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McGill.CA / Music / Ï㽶ÊÓƵ / Graduate Ï㽶ÊÓƵ

Funding your graduate studies in music

Financial aid for new students

We allocate a limited number of one-year and multi-year packages to the top-ranked applicants in Music. Rankings are based on auditions and/or research potential and expertise.

Start looking for external (non-McGill) funding early

Before you apply to a graduate program, look for multi-year external funding through government agencies, foundations, etc. You can often apply for external funding before beginning your studies.

  • If you don't have any funding, you should apply directly for government student aid.
  • Work-study opportunities are available if you are a full-time student who needs financial assistance.

We have a grant mentoring program each fall to help new and current music students apply for funding.

Internal (McGill) funding packages for new graduate students

How we allocate funding:

  • Our top-ranked students receive funding offers first, normally in the admission letter. We may also offer you funding in a second round (after you have received or accepted your admission offer).
  • If you secure external funding, we may reassess your McGill funding package so that we can offer financial aid to other students.

Funding amounts:

  • Doctoral student funding ranges from $15,000 to $90,000 (spread over 3 or 4 years).
  • Not all master's students receive internal funding. We may offer you $1,000 to $24,000 (spread over 2 years).

What's in internal (McGill) funding packages?

4 types of funding are offered to incoming music students:

  1. Music entrance fellowships/awards

    We automatically consider all applicants for entrance fellowships/awards. If we offer you this funding, it will be from a source such as: Max Stern Fellowship, Schulich Scholarships, Graduate Excellence Fellowships.

  2. Differential fee waivers (international students)

    We offer a limited number of one-year differential fee waivers (exemptions from the international tuition supplement) to international students.

  3. Research stipends

    Your new supervisor(s) may offer you a non-taxable award from a grant to support your academic training. This is called a research stipend.

  4. Graduate assistantships

    Research assistantships are paid from a professor's grant or contract. You receive an hourly wage to perform research-related work.

Other opportunities

See Student Resources for other work opportunities of interest to music graduate students.

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