Funding and Tuition

Guaranteed minimum income

The Department of Geography offers a yearly guaranteed minimum income (GMI) to all eligible new graduate students. Income comes from a combination of some or all of the following sources: entrance awards and fellowships, supervisor commitment (awards or employment), and Specialist Instructor (TA) employment. Exact yearly amounts of GMI are calculated according to a student's official entrance GPA.

 Domestic Students
  • Master's GMI: $15,500 - $19,500 per year for the first 2 years
  • PhD GMI: $16,500 - $20,500 per year for the first 3 years
International Students
  • International students will receive a slightly higher GMI to offset the higher international tuition fees.
Eligibility for GMI

Graduate students should withdraw themselves from consideration for GMI if they are financially independent (able to support themselves and any dependents) by notifying the Department upon acceptance. All other new graduate students are considered for GMI.

Tuition and costs

For information on approximate tuition expenses, please consult the UVic tuition fee estimator. Please be advised that the University of Victoria does not offer tuition waivers to graduate students. Tuition and other fees must be paid each September, January, and May until the completion of your degree. For more information, see the Tuition and Costs webpage.

For information on approximate living expenses, please consult the Work BC Cost of Living Calculator and our Information about life in Victoria page.

Additional income opportunities

Graduate Donor Awards

Numerous Donor Awards are available to incoming graduate students. Students must apply in September to the Graduate Program Assistant for consideration. Some awards are thematically based, while others are assigned based on GPA. A full list of awards and dollar amounts will be provided in September of each academic year.

There are two categories of awards available:

  • Geography Donor Awards (ranging from $50 to $2500) and
  • University Donor Awards (available to several departments, ranging from $375 to $8500).

Award amounts are approximate and subject to change. Contact the  for more info.

Additional Specialist Instructor employment

Opportunities may be available for additional Specialist Instructor employment. The number of positions available will vary from term to term and are subject to competition. Opportunities will be circulated to all graduate students as they arise.

Co-op employment

Graduate students seeking additional income should consider applying to the Geography co-operative education program. More information on graduate co-op employment can be found on the Graduate Co-op webpage.

Other income sources

Your supervisor may offer additional funding in the form of a scholarship or research assistantship, and may also cover your research expenses from their research grants.

In many cases, students also work closely with supervisors to secure additional external funding, such as Canada Tri-Council Funding (NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR).

Emergency Funding

Life happens... let us help you.

Through Student Awards and Financial Aid, UVic has an emergency loan fund which provides short term assistance to students experiencing an unanticipated and urgent financial crisis.