Financial Support for Chemistry Graduate Students

The Department of Chemistry provides generous funding for qualified students, which is provided in the form of teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, and a fellowship from the School of Graduate Studies. Tuition at Memorial is among the lowest in Canada. For students beginning their studies in 2019, the minimum funding levels and associated tuition and fees are:

Memorial chemistry funding levels for graduate students from Newfoundland
  M.Sc Ph.D.
total funding $20,000 $22,000
tuition and fees $4,471 $4,275
net annual funding $15,529 $17,725

Memorial chemistry funding levels for Canadian graduate students from other provinces
  M.Sc Ph.D.
total funding $20,000 $22,000
tuition and fees $5,328 $5,073
net annual funding $14,672 $16,927

Memorial chemistry funding levels for international graduate students
  M.Sc Ph.D.
total funding $20,000 $22,000
tuition and fees $6,444 $6,108
net annual funding $13,556 $15,892

Housing costs in major Canadian cities.

All qualified graduate students will receive a $3,000 Dr. Liqin Chen Entrance Scholarship at the start of their program. Doctoral students are eligible to receive an additional $5,000 scholarship during their programs.

The cost to rent an apartment in St. John's is much lower than other cities in Canada, like Halifax, Toronto, or Vancouver. 

Medical Insurance

Students in other Canadian provinces can be required to spend more than $1,000 per year to purchase medical insurance, but all students at Memorial are provided free medical insurance through the provincial government. Additional insurance for prescription medicine and dental care is included in the standard graduate student fees.

Additional Scholarships

Eligible students are encouraged to apply for other appropriate awards, such as those listed below, which provide higher levels of funding:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Awards

Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan Announces Vanier Scholarship for Ernest Awoonor-WilliamsMany students in our department are funded through NSERC scholarships. NSERC is a research council funded by the federal government to support Canadian research. Students who are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants with one year residency may apply for NSERC scholarships while studying in the department. Students who receive an NSERC scholarship also receive a $5,000 Dean's Excellence Award.

Funding for students holding NSERC graduate scholarships in chemistry at Memorial
Scholarship NSERC Funding Dean's Excellence Total
CGS-M $17,500 $5,000 $22,500
PGS-D $21,000 $5,000 $26,000
CGS-D $35,000 $5,000 $40,000
Vanier $50,000 $5,000 $55,000

Chemistry NSERC Scholarship Recipients

Dr. Liqin Chen Scholarships in Chemistry

Dr. Liqin Chen completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at Memorial in 1993 under the supervision of Professor Laurie Thompson. Since that time, he has had an extraordinary career in chemical research and industry. In 2017, Dr. Chen committed to providing $100,000 per year in scholarships to graduate students in chemistry. Incoming full-time graduate students will receive a $3,000 entrance scholarships. Doctoral students can also receive an additional $5,000 scholarship during their program.

A.G. Hatcher Scholarships

Several graduate students in chemistry have received the prestigious A.G. Hatcher scholarship. This scholarship is available to both Canadian and international students. This $15,000 scholarship is awarded to graduate students each year on a competitive basis. Normally these scholarships can be held for one year only, and scholars are permitted to increase their total financial support by acting as teaching assistants (maximum of 16 hours/weeks). Eligible students are nominated by their supervisors. 

Chemistry A.G. Hatcher Scholarship Recipients

  • Jessica Besaw, 2014
  • Ernest Awoonor-Williams, 2015

Funds for Conference Travel

Presenting research at scientific conferences is an essential part of graduate studies. The Faculty of Science, School of Graduate Studies, student association, and Department of Chemistry all contribute funds to support our graduate students to travel as part of their studies. Our graduate students have presented their research at conferences in Canada, the United States, and Europe.