Funding Sources

The School of Physiotherapy draws upon a variety of sources to provide three main types of funding to students enrolled in our MScPT and MScRRPT programs: (i) Scholarships (merit based); (ii) Bursaries (financial-need based); and Awards (recognition based).

Below is a brief description of the current funding sources available, and how they are distributed:

Scholarships

The School of Physiotherapy Scholarships Committee awards scholarships, available through internally-managed funding sources, based on academic merit (minimum GPA of 3.7). The amount of funding available varies from year-to-year, and there is no application requirement other than application to the program of study (unless otherwise specified).

In our MScRRPT (thesis-based) program, we strive to support students through various funding opportunities. We require that students apply for external funding sources before they are able to qualify for internally-managed funding. Potential applicants are asked to review the MScRRPT admissions page, for further information on this process and timeline.

In our MScPT (professional) program, we offer entrance scholarships to Year 1 students and have limited scholarships available for Year 2 students. Due to the large class size, up to 20 students have received between $1000 - $3000 dollars. Historically, recipients have had grade point averages above 4.0. The general scholarship funding sources and program of eligibility are shown below.  

General scholarship funding sources include:

  • FGS Scholarship Allocation to the School [MScPT/RRPT eligible]
  • Isabel Jackson Memorial Scholarship (established in 1967) [MScPT eligible]. Typically given to year 2 students based on 1st yr GPA ( 4-7 awards based on availability of funds]
  • Bess Averbook Solomon Memorial Scholarship (established in 2010) [MScPT eligible (Specifically for year 2 students]
  • 50th Anniversary Physiotherapy Student Fund (inaugural awards in 2018/19) [MScPT eligible]  
  • Irving Scholarship (established in 2017) – two $5,000 scholarships awarded annually to incoming students from the Province of New Brunswick (NOTE: an application is distributed by the School of Physiotherapy to eligible students). [MScPT eligible]
  • James Robinson Johnston Graduate Entrance Scholarship for African Canadians [MScPT/RRPT eligible] 
  • School of Physiotherapy Annual Giving Fund Entrance Scholarship - Four (4) $3,500 scholarships awarded annually to incoming students who identify themselves as Black or Indigenous (2 each) students from Atlantic Canada [MScPT eligible]
  • Shoppers Drug Mart Entrance Scholarship – Two $6,000 scholarships awarded annually to incoming students who self-identify as a member of equity groups - Black Nova Scotian or Indigenous or student(s) from New Glasgow and/or North Sydney in Nova Scotia. Isabel Jackson Memorial Scholarship (established in 1967) [MScPT eligible]

External scholarships:

Lifemark Scholarship for Black Students

Lifemark Scholarships for Indigenous Students

Bursaries

The School of Physiotherapy Director and Administrative Manager consider requests for bursaries from students in financial need, whether it be for tuition/living expenses, or to travel to a conference or clinical placement. The amount of funding available varies from year-to-year. Students are asked to first apply for a FGS Bursary and if funding is not approved or insufficient, they may submit their application to the Director and Administrator. Applications are accepted on an as-needed basis, and are funded subject to funding resources. Bursary amounts are generally in the $1000-$2,000 range.

Bursary funding sources include:

  • School of Physiotherapy Annual Giving Fund – requests considered as needed from students who (a) find themselves in financial distress, or (b) are travelling to an academic conference, or (c) are travelling to a remote or international clinical placement. [MSc PT/RRPT eligible]
  • Sheila Catherine Cameron Bursary - $1,000 annually to a student in any year of the program, who finds themselves in financial need. [MScPT eligible].
  • Shoppers Drug Mart Bursary – Three (3) $2,400 bursaries awarded annually to students travelling to a rural or remote clinical placement in Atlantic Canada. These awards will be “tagged” to specific clinical placements in Shoppers Drug Marts, Loblaws or LifeMark organizations.

Note – each MScRRPT student is eligible to receive one $500 travel bursary from the School of Physiotherapy Annual Giving Fund during their program of study. The Faculty of Graduate Studies also provides a Graduate Thesis Student Conference Travel Grant.

Awards

The School of Physiotherapy Awards Committee determines recipients of MScPT Graduate Awards, based on a variety of criteria as determined by the award donors. These are awarded upon graduation and information is provided once enrolled in the MScPT program.

Awards criteria may be based on academic achievement (i.e. highest overall standing in a certain course or area of practice) or in recognition of demonstrated behaviours or attributes (i.e. peer nomination for exceptional professional behaviours or school spirit). Award donors may be professional bodies (associations, colleges), individuals, or businesses. The School also funds awards from the Annual Giving Fund. Awards may be established year-to-year,or created from an endowment fund.

Check with the Faculty of Graduate Studies for funding deadlines.

Giving Back

The School of Physiotherapy would be unable to offer this financial support, under each of these categories, without the generosity of our donors. If you are interested in giving to the School of Physiotherapy in support of Scholarship, Bursary or Award funds, please click this link for a list of existing funds https://giving.dal.ca or contact Jascinth Butterfield, Administrative Manager, for more information.