All graduate students in the Department of Biochemistry receive guaranteed funding as outlined in the Faculty of Medicine Harmonized Base Funding Agreement, which is structured as a living allowance plus tuition and incidental fees. The base funding agreement is reviewed on an annual basis in order to determine the living allowance. Students can choose to have stipends paid by direct bank deposit or a mailed cheque.
NOTE: Students who are defending may or may not be registered for a full academic year. Please refer to our Departmental Policy regarding funding for students who are defending a MSc or PhD.
Stipends 2024-2025
Trainee study area in the Mars2 tower
There are TWO different tuition amounts for MSc students.
$9,001.53 for those starting September 2024
$8,841.53 for those who started in 2023 or prior.
The living allowance is the same for all MSc students, however, the MSc domestic stipend for new students starting this year will be slightly different than returning students.
M.Sc. Students
Domestic new Students (starting September 2024) :$38,236.71
$29,235.18 living allowance (base funding) plus tuition and incidental fee’s ($9,001.53 )
Domestic returning students (started 2023 or prior): $38,076.71
$29,235.18 living allowance (base funding) plus tuition and incidental fee’s ($8,841.53)
Ph.D. and Direct-entry PhD Students
Domestic Students: $40,616.71
$32,265.18 living allowance (base funding) plus tuition and incidental fee’s ($8,351.53)
International Students: $41,372.71
$32,265.18 living allowance (base funding) plus domestic rate tuition and incidental fee’s ($8351.53) AND UHIP ($756.00)
For full details click here for the current Faculty of Medicine Harmonized Base Funding Agreement
In the 2024 – 2025 Faculty of Medicine Harmonized Base Funding Agreement, all awards that require student applications are eligible for a top-up. (List of Awards Eligible for Top-Up)
The top-up amounts are as follows:
| AWARD AMOUNT | TOP-UP* |
| $0.00 to $2,000 | There will be no top-up but the student gets to keep the award(s), up to a combined maximum of $2,000. The amount of the award will not be deducted from the base funding. |
| Between $2,001 to $9,999 (cumulative awards) | Award goes towards the base funding and the student receives a $2,000 top-up over their base funding. |
| Between $10,000 to $15,000 (cumulative awards) | Award goes towards the base funding and the student receives a $3,000 top-up over their base funding. |
| Over $15,000 (cumulative awards $15,001 and up) | Award goes towards the base funding and student receives a $4,000 top-up over their base funding. |
- Within an academic year (or 12 months period), the total cumulative top-up maximum is $4,000. That is, if a student holds an award of $5,000 and another award of $17,500, their total top-up is $4,000
- The top-up is only provided in amounts of $2,000, $3,000 or $4,000 per year (does not exceed 12 months) and is added above the base funding amount
- A Student, who receives award(s) exceeding the amount equivalent to the base funding and maximum top-up of $4,000, will not be eligible to receive a top-up for these award(s)
- Payment of top-ups will occur annually for the duration of the award. Thereafter, the student will revert back to the appropriate base graduate student funding package amount
- Top-up eligibility excludes University of Toronto Fellowship (e.g. UTF Open), Doctoral Completion Awards, travel awards, and bursaries
Departmental Funding Policy for students defending
Students who receive Permission to Write shall continue to receive funding provided that they defend within the specified timelines as follows:
MSc Students: The student will have a maximum of four months from the permission-to-write date to defend the thesis; this includes three months for writing the thesis, obtaining approval from the supervisor and committee members via the “Thesis Approval” and “Exam Request Forms” and one month for scheduling of the exam.
PhD Students: A student will have a maximum of 6 months between receiving permission to write the thesis and the date of the Ph.D. Oral Examination. This includes three months to write the thesis, one month to revise and obtain approval from the supervisor and committee members via “Thesis Approval” and “Exam Request Forms” and two months for the exam to be scheduled.
Funding breakdown (living allowance + tuition)
Living allowance: The living allowance will continue to be paid up to and including the month the defence is held.
Tuition: for MSc and PhD programs tuition is based on the date the final thesis is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies. Note that the thesis submission can only be done AFTER the defence and as such students should allow sufficient time for these corrections to be made and approved (1-2 weeks minimum for minor corrections).
MSc students: Final year fees are calculated by term (Fall / Winter). There are two deadlines that will determine how much tuition a student will need to pay.
To avoid paying tuition for the Fall – the final thesis must be submitted to SGS by or before the SGS deadline – typically this is end of September / Early October.
To avoid paying tuition for the Winter session – the final thesis must be submitted to SGS by or before the SGS deadline – typically this is end of late January.
MSc thesis submitted AFTER the Winter session deadline will be charged for the Full year of tuition (which students must pay in full by the end of April to avoid paying interest charges)
PhD students: Final year fee’s are pro-rated on a monthly basis and are determined by the submission date of the thesis. The deadline is the 15th of the month.
No tuition: Submission of the final thesis by September 15th
After September 15th, the total tuition will be calculated monthly So for example, a student who submits their thesis between Sept. 16 – Oct. 15th will be charged 1 month, Oct. 16 – Nov. 15 charged 2 months etc. The actual monthly total will be posted on the Student Account website.
NOTE: the fee’s for students (MSc and PhD) on a program extension will be different as they will reflect the reduced tuition of extension students. These will also be listed on the Student Account website.