Graduate students are encouraged to apply for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) awards and Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). Only domestic students (citizens and permanent residents) are eligible for SSHRC awards.

For more information, please contact the TST Graduate Office (gcts.office@utoronto.ca). New applicants to TST who are applying to an eligible program for the following Fall are also encouraged to apply for an OGS and/or SSHRC scholarship. Please note that some new applicants who wish to apply for a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship may need apply directly through SSHRC, and not through TST – please see the SSHRC website. Deadlines for direct SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship applications can be later than those shown below.

The School of Graduate Studies' Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) centre offers courses and workshops each year on writing scholarship proposals.  More information, including registration information (conjoint students only), may be found at the GCAC website.

When applying, students MUST send a screen shot of their application confirmation to GCTS.Office@utoronto.ca prior to the deadline listed below.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

SSHRC offers doctoral and master’s fellowships, for which some TST domestic doctoral and master's students are eligible. Visa (international) students are not eligible. See the SSHRC website for more information and additional eligibility criteria. For questions or more information, please contact the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies.

SSHRC application deadlines:

Doctoral Fellowships: online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EDT), October 3, 2022.

Master's Awards (CGS-M): online applications must be completed by 8:00 pm (EST), December 1, 2022. Please see https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/canada-graduate-scholarships-cgs-m-program/#section_3 for important information on transcript requirements, as well as COVID-19 provisions.

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

Students in the ThM, ThD, conjoint PhD and conjoint MA programs may be eligible for Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). Students from outside of Canada on a student visa may also be eligible to apply. The OGS application and eligibility information is available each year via the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website.

OGS application deadlines:

Visa (international): online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EST), March 1, 2023 (application made online).

Domestic (citizens or permanent residents): online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EST), March 1, 2023 (application made online).

TST's Board of Trustees offers the following scholarships, bursaries and awards. The award amounts available each year fluctuate with the performance of the TST endowment. These scholarships, bursaries and awards are only available to current TST students, incoming students are not eligible.

IMPORTANT - Please read before applying:

• Application deadlines are noted below for each scholarship/bursary/award.
• Before applying, read the General Information for Applicants.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage and are identified by "SCHOLARSHIPS" in the title of the form. Do not use a form that is not labelled "SCHOLARSHIPS".
• The competition is open to currently registered TST students; incoming students are not eligible.

Please note: The scholarship application forms are fillable PDF forms. To complete a fillable PDF form, download the form, open the form with Adobe Reader, and complete all required fields on your computer. Print and physically sign the form (electronic signatures are not permitted) and then submit the form as a scan of the document or in hardcopy along with your other application documents. We strongly recommend that you do not complete fillable forms with your browser’s PDF plugin. Instead, download the form to your desktop, and then open the form from your desktop with Adobe.

Donald Cameron Memorial Award

This award, to honour the memory of Donald Cameron, who served TST for many years in a number of capacities including Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Development Committee, and with a deep commitment to the wider community, is to recognize excellence in projects planned and completed by students during their basic degree program, engaging them with the wider community beyond the Church.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a currently registered TST student in good standing in the final year of his or her basic degree program; or in the first year of a graduate degree program immediately following a basic degree program.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $3,800 - payable in during the summer 2023
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the impact that a project or activity has had within the wider community beyond the confines of the Church, and on what the student learned from the project or activity that will help his or her further ministry to enhance the relationship between the church and wider society. Examples of what a project might be include: organizing a community group, advocating for a local cause, facilitating an ecumenical or inter-faith group, or publishing a community newsletter. 
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

Gordon M. Farquharson Scholarship

This award, funded by a gift from the Ralph M. Barford Foundation, plus matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS), was established by the TST Board of Trustees in 2008 in honour of Gordon Farquharson. Mr. Farquharson has been a friend of TST since its founding. His contributions to TST were many and included providing legal counsel for TST’s incorporation.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a TST student currently registered in a research doctoral program (ThD or PhD) who is a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $13,800 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2023 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, and demonstrated financial need. 
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

Margaret E. Fleck Scholarship

This award, funded by a gift from the Ralph M. Barford Foundation, along with matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS) and from the University of Toronto, was established by the TST Board of Trustees in 2006 in honour of the Reverend Margaret Fleck, a divinity graduate of Trinity College and former member of the TST Board of Trustees.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a graduate degree student currently registered at TST who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $16,300 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2023 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively to the broader community, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

C. Douglas Jay Scholarship

This award was established by the Board of Trustees in 1981 in honour of the founding Director of TST, Professor C. Douglas Jay, and has been made possible thanks to contributions made by the Douglas and Ruth Jay Family Foundation, and most recently, a bequest from the Estate of C. Douglas Jay.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a graduate degree student currently registered at TST, studying in the area of Christian social ethics, philosophical theology, philosophy of religion, or psychology of religion, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $26,800 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2023 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study and the quality of the research proposal, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

Order of St. Lazarus Bursary

This award was established in 1994 through a gift from the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. An additional gift generously made by the Order has been supplemented by matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS).

• Eligibility: The bursary is available to a currently registered TST graduate degree student working in the area of ecumenism who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $2,200 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2023 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, the significance of the student’s work in ecumenism, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

OSOTF Bursary Assistance for PhD, ThD and DMin Students

Bursary money from the portion of the Toronto School of Theology’s endowment fund under the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF) program is available to help currently registered PhD, ThD and DMin students in need of financial assistance. 

• Eligibility: The bursary is available to a student who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $4,350 (may divided into multiple bursaries) - payable during the summer 2023
• Selection Criteria: Will be awarded based on demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

Marjorie Watson Powles Award

This award was established by the TST Board in 2002 in honour of Marjorie Watson Powles, and is awarded to a student serving the Church who exemplifies a creative, positive vision for the role of women in the Church and society.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a student currently registered at TST in a basic or graduate degree program.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $2,400 - payable during the summer 2023
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the applicant’s active engagement in community and congregational life with strong feminist perspective and transformative vision, and demonstrated academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA).
• Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 5, 4:00 pm ET.
• Please ensure you read "SCHOLARSHIPS-General Information for Applicants 2023" available at the bottom of this webpage and here.
• The required application forms are available at the bottom of this webpage.
• More information about this award is available here.

The Allan L. Beattie Assistantship

The Assistant to the Editors of the Toronto Journal of Theology (TJT) works with the book review editors, General Editor, reviewers, University of Toronto Press, and Toronto School of Theology (TST) staff to administer the book review process and provide general editorial support. TJT publishes two issues a year, each including 15-20 book reviews, as well as the occasional special issue (supplement). 

• Eligibility: The assistantship is available to a TST student registered in a research doctoral program (ThD or PhD) who has completed comprehensive examinations and fulfills OTSS eligibility (is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or Protected Person, is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need). 
• Selection Criteria: Position applications will be judged on the basis of motivation, relevance of qualifications, applicability of this opportunity to the applicant’s chosen program of study and planned career path, and financial need.
• Application Deadline: Applications for this position are now closed.

Michael Steinhauser Scholarship

Funded by donations from benefactors in recognition of the many years of exemplary service by Prof. Michael Steinhauser as TST's Advanced Degree Director.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a currently registered TST graduate degree student with the highest academic achievement in the first year of studies in his or her graduate degree program. The student must have been enrolled and have completed a minimum of two courses in each of the fall and winter trimesters, and must have achieved the highest cumulative grade-point average of all first year graduate students.
• Selection Criteria: The scholarship is awarded on the recommendation of the Associate Director of Graduate Programs. No application is required.

Doctor of Ministry Bursaries

Two awards are made each year to DMin students thanks to funds established by the Estate of Charles Gundy and the J.T. Weir Memorial Fund.

• 2023 Amounts Available: J.T. Weir Memorial Fund, $2,200; Estate of Charles Gundy Fund, $3,000 - payable in during the summer 2023
• Selection Criteria: Both awards are completely open without restrictions on financial need or place of residence. The J.T. Weir Memorial Fund award will be awarded based on academic excellence, and the Estate of Charles Gundy Fund award will be awarded for best results in the DMin comprehensive. Both awards will be announced when granted.

Bill Lord Bursary in Continuing Education

A few small bursaries are available each year for persons taking continuing education courses at TST or one of its colleges.

• Selection Criteria: Applicants are asked to demonstrate financial need and to indicate the connection between the course for which they are seeking funding and their ministry.
• 2023 Amount to be Awarded: $1,700 (may divided into multiple bursaries) - payable as awarded
• Application Deadline: Please check back for information on the 2023 bursary application deadlines.

GCTS Conference Award

The Graduate Centre for Theological Studies (GCTS) Conference Award is given to a full-time Canadian conjoint degree graduate (advanced degree) student who meets the requirements for OSOTF (Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund) funding; who requires support for scholarly engagement in an academic conference; and, has exhibited excellence in their studies by maintaining first-class standing and satisfactory progress in their program. The award is designated solely to support participation in scholarly conferences (for example, the AAR/SBL or Canadian Congress of the Humanities, among others).

Deadline for applications for Winter - Summer 2023 awards: Friday, March 31, 2023, 12 noon (EDT)

For eligibility information and application instructions, please see the GCTS Conference Award flyer. The application form is available HERE.

TGSA Conference Award

The Theology Graduate Students' Association (TGSA) Conference Award is awarded to a graduate (advanced degree) student who has not opted-out of the TGSA travel grant awards fee; requires support for scholarly engagement in an academic conference; and, has exhibited excellence in their studies by maintaining first-class standing and satisfactory progress in their program. The awards are designated solely to support participation in scholarly conferences (for example, the AAR/SBL or Canadian Congress of the Humanities, among others).

Deadline for applications for Winter - Summer 2023 awards: Friday, March 31, 2023, 12 noon (EDT)

For eligibility information and application instructions, please see the TGSA Conference Award flyer. The application form is available HERE.