Financial Information

Funding Overview
Fees
Health Benefits
Payroll Information
Tax Information and Documentation
Maintain Interest-Free OSAP
Maternity Leave Fund

Funding Overview

All graduate students in the funded cohort who are in good academic standing in the Department of Chemistry are supported at an annual level of at least $20,000 plus tuition and incidental fees. The stipend usually includes three components: teaching assistantship, research stipend and fellowships/bursaries/awards/scholarships. For students with external scholarships, however, the level of support is higher. International students in the funded cohort receive a tuition scholarship to cover the difference between domestic and international fees.  International students outside the funded cohort will have to cover their full international fees.  For students outside the funded cohort, the annual level of support is up to $15,500 plus tuition/incidental fees. This is the minimum annual amount of funding specified by Faculty of Arts & Science to funded cohort students. Second year Master's students will receive a monthly pay equivalent to a funded cohort student up to 17th month of their registration.

The stipend rates for 2011-2012 are as follows:

• $28,041* - base stipend for students within the funded cohort
• $23,541* - base stipend for students outside the funded cohort
• Up to $30,117 - holders of Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, RAP, CIHR
• Up to $30, 600 - holders of NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS/CGS M, PGS-D)
• $35,000 - holders of NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (CGS-D)
• $50,000 - holders of NSERC Vanier

All scholarships, awards, fellowships and some bursaries are considered part of the funding package. The supervisor may match a portion of the award at his or her discretion.   Whenever awarded a scholarship or fellowship, please inform the Graduate Office and your supervisor immediately.

Funded cohort is defined as the following: Year 1 of MSc; years 1 to 4 of PhD: and up to year 5 of Ph.D. for direct-entry Doctoral students.

*Rates may vary depending on campus affiliation.  Incidental fee at UTM is generally higher than STG and UTSC is generally lower than STG.

Summary of funding packages:

Funded cohort student with no major scholarship

• Regular UT Fellowship valued at $6500. Two installments of $2000 at the beginning of the fall and winter terms and another $2500 payable in May for the summer session.
• Research assistantship (pro-rated on a monthly basis)
• Teaching Assistantship for 200 hours/year towards the funding package
  

Funded cohort student with a Teaching Reduction Award

• Regular UT Fellowship valued at $6500. Two instalments of $2000 at the beginning of the fall and winter terms and another $2500 payable in May for the summer session.
• Teaching Reduction UT Fellowship valued at $5000. Two instalments of $2500 at the beginning of the fall and winter terms.
• Research assistantship (pro-rated on a monthly basis)
• Teaching Assistantship for a maximum of 100 hours towards the funding package

Holders of OGS or OGSST

• OGS or OGSST scholarship. Equal instalments at the beginning of every session.
• Regular UT Fellowship is valued at $1500. Equal instalments at the beginning of every session. Students outside the funded cohort are ineligible.
• Research assistantship (pro-rated on a monthly basis)
• Teaching Assistantship for 50 hours/year (optional) towards the funding package

Holders of NSERC

• NSERC scholarship. Three equal instalments at the beginning of every session.
• Regular UT Fellowship is valued at $2500. Equal instalments at the beginning of every session. Students outside the funded cohort are ineligible.
• Research assistantship (pro-rated on a monthly basis)
• Teaching Assistantship for 50 hours/year (optional) towards the funding package

Non-funded cohort students with no major scholarship

• Research assistantship (pro-rated on a monthly basis)
• Teaching Assistantship for 50-210 hours/year towards the funding package
• RA will be adjusted accordingly based on TAship.
  

Rates are subject to change based on fees and sources of funding.

Please note the following:

1) Monthly research assistantship will be lower from May to August if additional UTF is  
issued by the university for the summer session.  RA amount will be adjusted in accordance to the additional UT Fellowship amount.

2) Monthly pay every session will vary depending on the TA assignment.  Payments are based according to tenure of the contract.  For example:  100 hour contract for the fall session (Sep-Dec) = 25 hours/month x the TA hourly rate (less legal and union deductions).

3)  A student will be receiving only Research Assistantship (RA) from May to August plus any applicable award instalments if a student has fulfilled the teaching component of their funding package. 

4)  All award instalments after October will go towards outstanding fees first (eg. UT fellowship in January), even if you have arranged for your fees to be deferred.

5) A student who turns down a TA position forgoes that portion of the funding package.

6) A supervisor may stop RA payments if a student is deemed to be unproductive in the lab.

7) A supervisor may reduce Research Assistantship if a student is teaching more than the recommended TA hours and less time in the lab in the case where it is affecting their research progress and degree completion.

Fees

Students pay their own tuition and incidental fees from their stipend. The current tuition fee and refund schedules are available at www.fees.utoronto.ca. Students either pay in person through their bank with a printout invoice from ROSI or via online banking. The student account number is posted on the invoice viewable on ROSI under Financial Accounts. Please contact info.studentsaccounts@utorontol.ca for enquiries about your fees invoice.

• Students may arrange to pay fees until April 30 without incurring any service charges. Please fill out the Request to Register without Payment PDF Form and submit to Chemistry Graduate Office by the end of August. It is recommended that students pay at least a monthly instalment from September to April to avoid future arrears.
• Scholarship instalments are applied against any outstanding balance beginning in October.
• Fees for final year PhD students are pro-rated on a monthly basis. Monthly fee schedules are available at Fees Department.
• International students in the Chemistry Department are only required to pay the amount equal to domestic fees. A tuition scholarship will be applied directly to your account at the beginning of the fall and winter sessions.

Health Benefits

MSc and PhD students are automatically enrolled in the Dental Plan and Health Plan through Green Shield Canada. It is paid as part of yourGraduate Student Union fee.  To opt out from this benefit and for more information, please visit the Graduate Student Union.

Teaching assistants receive a $500 dental rebate with a teaching appointment of 50 hours or more within the academic year.  In addition, the University provides a $300 Health Care Spending Account through Green Shield Canada that you can use for any medical expenses,including additional dental expenses, vision care, and prescription drugs.  For more information, please visit CUPE3902. 

In addition to health beneifts administered by the Graduate Student Union and benefits acquired from teaching, international students' incidental fees include a University Health Insurance Plan. Students with dependents are also covered.

Payroll Information

Graduate students must submit the following documentation to the Chemistry Graduate Office in advance of receiving TA or RA payment:

• Personnel/Payroll Form (PDF)
• TD1 Federal Personal Tax Credits Return Form
• TD1 Ontario Personal Tax Credits Return Form
• Voided Personal Cheque or Deposit Slip

Graduate students receive TA and RA payments on a monthly basis. Payday is the 28th of each month, or the closest Friday if the 28th falls on a weekend. Access to the payroll system usually closes by mid-month for the processing of monthly pays. Therefore, documentation should be submitted by the 12th in order to guarantee payment for the current month (e.g., by March 12 to receive pay on March 28).

Monthly payroll statements are now available online. 

StudentsmustupdatetheChemistryGraduateOfficeviae-mailof any address changes to ensure receipt of their tax documentations. Modifications on ROSI will not update contact information on the payroll system.

Tax Information and Documentation

All income is taxable income including pay from teaching assistantship (T4). Taxes are deducted from a student's gross pay at the time of compensation. Taxes are not taken off from scholarships and research assistantship (T4A). However, they must be claimed when filing the income tax return. For more information about taxes on scholarships, please refer to Canada Revenue Agency.

For tax purposes,students receive one T4(from teachingassistantship), if applicable and two T4As (from research stipend, fellowship, grant, bursary and scholarship). Address on both the ROSI and payroll systems must be up-to-date to ensure receipt of the tax documents. Copies of monthly paystubs, T4s and T4As from research assistantship can be obtained from Payroll Services. T4As from scholarships can be obtained from the Students Accounts Office.

Tuition certificates are issued by the Student Accounts Office and only include payments made within that income tax year.

Maintain Interest-Free OSAP

Students who need to maintain an interest-free OSAP must bring their forms to School of Graduate Studies at 63 St. George Street. Graduate departments are unable to process your forms.

Back to top

Maternity Leave Fund

The Department of Chemistry has implemented a pregnancy leave policy to support female graduate students during late-stage pregnancy and care of a newborn. Our goal is to proactively provide support to enhancing the idea that having children is compatible with pursuing an academic career.

Female students will be financially supported for a period of 8-weeks from funds provided by the respective supervisor, Department of Chemistry, and the Faculty of Arts & Science. The amount will be equivalent to 2 months of support at the Chemistry stipend rate (currently $19k per annum) and will commence no earlier than two weeks before the due date.

Pregnant students are encouraged, well in advance, to discuss timing with their supervisor and the graduate office in order to make appropriate arrangements with respect to their research, TA, and course-work.

Pregnancy leaves will continue to be governed by the School of Graduate Studies policy on leaves of absence. Periods of leave are not counted as time toward degree. Students are to fill out the SGS Leave Request Form and submit it to Chemistry's graduate coordinator. Once on leave, students would pay no fees. SGS views leaves as normally commencing and ending on the beginning and end of a term. When a pregnancy leave is to start or end in the middle of a term, then Chemistry, at the behest of the Student, will contact the Director of Students Services in SGS to make special arrangements with respect to fees.

Students who are a members of CUPE 3902 Unit 1, which currently has pregnancy leave provisions that provide a period of time in which regular monthly installments are continued (or another bargaining unit that provides paid pregnancy leave where the student's salary is ordinarily considered to be part of the funding package) will be provided with the difference between payments under the collective agreement and the Chemistry stipend rate for the 8-weeks. Students who hold NSERC or CIHR fellowships, which have paid parental leave policies, will be supported under the respective fellowship guidelines.

Implemented by Prof. Scott Mabury, Chair (January 12, 2007)

Back to top