Statement on University of Toronto Base Funding Increase
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) Base Funding Committee welcomes the announcement from the School of Graduate Studies regarding improved funding for PhD and SJD students at the University of Toronto. Over the past year, we have been engaged in conversations with the School of Graduate Studies regarding student funding levels and we are pleased that the Administration is acting to support graduate students, whose research and teaching help give the university its international reputation. This change represents the first major funding increase in decades for U of T’s approximately 5,000 PhD and SJD funded cohort, despite the drastic rise in costs of living in Toronto that have pushed a significant proportion of graduate students into housing and food insecurity.
This increase is the result of ongoing advocacy by and for graduate students across the university: within our departments and faculties, with the School of Graduate Studies, through collective bargaining, and through lobbying the federal government to increase national doctoral awards. If you attended a meeting, signed a petition, joined a rally, or discussed your funding situation with your fellow students and professors, you made this happen!
This announcement does, however, have shortcomings. Master’s students, who face the same cost of living pressures as PhD students, are not included in this improved funding policy. If the University of Toronto is serious about maintaining international rankings and competitive wages, funding for master’s students must increase as well. We are also concerned for students in professional programs who do not receive funding and who pay high tuition; as well as international students, who face uncertainty and financial precarity due to rapidly changing provincial and federal policy. Therefore, we call on the University Administration to not use this funding improvement as an excuse to increase already high student fees.
We look forward to continuing to work with the School of Graduate Studies, faculties, and departments to implement these changes and improve funding for all graduate students. Our priorities include:
- Ensuring the new funding structure does not unreasonably increase graduate students’ already substantial research and teaching workload.
- Establishing mechanisms for funding to keep pace with inflation and Toronto’s rising living costs.
- Advocating for provincial and federal governments to match this support through increased operating grants and research funding.
The work of the Base Funding Committee is not over, and we encourage all graduate students and community members to stay involved in the fight for a better and more just university. The UTGSU will be hosting a Base Funding Townhall on Thursday, November 26 from 5:30pm-8:30pm at Sid Smith 1071 (hybrid) to plan the next stages of the campaign.
Contact: Julian Nickel, Vice-President Academics 3 & 4, academics3and4@utgsu.ca
The UTGSU is the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union. Founded in 1964, the UTGSU represents more than 22,000 full-time and part-time graduate students at the University of Toronto St. George, Mississauga, Scarborough and Aerospace campuses.