Scholarships Awarded by the Department
The Department normally awards a certain number of annual scholarships based on a combination of academic performance and financial need. No application is required, but since the majority of the awards involve the use of OSOTF funds, recipients must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and must be Ontario residents at the time the award is made; they must fill out a form demonstrating financial need. There is also a modest amount of unencumbered funding available for awards to visa students. Changes in the amounts available in the Departmental funds from year to year, as well as possible revisions to criteria according to which Departmental awards will be distributed, necessarily produce variations.
In an effort to foster greater diversity and inclusion, the department also offers scholarships to students who identify as Black or Indigenous.
French Graduate Excellence Awards
Awarded to two incoming MA students and two first year Ph.D. students, on the basis of academic merit, and two Ph.D. students in their second to fifth year, on the basis of their academic progress and research activities. Value: May vary from year to year; normally from $500 to $1000
French Graduate Research Grant (4 in total, annually)
Awarded twice a year (in November and May) to two Master’s or doctoral students to help them financially with their research projects. A 
Research Grant Application (PDF) must be submitted by either May 15th or November 15th at the latest. Each student is entitled to one research grant annually. Grant holders must submit their supportive documents (receipts, etc.) and a report at the end of their research project. Value: $1,000.
Augustine Fitzgerald Fellowship
The income from the Augustine Fitzgerald Fund provides a scholarship awarded annually to a Canadian-born, English-speaking graduate student, whose native tongue is not French, for further study of or research in the French language or French literature. Application not required. Value: annual income
Department of French Graduate Scholarships
Awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Science, on the recommendation of the Department of French, to graduate students with outstanding achievements entering particular areas of research in a Ph.D. program. Financial need may also be considered. Eligible students are drawn from the Department of French. Application not required. Value: annual income (OTSS)
Doctoral Completion Award (DCA)
The aim of the Doctoral Completion Award (DCA) is to support PhD students who are beyond the funded cohort and within time-limit for degree. Details are available in the Graduate Department of French.
Doctoral Thesis Prize in French
This prize is awarded annually to the doctoral candidate who submits the best Ph.D. thesis in the Graduate Department of French. Value: approximately $250.
Katie Keeler French Language Fellowships
Awarded to a student pursuing a program of study related to the French language. Financial need and academic merit are considered. Application not required. Value: annual income
Renee Neveren Lyons Scholarship in French
Awarded to a graduate student in the Department of French. Academic merit and financial need are considered. Eligible students are selected from the Department of French. Application not required. Value: annual income (GSEF)
Ruben Cheng and Pui Yuk Cheng Graduate Scholarship in the Humanities
Awarded to a Humanities graduate student in the Department of French. Academic merit and financial need are considered. Eligible students are selected from the Department of French. Application not required. Value: Annual income (GSEF)
Scace Graduate Fellowship in French
Awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Science on the basis of financial need and academic excellence to students enrolled in full-time graduate studies in the Department of French. The award may be held for a maximum of four years, but is limited to a maximum of two years at the master's level. Application not required, Value: annual income (OSOTF)
Trenwith and Galipeau French Linguistics Fellowship
Awarded to a graduate student studying French linguistics. Academic merit is the primary criterion. Financial need may also be considered. Eligible students are selected from the Department of French. Application not required. Value: annual income.
Research grants for doctoral students offered outside the Department
Every year, the Centre for the Study of France and the Francophone World (CEFMF) offers 2-3 $2,000 grants to doctoral students whose work examines some aspect of France or the Francophone world. The grants are intended to support travel costs to libraries, archives, or other repositories in France or other francophone countries. These grants can be held in conjunction with other funding. Eligibility is restricted to students enrolled in a Ph.D. program, in any discipline, at the University of Toronto. For more information, please contact Rebecca Blanchard, Assistant to the Director.
Fellowships/Scholarships
The following is a summary of the major fellowships and scholarships available. Additional information can be found in the section on fellowships in the SGS Calendar, or by consulting the Fellowships & Loans Office of the School of Graduate Studies, 63 St. George Street.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowships (SSHRC). To be eligible students must be full-time and have an average of at least A-. Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Details are available in September at the Graduate Department of French. The deadline for receipt of completed applications for 2022-2023 will be October 15, 2021.
Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). To be eligible students must be full-time and have an average of at least A-. Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. A limited number of scholarships are available for visa students. For 2022-2023, details will be available early in the new year in the Graduate Department of French. The deadline for receipt of completed applications will be March 1st, 2022.
Loans and Bursaries
- Emergency Loan
To assist fulltime students to meet financial problems. Full information about emergency loans is available from the School of Graduate Studies. - Emergency Grant
The intent of the Emergency Grant Program is to assist currently registered, full-time, graduate students beyond their first year of studies who generally are not part of the funded cohort, and who encounter an unanticipated serious financial emergency. It is not considered to be a source of routine or long-term funding. - Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
You can find information about OSAP via U of T Enrolment Services, 172 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R 0A3 (416-978-2190).