Funding/Scholarships

Awarded annually to a graduate student in History, based on academic achievement. The recipient will be selected by the Scholarship Committee in History, of which at least one representative holds membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This award was established with a generous gift from Mr. Henry Szot.

Value: 1 at $4,500

Awarded to students who self-identify as Black or a racialized person of colour or are Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) entering any Department of History M.A. (any field or curriculum option), or Ph.D. programs in the Department of History. This award recognizes the academic achievement, research ability, and lived experience of the student. A committee in the Department of History will select recipients. At least one representative of the committee must hold membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Value: 2 at $5,000, awarded annually

This award was set up from a gift from the estate of Kenneth W. Hilborn to reward student excellence. Hilborn taught courses in History and International Relations from 1961 to 1997. In 2022, Western sought permission from the court to remove Hilborn’s name from the existing scholarships in response to criticism that his research supported racist, far-right views. To acknowledge and respond to the harmful impact of his published work, this award supports a diverse and inclusive graduate student community.

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student who is pursuing an MA or Ph.D. degree in history, based on academic achievement and outstanding research potential. Preference will be given to a student specializing in American, Canadian, or Canadian-American history. No application is necessary; the Graduate Committee will consider all eligible candidates. This scholarship was established with Foundation Western by Dr. Allan G. Bogue (BA'43 History, MA'46, Honorary Doctor of Laws '73) in honour of his mother, Eleta Britton.

Value: $5,300

Awarded to graduate students in the Doctoral Program in History, based on academic achievement and research merit. Preference will be given to candidates with dissertations that address the history of race/racism, as well as other forms of inequity, and/or to students who self-identify as Black or a racialized person of colour, or are Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis). A committee in the Department of History will select recipients. At least one representative of the committee must hold membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

This award was set up from a gift from the estate of Kenneth W. Hilborn to reward student excellence. Hilborn taught courses in History and International Relations from 1961 to 1997. To acknowledge and respond to the harmful impact of his published work, the selection committee will give priority to dissertations that address the history of race/racism, as well as other forms of inequity, and/or to students who self-identify as Black or a racialized person of colour, or are Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis). 

Value: 2 at $6,250

Awarded to graduate students in Public History conducting an approved internship as part of their requirements for the degree. Preference will be given to candidates whose internship engages with the history of race/racism or other forms of discrimination and/or which will enhance their understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusivity in Public History. Preference is also extended to students in an unpaid international internship. 

This internship was set up from a gift from the estate of Kenneth W. Hilborn to reward student excellence. Hilborn taught courses in History and International Relations from 1961 to 1997. To acknowledge and respond to the harmful impact of his published work, preference will be given to students whose internship engages with the history of race/racism or other forms of discrimination and/or which will enhance their understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusivity in Public History. Preference is also extended to students in an unpaid international internship.

Value: 2 at $5,000

Awarded to undergraduate or graduate students in the Department of History to support their research and travel costs, based on academic achievement and research merit. This award is open to all students in the History Department and all research projects. A committee in the Department of History will select recipients. At least one representative of the committee must hold membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. 

This award was set up from a gift from the estate of Kenneth W. Hilborn to reward student excellence. Hilborn taught courses in History and International Relations from 1961 to 1997. To acknowledge and respond to the harmful impact of his published work, this award encourages students to engage with historical topics related to race/racism and other kinds of inequity and to support a diverse and inclusive student community.

Value: Awarded annually, $8,000, number and value of awards vary depending on applications received. 

Awarded annually to full-time Masters and Doctoral students in a Graduate Program in History (minimum A average).  Preference will be given to Doctoral students.  No application is required.  The Graduate Awards Committee in History will select the recipients each March. This endowment was established through an Estate gift from Miss Ivie Cornish.  Miss Cornish was a prominent and well-known primary school teacher in London who died in 1956.  

Value: 2 at $3,000

Awarded annually to a graduate student with a minimum “A” average who is studying Canadian history. Preference shall normally be given to Ph.D. students. No application is necessary; the Graduate Committee will consider all eligible candidates.

Value: $2,500

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in History, based on academic achievement and the submission of an application including information regarding a past or proposed internship or experiential or training opportunity that will enhance the student's program of study. The internship, experiential or training opportunity will typically last between 4-14 weeks and this award will defray costs associated with it. The recipient will be selected by the Scholarship Committee in the Department of History of which at least one representative holds membership in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This award was established through the Estate of John D. Wilson.

Value: 1 at $4,000

Awarded annually to a full-time graduate student in history or incoming applicant with a minimum 78% average and a demonstrated interest in Canadian studies. Continuing graduate students in Canadian history are eligible, as well as applicants for admission who indicate a primary interest in Canadian history and whose applications are complete by 15 March of each year. Ph.D. candidates have priority, but MA candidates are also eligible. The recipient will be selected by the Faculty of Social Science on the recommendation of the Chair of the Department of History in consultation with the Graduate Committee. No application is necessary; the Graduate Committee will consider all eligible candidates. This fellowship was established by Mrs. Rose Lynne Scott through Foundation Western to encourage studies in the area of Canadian History.

Value: $2,700

Awarded annually to a graduate student in the Faculty of Social Science working in the field of local history within Southwestern Ontario. This scholarship is endowed by the estate of Lloyd C.A. Hodgins.

Value: $1,700

Awarded annually to a graduate student in either the Department of Anthropology or History based on research merit, academic achievement, and demonstrated financial need. Applications are available through the graduate committee in the Departments of Anthropology (odd fiscal years) and History (even fiscal years). A committee with representation from the Department of Anthropology or the Department of History, and at least one representative who is a current member of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, will select the recipient. This award was established with a generous gift from Mr. Zenon P. Andrusyszyn M.S.M, and Dr. Mary-Anne Andrusyszyn (MScN 1986).  The award recognizes the research contributions of the History and Anthropology departments through their study of people and events over time, thus, promoting understanding of the human experience. 

Value: 1 at $1,000

The Faculty of Social Science Graduate Research Awards Fund (GRAF) is designed to support the costs of research undertaken by full-time graduate students enrolled in an approved graduate program leading to aresearch degree. Applicants must be engaged in doing research as part of their degree requirements to be eligible for a GRAF award. Students past their normal funding period are not eligible. Funds may be requested to help offset the costs of field (including travel), lab, archival (or similar) research.  Priority will be given to:

research proposals involving primary data collection;
PhD students;
those not holding external awards and;
those who have not previously held the GRAF or the Graduate Thesis Research Award (GTRA). 

Support for conferences is the lowest priority for this fund. 
Expense claims must be accompanied by original receipts.  General guidelines for eligible expenses should follow the TriCouncil Guidelines https://www.uwo.ca/research/policies.html

Students apply to the Department and must submit the completed form to historyawards@uwo.ca  by:  Monday, March 18, 2024

Value: $750

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (VCGS) program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both superior leadership skills and an outstanding record of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and/or humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health. International and domestic candidates are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier CGS.  Please visit the SGPS Vanier webpage to learn more about the award.

Faculty of Social Science (FSS) Process
The internal FSS deadline allows a round of review by at least two faculty who have mentored award winning applications for their own students in the past.  

Eligibility:
Candidates are nominated by the Faculty by reviewing scholarsheets. The scholarsheets are web forms circulated by SGPS. Vanier eligibility criteria.

The Social Science Graduate Alumni scholarships recognize graduate student academic excellence combined with financial need in the Faculty of Social Science. 

Eligibility:
Any student enrolled in a graduate program in the Faculty of Social Science
Meet OSOTF Ontario residency requirements*
Demonstration of need (e.g., not currently holding major awards)
Application Materials

Transcripts (Western academic record) (GPA of 78%+)
CV/Resume
Signed statement of financial need (200 word max.)
Signed statement that the student meets OSOTF Ontario residency requirements (identify which of the three criteria is met)*
ONE letter of support – from the supervisor or equivalent – commenting on both academic strength and financial supports available through the program and supervisor.

Value: 4 at $3,000

The Governor General’s Gold Medal recognizes the highest level of academic achievement in graduate studies in Canada and is one of the most prestigious awards that a graduate student can receive. The Gold Medal is not associated with any monetary award and is accompanied by a certificate inscribed with the recipient’s name. 

Western University annually awards three (3) Gold Medals to outstanding graduate students who will have completed their Master’s (thesis only) or Doctoral degree program.  Only the most meritorious candidates should be put forward to the Faculty Committees. The nomination files undergo a two-tier adjudication involving an initial review and ranking by the Faculty Committee, and a final review and selection by the SGPS Executive Committee. Full detail on the process and responsibilities are found here on the SGPS Funding Opportunities website.

The SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR doctoral applications follow a staged review process according to the following timeline:

August 1 : Applications open
October 1: Application deadline (before 8:00pm (EST)
October 2 - November 20: Faculties adjudicate applications
November 21: SGPS submits applications to Tri-agency
April: Notice of decisions

For more details see: https://grad.uwo.ca/finances/external_funding/index.html 

The income of this fund will be used to support graduate students in the Department of History who are travelling for purposes of research or participation in academic conferences. The Chair and Graduate Chair in the Department of History will consider applications and disburse funding for approved requests until the annual amount available is spent. 

This fund provides financial support for doctoral candidates in research areas such as:

1. American defence policy in the era of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, particularly relating to the outbreak of WWII;
2. Defence and foreign policy in the presidency of John F. Kennedy, focussing on Vietnam;
3. American culture and society in reaction to national trauma: Pearl Harbor and 9-11; and
4. Bilateral relations between Canada and the United States from Ogdensburg to NAFTA: Prime Ministers and Presidents.

The fund will help finance expenses related to research travel and collaboration, travel to conferences, delivery of papers, publications, and purchase of resources. Grants from the fund will vary in value according to specific needs, and will be administered by the Graduate Chair in the Department of History. 

This is intended to reimburse students for research expenses.  Graduate students may apply to request funds to reimburse expenses related to graduate research, including but not limited to: conference expenses, research/archival travel, or to pay a local to conduct research for you in an archive you cannot travel to (due to expense or travel restrictions).