Scholarships and Bursaries

Scholarships, bursaries and financial aid are offered directly by the college of registration of the student, with the exception of some scholarships that are offered through the Toronto School of Theology's Board of Trustees. The TST Board offers a number of scholarships which are open for application to TST students across the federation. Aside from the TST Board scholarships and the OGS and SSHRC competitions, inquiries and applications for financial assistance should be directed to your college of registration.

For advanced degree students, application forms for financial aid are separate from the application for admission and are available directly from your college of application. The registrar or advanced degree director of your school may also be aware of scholarships and bursaries available through other organizations. Some organizations provide various kinds of funding of theological education. We have listed such programs known to TST at the bottom of this page. For additional sources of financial aid, see the University of Toronto Financial Aid Website.

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and Social Sciences and Research Council Fellowships (SSHRC)

Advanced degree students are encouraged to apply for Ontario Graduate Scholarships and Social Sciences and Research Council Fellowships.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program

Students in the ThM or ThD programs are eligible for the OGS. Students from outside of Canada on a student visa may be eligible to apply.

TST students submit their SSHRC applications to the TST Advanced Degree Office. The internal deadline is normally in the beginning of October for doctoral SSHRC, and the master’s SSHRC deadline is normally in November. The exact deadline will be announced annually. For questions or more information, please email: tstadv.degree @ utoronto.ca.

Applicants to TST who are applying to an eligible program (ThD and ThM for the OGS; M.A., ThD and PhD for SSHRC) are also encouraged to apply for an OGS and/or SSHRC scholarship. Please see the OGS and SSHRC websites for details on how to apply prior to admission into a program.

TST Board Scholarships

In addition the TST offers the following scholarships and bursaries. The amount available each year fluctuates with the performance of the TST endowment. The scholarship information is updated each Spring, and applications are due in April.

Bill Lord Bursary in Continuing Education

A few small bursaries are available each year for persons taking continuing education courses at the 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.
Application Deadline: Friday, July 26, 2013, 5pm
E-mail: tstadv.degree@utoronto.ca
The flyer for this scholarship can found below.

Donald Cameron Memorial Award
This award, to honour the memory of Donald Cameron, who served the Toronto School of Theology in a number of capacities over many years including Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Development Committee and had 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 one or more students in good standing in the final year of their basic degree program in TST; or in the first year of an advanced degree program immediately following their basic degree program.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the impact that the 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.
Amount to be awarded: $2,400
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm 
The flyer for this scholarship can be found below.

C. Douglas Jay Scholarship
This award was established by the Board of Trustees in 1981 in honour of the founding Director of the TST, Professor C. Douglas Jay, and is made possible thanks to contributions made by the Douglas and Ruth Jay Family Foundation.
Eligibility: The award is available to an advanced degree student in TST, preferably a doctoral student, working in the area of Christian Social Ethics, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence and the quality of the research proposal.
Amount to be awarded: $6,500
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5 pm
The flyer for this scholarship can be found below.

Gordon Farquharson Scholarship
This award, funded by a gift of the Ralph M. Barford Foundation plus matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS), was established by the Board of Trustees in 2008 in honour of Gordon Farquharson. Mr. Farquharson has been a friend of TST since its founding; among his many contributions, he provided legal counsel for TST’s corporation.

Eligibility: The award is available to a student registered in a research doctoral program (ThD or PhD) at TST, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the basis of excellence in the applicant’s chosen program of study. This is an extremely competitive scholarship, and historically has been awarded only to applicants who have attained at least a clear A- average in their current or immediately previous degree program.
Amount to be awarded: $6,500
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm 
The flyer for this scholarship can be found below.

Margaret Fleck Scholarship
This award, funded by a gift of 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 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 student registered at TST, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the basis of excellence in the applicant’s chosen program of study, and the applicant’s demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively to the broader community. This is an extremely competitive scholarship, and historically has been awarded only to applicants who have attained at least a clear A- average in their current or immediately previous degree program.
Amount to be awarded:  $10,000
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm 
The flyer for this scholarship can be found below.

Marjorie Watson Powles Award
This award was established by the TST Board in 2002 in honour of Marjorie Watson Powles, a woman serving the church and who exemplifies a creative, positive vision for the role of women in the church and society.
Eligibility: The award is available to a woman studying at the TST in a basic or advanced degree program.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the applicant’s active engagement in community and congregational life, strong feminist perspective and transformative vision, and demonstrated academic excellence
Amount available: $1,500
Deadline: Friday, April 05, 2013
The flyer for award can be found below.

OSOTF Bursary Assistance for PhD and ThD Students
Bursary money from the portion of the Toronto School of Theology’s endowment fund built up under the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF) program is available to help currently registered PhD and ThD students in need of extra financial assistance. The OSOTF bursary provides a supplementary grant for students facing unforeseen financial emergency or whose college was unable to provide the financial help they requested.
Eligibility: To be eligible, an applicant must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Person, a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and have demonstrated financial need through previous application for bursary assistance or student loan in this academic year.
Amount available: $4,000
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm 
The flyer for this bursary can be found below.

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 award is available to an advanced degree student working in the area of ecumenism who is registered at TST, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence, the significance of the student’s intended research, and the student’s need for funding.
Amount available: $1,500
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm 
The flyer for this bursary can be found below.

Doctor of Ministry Bursaries
A limited amount of financial assistance is available to incoming and returning DMin students thanks to funds established by the Estate of Charles Gundy, the J.T. Weir Memorial fund and the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF).
Eligibility: Students must demonstrate financial need.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence and the student’s demonstrated need for funding.
Amount available: $3,900
Deadline:  Friday, April 05, 2013, 5pm
Application Process: Fill out the covering page and bursary application form and submit it to the Advanced Degree office.
Note: If you meet the criteria of the “Declaration Regarding Eligibility for Assistance” form (i.e., you are a resident of Ontario), you must include it along with your bursary application form. Both forms are below.

Other Sources of Financial Assistance 

Advanced Degree Student Association Travel Bursaries
Twice a year ADSA offers three travel bursaries of $200 each to three AD students presenting papers at conferences held outside of Ontario in the term in which the travel bursary is offered.
Eligibility: If you have been awarded a travel bursary within the last three years you are not eligible to apply for this series of awards. Should we have more applicants than awards, the winners will be determined by lottery.
Amount available: $200 each

Faithful Companions of Jesus Theology Bursaries

The Faith Companions of Jesus sisters offer three different theological bursaries:
The Madeleine d'Houet bursary for any Roman Catholic laywoman enrolled in full time theology or religious education in a recognized degree granting Canadian Catholic school of theology ($1000);
The Youth Ministry bursary for accredited training in youth ministry (no one bursary being more than $500); and
Bursaries for short courses in Theology, Liturgy, Spirituality of Social Justice of Earth/Native Spirituality (no one bursary being more than $500).
Amount available: $500 to $1000 depending on the bursary type
Additional Note: Applicants may apply for one bursary only.

Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Bursary for Ministry Preparation
The purpose of this bursary is to support and encourage Catholic lay women engaged in pastoral ministry within the Church and to provide financial assistance for further studies in preparation for this ministry.
Eligibility: The candidate must be a Catholic woman pursuing theological or pastoral studies at an Institute or University with a view to engaging in pastoral ministry and be in need of financial assistance.
Selection Criteria: Applications will be reviewed by a committee of Grey Sisters.
Amount available: Up to $5000 will be awarded for full-time or part-time study for one year. The candidate may re-apply for the same amount for a second year only.

Ivor Norris Bursary
A bursary sponsored by the Anglican Ordinariate of the Canadian Forces. The bursary is awarded annually to theological students who have had, or have, some connection with the Canadian Forces.
Eligibility: Awarded to applicants with a personal connection to the Canadian Forces through personal military service (past or present), being married to or the child of someone with past or current service. Applicants must be sponsored by a Bishop for ordination within the Anglican Church of Canada and enrolled in full time theological studies.

Martin Moser Society for Theological Studies Bursary Fund
This bursary fund was set up to honour Father Martin Moser, o.m.i, a Catholic priest, theologian and teacher with a passion for ecumenism and a commitment to the role of the laity in the Church. Father Moser has been a teacher of theology and a pastor in Edmonton and Vancouver for over 30 years.
Eligibility: The applicant must be: a lay man or woman who is a member in good standing of any Christian denomination and who is enrolled in a recognized Canadian theological school; accepted in a graduate or undergraduate degree in theology, theological studies, or ministry; a permanent resident of Canada; and planning to exercise his/her future ministry in the Church in a Canadian setting (this would include Canadian military chaplains serving abroad with their unit).
Note: This bursary is not intended for those who are ordained or who are preparing for ordained ministry.

For more information, please contact martinmoserbursary@gmail.com

OECTA Scholarships & Fellowships
Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association provides some financial asssitance to members pursuing further academic studies: Post-graduate scholarships and religious study fellowships are available annually.
Selection Criteria: Full-time study, OECTA Involvement, Benefit to OECTA membership over time, Academic initiatives - Completion of Program, Length of teaching experience, Previous receipts of funds from OECTA

Redemptorist Anniversary Bursary for Lay Theologians
To mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Redemptorists by St Alphonsus Liguori, the Edmonton-Toronto province of the Redemptorists established in 1987 a bursary to be awarded to a lay person engaged in doctoral studies or ready to engage in such studies in the field of moral theolgoy. To mark this occasion the Redemptorists of the Canadian English-speaking province established a bursary to be awarded to a lay person engaged, or ready to engage, in doctoral studies in the field of moral theology.

The bursary will provide an annual income of up to a maximum of $20,000 CDN each year for a period of up to three years .  Or the $20,000 may be apportioned to several recipients for the award year.

For each year of assistance, the recipient will be required to work two years in Canada in the teaching of theology or in a related field (such as bioethics) up to a maximum of five years.

The next award is available for the coming academic year, 2013-14. The final date for receiving applications is May 17,2013.

Any one interested in this bursary is invited to write for an application form or for further information to:
The Redemptorist Anniversary Bursary for Lay Theologians
C/O Redemptorist Provincial Offices.
426 St. Germain Ave
Toronto, ON M5M 1W7
or email: secretary@redemptorists.ca

The Anglican Foundation of Canada: Bursary Assistance for Students Preparing for Ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada
Eligibility: For more information, please contact your college or the Anglican Foundation of Canada.

The Fund for Theological Education - Doctoral Assistance
The Fund for Theological Education gives generous competitive scholarships to persons from under-represented racial and ethnic groups for ThD or PhD programs in theological studies. This program has been placed under review until October 2013.

The Fund for Theological Education - Ministry Fellow Program
A fellowship program providing support and guidance to entering Master of Divinity students who embody the highest intellectual and spiritual qualities essential for Christian leadership as pastors, educators, and citizens.  This program has been placed under review until October 2013.

Contact Information:
The Fund for Theological Education
825 Houston Mill Rd., Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30329
Website: http://www.thefund.org/
Tel: (404) 727-1450; Fax: (404) 727-1490

Additional Financial Aid Information: http://www.seminaryscholarship.com