Funding for Graduate Students
The opportunities for financial aid and assistance are different depending on your program and whether you are:
IMPORTANT: Funding for the MA in Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL)
The School of Linguistics and Language Studies understands the financial commitment required to pursue a graduate degree, and while internal funding is not available for the MA TEAL, many external funding opportunities exist for competitive candidates. The MA TEAL is not eligible for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M) or the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS).
The Carleton Graduate Students website lists numerous possible sources of external funding. Other sources can be found at StudentAwards.com and ScholarshipsCanada.com.
Many private financial institutions offer financing options (with particular rates and payment plans) to full-time students. Please contact a representative of your preferred financial institution for more information.
Incoming Students
If you are entering a graduate program in Linguistics or Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies and have a high academic standing, you can receive financial aid in the form of merit scholarships and teaching assistantships. These funds are awarded by Graduate Studies based primarily on prior academic performance, and are not available for students entering a qualifying year program or for part time students.
There is no separate application for admissions funding as you will automatically be considered for teaching assistantships and scholarships once your application is submitted, unless you indicate on your application that you do not wish to be considered. Your funding package, if offered, will be detailed within your offer of admission on Carleton Central.
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Admissions Merit Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to incoming students either in combination with TAships, or on their own. Recommendations for these scholarships are made by the department based on academic performance of a previous degree and are available for top quality students.
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Teaching Assistantships (TAships) provide students with employment at the university for an average of 10 hours a week during academic terms. TAs support instructors in delivering their courses, usually in the form of grading, proctoring examinations, holding office hours, and running tutorial sessions. Where possible, students are assigned based on their academic backgrounds and interests.
If offered, MA students receive TAships for 2 years (over fall and winter terms for a maximum of four terms) and PhD students receive TAships for 5 years (over fall and winter terms for a maximum of 10 terms). Partial TAships, averaging 5 hours a week rather than 10, are sometimes offered.
Current Students
Current first- and upper-year students, in addition to potential funding included in their offer of admission, can apply for internal scholarships and bursaries from Carleton and submit applications to external funding competitions.
Internal Funding Opportunities
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Graduate Studies provides funds to assist students in financial need who require assistance to present their research. The fund may cover a portion of the cost related to travel to attend a scholarly conference/seminar/workshop at which the graduate student is presenting a paper, poster, or participating in a panel discussion.
Applications are considered on a case-by-case and first-come-first served basis. Students are restricted to one application and one conference per academic year/cycle (May-April). However, if funds are available, a second application may be considered within the same year/cycle.
Internal award information, including Graduate Student Travel/Research Bursary information can be found here.
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Donor-funded awards are financial awards valued from several hundred dollars to a maximum of $20,000 and are provided by an individual or organization to Carleton. They are administered by Carleton and are awarded based on academic merit, financial need and/or specific research areas. Students apply online through Carleton Central under Awards and Financial Assistance, Graduate Online Application Forms (please only use the term filter, no other filters should be applied when searching). Unless stated otherwise, you must be registered full-time in the term in which the award is to be held in order to be eligible. The application deadline is typically in the beginning of October.
Further information, including a list of awards and deadlines, can be found here.
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Awarded annually by the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Linguistics and Language Studies (SLaLS) to full-time graduate students enrolled in a Master’s or Doctoral program in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies (ALDS). Eligible recipients will demonstrate academic excellence. Established in 2019 in memory of Dr. Lynne Young to honour her contributions to SLaLS and her community.
Applications open in the Winter term each year. For further information, including the deadline and application process, please email the Graduate Programs Administrator.
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The Carleton Graduate Students’ Association offer a number of awards and grants for graduate students who are in financial need. For further information, visit their webpage or email grants@gsacarleton.ca.
External Funding Opportunities
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The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program provides merit-based scholarships to recognize academic excellence in all disciplines of academic studies at the master’s and doctoral level. The OGS is valued at $15,000 for one year: $5,000 per term up to a maximum of three (3) terms and must be held for a minimum of two (2) consecutive terms.
More information about the OGS, including eligibility criteria and application deadlines, can be found here.
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The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M) aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity. The CGRS M is valued at $27,000 over 12 months. Further information, including eligibility criteria, application details, and deadlines, can be found here.
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The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D) aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.
The CRGS D is valued at $40,000 per year for 36 months. Further information, including eligibility criteria, application details, and deadlines, can be found here.
Additional external awards information can be found here.