Grants and Writing Resources for the University of Toronto

Two U of T students were among the 11 Canadians elected Rhodes Scholars for 2026, U of T News reported in November 2025. One, a fourth-year Trinity College student double majoring in cognitive science and philosophy, will go to Oxford for graduate study in comparative social policy and applied digital health. The other is a second-year medical student who plans a PhD in surgical sciences there and a return to U of T in 2029 to finish the MD.

Where Undergraduates Present

Students in the Faculty of Arts & Science's ROP and REP research programs show their projects at the Undergraduate Research Poster Fair, held twice a year. Presenting is an expected part of the course. At U of T Scarborough, the UTSC Library and the Office of the Vice-Principal Research and Innovation sponsor the UTSC Undergraduate Research & Creative Forum each April. Any UTSC undergraduate, in any major and at any level, may submit an abstract for review once a faculty supervisor or instructor agrees to support the presentation.

Scarborough students can also apply to the Conference and Research Travel Fund for up to $2,500 toward off-campus travel for research, graduate school preparation or community-engaged learning. Applicants need full-time standing and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.

Prizes and Student Journals

U of T Libraries gives the Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize for research undergraduates do in their coursework. In 2020 U of T News described it as six prizes of $1,000 a year, open to undergraduates from all campuses and disciplines, with the winning papers placed in TSpace, the research repository the Libraries established. The 2026 round again named six winners.

Student editors get help from the Libraries too. A journal directory lists student-led journals published at U of T in the last five years, and every year the Libraries host a Student Journal Forum that showcases the publishing work of campus journals. Since 1991 Hart House has published the Hart House Review, a literary and art magazine of new writing and visual art by emerging and established creators. Each year it releases a Supplement and a full-length Review, printed at Coach House Press.

Graduate Fellowships and Grants

Each year the School of Graduate Studies makes 50 new University Doctoral Excellence Awards of $10,000 available. They go to PhD and SJD candidates within the time limit for the degree whose work consistently exceeds the benchmarks of their discipline, and each academic division runs its selection. The Doctoral Completion Award, created in 2010, helps full-time PhD and SJD students who have moved past their funded cohort. The graduate unit sets its value.

Master's and doctoral students presenting thesis research at a peer-reviewed academic conference can apply for an SGS Conference Grant, which pays the minimum registration fee. A student may receive up to three per degree: one for an in-person conference and up to two for virtual ones. Two C. David Naylor University Fellowships of $30,000 go each year to incoming graduate students who hold a degree from an Atlantic Canadian university and have strong ties to the region. For doctoral students who want to bring their research to public audiences, the Connaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship Program pays $12,500 for one year.

Writing Centres

Arts & Science students book with the writing centre of the college where they are registered: Innis, New, St. Michael's, Trinity, University College, Victoria or Woodsworth. Work for a college program course can go to that college's centre. Philosophy students have a Philosophy Writing Centre that holds sessions online, and multilingual students can use the Faculty's English Language Learning program.

The Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) serves graduate students, native and non-native speakers of English alike, and all of its programs are free. Its Writing Centre holds 40-minute consultations online or in person. Consultants help writers plan and revise, and they teach students to edit their writing. For thesis writers, SGS also lists writing groups of ten graduate students led by a learning strategist and a graduate mentor from the Centre for Learning Strategy Support.

Thesis Rules and Outside Editing

The SGS formatting rules call for type of at least 10 points, at least one-and-a-half spacing in the main text and a double-spaced abstract. The abstract may run to 350 words for a doctoral thesis and 150 for a master's. SGS recommends its Word or LaTeX template.

Once the supervisor, or the convenor of the examination subcommittee, confirms in writing that the thesis is in final form, the student submits the PDF through ProQuest's ETD Administrator for SGS review. ProQuest makes an archival copy for Library and Archives Canada, and the Library uploads theses to TSpace. Publication by the University is a requirement of the degree. An embargo is an exception, requested on a form the graduate unit Chair signs.

SGS sets out its position on hired editors in its thesis writing support guidance. A student may use an external copy editor with a strong rationale and the prior approval of the supervisor or supervisors and the supervisory committee. The editor may not change the intellectual content of the thesis. The student identifies the editor's contributions in the thesis document, and the committee may ask for copies from before and after editing. SGS also refers students, supervisors and editors to the Editors Canada guidelines for the ethical editing of graduate student texts.

After a supervisor and supervisory committee approve outside editing, our editors can give a U of T thesis a final copy edit for grammar, consistency and format that leaves its intellectual content as the student wrote it. See our University of Toronto dissertation and thesis editing and University of Toronto essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• Managing the Committee: Depersonalizing Critique
• ESL Academic Writing: Overcoming Common Grammar Habits