The Department of Physics at Simon Fraser University guarantees funding to all incoming graduate students. The overall graduate stipend for the current academic year (2024-2025) is:
MSc Students: $27,540 per annum
PhD Students: $30,090 per annum
These annual stipends are guaranteed for two years to entering MSc students, four years to entering PhD students, and five years (from the point of graduate admission) to students who transfer from the MSc to the PhD program. Student stipends include contributions from scholarships, teaching assistantships (TAs), and research funding. The guarantee is subject to satisfactory degree progress and TA performance.
Note: For 2025-2026, new minimum funding levels are:
MSc Students: $30,540 per annum
PhD Students: $35,600 per annum (inclusive of NSERC CREATE and PhD Research Scholarship)
For 2025-2026 NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship holders, the funding levels are:
MSc Students: $36,540 per annum
PhD students: $48,600 per annum
Please note students are responsible for paying tuition and fees from their stipend.
Typical Annual Funding - MSc Students
Funding Source
Year 1
Year 2
Teaching or Graduate Research Stipend (TA/GRS)
$21,540
$27,540
Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship
$6,000
$0
Total
$27,540
$27,540
Awards may be subject to factors such as satisfactory program performance, and entering with and maintaining a CGPA of 3.50 or above.
MSc major award holders, such as the NSERC CGS-M, will be topped up to $31,540.
Typical Stipend Scenarios - PhD
Funding Source
Years 1 - 4
Years 1 - 4
Teaching or Graduate Research Stipend (TA/GRS)
$26,590
$26,590
Graduate Fellowship
$3,500
$3,500
PhD Research Scholarship
n/a
$5,400
Total
$30,090
$35,490
Students eligible for the PhD research scholarship will recieve an additional $5,400 between years 1 - 4. All new and current PhD students are eligible for this, as long as they meet the conditions outlined in the Terms of Refence.
Awards may be subject to factors such as satisfactory program performance, and entering with and maintaining a CGPA of 3.00 or above. Students thus eligible for the Graduate Fellowship portion of this funding may recieve it in partial amounts over multiple semesters, in an effort to balance student stipend levels throughout the academic year. For more information and basic eligibility, please visithttps://www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/awards-funding/internal-donor-funded/phys.html#grad-fellowship
Please refer to the funding policy document below.
Graduate Tuition and Fees
Students must pay tuition fees every semester. International students pay the same rate as domestic students. Total annual costs for the first year of a graduate research program including extended health care coverage break down as follows (note that tuition and fees are subject to change, for the most up-to-date information please consult SFU's Academic Calendar):
*Note that tuition fees decrease by 50% for MSc students after six semesters and for PhD students after eight semesters. MSc students who transfer into the PhD program will receive this tuition reduction eight semesters after entering the MSc program. Thus, the continuing tuition fee is $1,053.72 per term.
In the first term of your program the following additional fees may be applied:
