Preamble

The stipend is intended to help graduate students pay for their basic living expenses when registered full-time in the MSc or PhD in Epidemiology and Applied Health Research. The stipend is not a salary and is derived from a combination of funds from the supervisor's grants or contracts and external scholarships. For students receiving an Admission scholarship or Merit scholarship, the stipend is part II of the scholarship as described in the admission offer.

This stipend policy applies to MSc and PhD programs. The Masters in Public Health is not eligible for stipend support.

General information

Full-time status

All graduate students are covered by the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation C-1.2. In accordance with this regulation, students are expected to devote the majority of their time to their studies. Students are eligible for the holidays and vacation time outlined in policy 110.

Minimum stipend 

Thesis supervisors supervising students in the aforementioned programs are responsible for providing full-time graduate students under their supervision with a minimum stipend.

The minimum stipend may come from a combination of:

• External scholarships from governmental or charitable organizations valued at more than $3000
• Endowment funds scholarships valued at more than $3000
• Funding provided by a thesis supervisor’s grants or contracts, which may include a research assistantship whereby the student participates in non-thesis research activities.

There is flexibility in the source of the funds, how they are paid to the student, and the expectations for the student to receive the funds. These details must be agreed upon in advance by the supervisor and student and conveyed in a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The MOU must clarify that it is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure the availability of funds for the student to the minimum stipend amount. The MOU should also include the following:

• The specific timing over which the funding will be provided to the student;
• Changes to the amount and timing of funding if the student ends their MSc program early (e.g., complete the program, leave the program, or fast-track to PhD); and
• Conditions to receive the funding (e.g., maintaining good standing in the program).

If the student changes their primary supervisor during the program, this change should include a formal agreement among the student, current supervisor, and new supervisor to ensure that the student receives at least the minimum stipend.

The minimum stipend funding does not include:

• Part I of the Admission scholarships and Merit scholarships awarded upon admission to the program.
• Scholarships of a value less than $3000
• Travel awards
• Prizes

Stipend payments begin concurrently with the first enrolment in the program and continue for a minimum of one year for MSc students, and four years for PhD students. In the event of unsatisfactory progress in the research program (defined as two unsatisfactory ratings on either the annual progress report or thesis advisory committee report), the student may be asked to withdraw from the program. In this case, the supervisor has the right to terminate financial support.

Minimum stipend (effective as of Fall 2025)

If a student earns an external scholarship(s) with a value of less than the minimum stipend, the supervisor must provide a stipend to ensure funding to the minimum stipend value listed in the above table.

Illness and leaves of absence

In the case where a student requires long-term medical leave, previously agreed upon stipend payments must continue for a maximum of four weeks. During approved leaves of absence (parental leave, illness, compassionate grounds), stipend support is not guaranteed. Failure to meet the definition of full-time studies described herein can lead to unsatisfactory progress and termination of the minimum stipend.

Expectations and obligations

1. Each student will receive the minimum stipend
2. Each thesis supervisor must confirm that funding is available to support new graduate students.
3. In the event that a supervisor cannot ensure minimum stipends for currently enrolled graduate students, they must inform the Department Chair associated with their University of Ottawa appointment immediately.
4. In the event that the minimum stipend is revised (see section on Review of Minimum Stipends), the supervisor is required to update future stipend contracts for incoming students to reflect any increases (effective for students starting the program in Fall 2023 or later).
5. Failure of a thesis supervisor to provide the minimum stipend will result in notification to the Dean, resulting in possible restriction of supervisory privileges.
6. While research institutes may have their own policies regarding student funding, they must meet these minimum requirements.
7. Students receiving a scholarship or endowment fund must carbon copy (cc) their supervisor when accepting the award, to ensure the supervisor is aware of the terms and conditions associated with the funding.

Review of minimum stipends

Procedures

1. Each program, led by the Program Director will review the minimum stipend on an annual basis. This process will include consultation with learners (via survey and/or meetings) as well as consideration of the cost of living, economic pressures, scholarship availability and the research funding landscape.
2. In the event that an increase is deemed necessary, program directors will consult with their respective professorships to discuss and vote.
3. Following a vote at the program-level, the policy will be presented for final approval at the FGMSC.

Preamble

*This policy applies to the CTM general stream and all concentrations with the exception of Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) and Interdisciplinary Social Studies in Medicine (ISSiM).

The stipend is intended to help graduate students in thesis programs pay for their basic living expenses when registered full-time in a graduate program at the Faculty of Medicine. The stipend is not a salary and is derived from a combination of funds from the thesis supervisor grants and external scholarships.

This stipend policy applies to MSc with thesis programs and PhD programs in the Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine (minimum 4 years for a PhD, 2 years for a MSc), except Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) and Interdisciplinary Social Studies in Medicine (ISSiM).

The MSc with research project in all fields and part-time studies in any program are not eligible for stipend support.

General Information

Full-time status

All graduate students are covered by the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation C-1.2. The programs covered by this policy define full-time graduate studies as being enrolled full-time, being geographically proximate to and regularly present on campus and devoting a minimum of 40 hours per week to thesis-related research work primarily during regular working hours.

Minimum stipend

Thesis supervisors supervising students in the aforementioned programs are responsible for providing full-time graduate students under their supervision with a minimum stipend.

The minimum base funding is a combination of:

• External scholarships from governmental or charitable organizations valued at more than $3000
• Endowment fund derived scholarships valued at more than $3000
• Stipend funding provided by the supervisor.

The minimum base funding does not include:

• Admission scholarships and Merit scholarships awarded upon admission to the program.
• Scholarships of a value less than $3000
• Teaching assistantships
• Travel awards
• Prizes

The minimum stipend must be available for students to be allowed to join the thesis supervisor’s lab/research group. Stipend payments begin concurrently with the first enrolment in the program and continue for the duration of your studies. If the student’s progress has been judged satisfactory in all previous progress reports, then support should be provided for the duration of the research and appropriate time for writing the thesis; if not, any further support can be negotiated between the student and the supervisor and reported to the Program Director for final approval. In the event of unsatisfactory progress in the research program, the student may be asked to withdraw from the program. In this case, the supervisor has the right to terminate financial support.

Minimum Stipend

If a student earns an external scholarship(s) with a value of less than the minimum stipend, the supervisor must provide a stipend to ensure funding to the minimum stipend value funding.

Please note that part-time studies are not supported by a minimum stipend.

Minimum stipends are subject to periodic review by programs. See Review of Minimum Stipends below.

Illness and leaves of absence

In the case where a student requires long-term medical leave, the stipend payments must continue for a maximum of four weeks. During longer approved leaves of absence (parental leave, illness, compassionate grounds), stipend support is not guaranteed. Failure to meet the definition of full-time studies described herein can lead to unsatisfactory progress and termination of the minimum stipend.

Expectations and obligations

1. Each student will receive the minimum stipend in the concentrations covered by this policy, with certain exceptions.
2. Each thesis supervisor must confirm that funding is available to support new graduate students, or request an exemption to the CTM Managing Committee. See Exemption Section below.
3. In the event that a supervisor cannot ensure minimum stipends for currently enrolled graduate students, they must inform the Program Directors immediately.
4. In the event that the minimum stipend is revised (see section on Review of Minimum Stipends), the supervisor is required to update existing stipend contracts to reflect any increases.
5. Failure of a thesis supervisor to provide the minimum stipend will result in notification of the Dean, resulting in possible restriction of supervisory privileges.
6. While research institutes may have their own policies regarding student funding, they must meet these minimum requirements.

Review of minimum stipends

Procedures

1. Each program, led by the Program Director will review the minimum stipend on an annual basis. This process will include consultation with learners (via survey and/or meetings) as well as consideration of the cost of living, economic pressures, scholarship availability and the research funding landscape.
2. In the event that an increase is deemed necessary, program directors will consult with the CTM program respective professorships to discuss and vote (majority passes).
3. Following a vote at the program-level, the policy will be presented for final approval at the CTM Managing Committee.

Exemption from the Minimum Stipend Policy

In specific cases, students might request to forgo the minimum stipend due to having an alternative funding source, such as a salary greater than the minimum stipend (for example medical doctors). In such cases, both the student and supervisor are required to seek an exception to the stipend policy. To obtain approval, they must submit the following information to the CTM managing committee:

• Confirmation that the student possesses a funding source equivalent to, or surpassing, the minimum stipulated amount for the program’s duration;
• Declaration that the student is voluntarily opting out of the aforementioned minimum stipend policy; and
• Acknowledgment by the student that the opt-out remains in effect throughout their studies or for a defined period.