Finances

Master of Public Policy students may be eligible for financial aid through Simon Fraser University. You can read more about the eligibility criteria, application processes, and various forms of aid available on the University’s Student Services Financial Aid and Awards website.

Graduate Bursaries are awarded each semester and are issued on a need-based system. Students are required to submit an application for each semester in which they are interested in receiving funding. The application deadlines are normally six to eight weeks before the semester begins. For more information and application procedures go to graduate bursaries webpage.

SFU offers extensive financial support for Indigenous peoples of Canada.  We will nominate all qualified Indigenous applicants for Indigenous Graduate Awards. 

Canadian citizens and permanent residents may apply for funding through the student loan programs. Please visit www.bcsap.bc.ca for details on the application procedures for BC residents. 

The School distributes Graduate Fellowship Awards annually on the basis of academic achievement and excellence. Graduate Fellowships may be awarded to both incoming and returning students with cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs) of 3.5 or higher. The final amount awarded to select students is variable and at the discretion of the School of Public Policy. 

The School also has a number of donor awards which are offered to the strongest applicants and returning students, including the Andrew Petter Graduate Scholarship in Public Policy, Maureen Maloney and Andrew Petter Fellowship in Public Policy, and the Master’s in Public Policy Scholarship. You can find the full list here.

Scholarships worth $17,500 are available and competitively awarded to Master’s students through the Canada Graduate Scholarship program funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Canada Institutes of Health Research. The School’s internal deadline is typically mid-Fall and our program offers tailored advice on applications.

TARA awards are intended to provide financial support to travel and expenses relating to the research component of student’s graduate degree. Students can apply for TARA awards where this is necessary to conduct data collection for research or present research findings at a conference. The TARA program is administered through the SFU Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies office drawing on School of Public Policy funding and the competition is adjudicated by the School’s Director and faculty.

In addition to need-based and merit-based internal funding awarded by the University and School, Master of Public Policy students are eligible and encouraged to apply for external awards from foundations, research councils, governments, and other organizations. You can find an overview of opportunities here.