Funding and Finances

Graduate student funding is provided in accordance with the Department of Archaeology PhD Minimum Funding Policy, The Department of Archaeology Award Adjudication Policy (Handbook Appendix E, undergoing revisions for Fall 2024), and GGR 1.17 (active Fall 2024).

If you are not a major scholarship holder (e.g., SSHRC, CIHR, etc), financial support is generally provided through a combination of the following sources:

Teaching Assistantship/Tutor Marker Postions (TA/TM)
Support from Research Grants (Research Assistant, Research Support, Graduate Scholarship)
Graduate Fellowships (GF)

Scholarships and Awards

We encourage students to apply for both internal and external scholarships and awards. The Graduate Studies (GS) website is your go-to resource for Scholarships and Awards. If you have any questions about the Department's internal deadlines or requirements for scholarship applications, please contact the Graduate Program Assistant.

DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS

Graduate Travel and Research Award (TARA)
Graduate Fellowships (GF)
President's PhD Scholarship

Departmental awards will be offered as the budget allows. When they are offered, students who do not have a minimum funding guarantee will be prioritized according to the previous award policy. Some students who are promised a GF will be awarded a CTEF GF - these awards are treated as equivalent by Archaeology.

The Department usually holds one or two Travel and Research Award (TARA) competitions per year.

Although we base our awards priority on the policy in the Graduate Handbook, we do recommend that you apply for as many awards as you can, whether you are sure you are eligible or not. Our priority list is just that - a priority list - and we have awarded students that are in between our requirements and the award Terms of Reference if we have additional funds or awards available to us.

DONOR AWARDS

Over the years, generous donors have instituted awards specific to students in Archaeology. Donor awards are adjudicated by the Department of Archaeology, the Dean of Environment, and GS. The donor awards terms of reference, as well as other internal awards, are listed on the Archaeology page at GS. Applications generally open in May. All students, including incoming students, may apply for these Donor awards.

EXTERNAL AWARDS

We recommend that students apply for Tri-Agency, SSHRC or NSERC, Vanier, and Trudeau scholarships every year that they are eligible. Graduate Studies (GS) has detailed and up-to-date information about the application deadlines and requirements on their website.

GS has also compiled a non-exhaustive list of other outside sources of funding.

Applying for Awards

Apply for internal and donor-funded awards through GA3. Please ensure you login to GA3 and update your user profile. All uploads should be clearly labelled with the year and term of upload, so your Graduate Assistant knows which ones to use if you are nominated for any awards.

Award payment policies, including payment dates for the upcoming semester, are posted on the Graduate Studies Awards + Funding page.

Teaching Assistant and Sessional Instructor Postings

You can find more information about our TSSU positions here. Graduate students are able to apply for any TA or Sessional position at SFU, not just the ones available in Archaeology. Most new graduate students are guaranteed a TAship in their first year. Please be sure to apply for the positions to ensure you receive your full funding amount.

WORK-STUDY AND BURSARIES

All graduate students can apply for Workstudy and Bursaries at SFU. Please see the dates and application instructions on the Financial Aid and Awards website.

Budget Calculator

SFU Graduate Studies has a budget calculator available on their website. It's very important to consider the cost of living in Vancouver. Connect with the Archaeology Graduate Student Caucus, and see if any of your fellow graduate students are looking for roommates, or to find out more about what it's like living in Vancouver.

Department of Archaeology