benefit from substantial financial support provided by FSS through their respective department or program[1]). 

It's important to note that these funds serve as "top-ups." This means that we do not fully offset Faculty funding, as is the practice at some other institutions. Typically, students who receive external awards still have a larger overall financial package compared to those without awards.

This approach might be seen as "adjustments," where award recipients receive a reduced amount from the Faculty in comparison to what they would receive without an external award. However, in the grand scheme, this ensures that the savings are reallocated to support other graduate students. Notably, students enrolled in the Faculty of Social Science at Western University consistently enjoy some of the highest financial support among their peers at U15 research intensive universities.

Whose awards will be adjusted?

Students within the Faculty of Social Science who are recipients of any of the following awards will experience a reduction in their funding package:

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
Ontario Trillium Scholarship - Doctoral NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship - Doctoral
Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Ontario Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral
Canada Graduate Scholarship - Masters Ontario Graduate Scholarship - Masters
Any other major award of similar value to any of the above

What will be my award adjustment?

Typically, students who secure major awards will notice a decrease in their Faculty-provided funding that is related to the size of their award. The underlying principle is that as the value of external awards increases, the support from the Faculty (e.g., WGRS, GTA) decreases. This reallocation of funds aims to benefit other graduate students within the Faculty of Social Science in diverse ways.

To gain a precise understanding of how your individual funding package will be affected, we recommend arranging a meeting with the Graduate Chair or Graduate Administrator of your respective program or department. They will provide you with specific information tailored to your situation.

 


[1] Faculty of Social Science (FSS) provides the funds that go to students: WGRS, GTA, Dean’s Scholarships and Grad Chair’s Scholarships.  These FSS funds are distributed through the departments/programs.