The University of British Columbia pays its doctoral students with CAD 24,000 a year plus full tuition through the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF), and Indian students are eligible on the same terms as Canadian students. The catch is that there is no separate 4YF form: you are considered only when you apply for admission to a UBC doctoral program that holds that funding.
The details below come from UBC’s own award page for the 4YF, checked today. The amount quoted is the rate that applies from the September 2026 intake onward.
UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship: quick facts
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | University of British Columbia (UBC), administered by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies |
| Last date to apply | Set by each UBC graduate program – there is no single 4YF deadline; consideration is automatic when you apply for PhD admission |
| Official website | grad.ubc.ca/awards/four-year-doctoral-fellowship-4yf |
What the 4YF pays
From the September 2026 intake onward, the fellowship provides CAD 24,000 in stipend funding plus tuition for each year of the award, for up to four years of doctoral study. That is base-level funding, not a top-up: UBC describes it as stable funding for the student’s doctoral study and research.
- Stipend: CAD 24,000 per year.
- Tuition: covered in full by the fellowship, on top of the stipend.
- Duration: up to four years, subject to satisfactory academic progress.
- Level: PhD, DMA and MDPhD programs – not master’s coursework programs.
Your tuition and stipend are both components of one package, so you do not pay international tuition out of the CAD 24,000. UBC keeps the conditions for holding and interrupting the fellowship in a separate 4YF Guidelines document, and award holders are expected to follow it.
Who can receive the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship
UBC states plainly that 4YFs may be held by domestic and international students. The normal pattern is that the fellowship goes to students beginning their first year of full-time PhD, DMA or MDPhD study, though continuing students may also be offered one. The award can run up to four years, and in some circumstances for less – the guidelines set out the tenure rules.
- You must have an offer of admission to a UBC doctoral program (PhD, DMA or MDPhD).
- Citizenship does not bar you – Canadian, permanent resident and international applicants all qualify.
- Progress must stay satisfactory for the funding to continue.
- If you already hold a Tri-Agency award (Vanier, CGSD, a CIHR doctoral research award, NSERC PGSD or an SSHRC doctoral fellowship), you automatically become a 4YF designate and the 4YF support starts when your external award ends.
The Tri-Agency rule matters for Indian students already holding a Canadian federal award: 4YF funding then continues for up to four years from the external award’s start date, or until the end of your fifth doctoral year, whichever comes first.
How UBC selects 4YF students
Selection is based on academic excellence, on the recommendation of the graduate program you apply to. Each graduate program is given a fixed allocation of Four Year Fellowships every year and ranks its own students, with priority going to incoming students. The program then nominates selected students to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies using UBC’s University Award Recommendation Form (award number 6456), at least eight weeks before the requested start date.
In practice this means your file is judged by the department, not by a central scholarship committee. Academic record, research fit with a supervisor and the department’s own priorities carry the decision.
How to apply – and the deadline that actually matters
- Choose the UBC doctoral program you want and check its own application deadline on UBC’s Graduate Degree Programs listing. That program deadline is your real last date – UBC sets no separate 4YF deadline.
- Submit the admission application for that program. All PhD, DMA and MDPhD applicants who are offered admission are automatically considered for 4YF funding; you do not file a second scholarship application.
- Once offered admission, confirm your acceptance and let the program nominate you for the fellowship.
- After the award is assigned, follow the 4YF Guidelines for holding, interruption and leave rules.
Because there is no central date, applicants who leave the admission application to the last week of a program’s window can lose the fellowship consideration entirely – the program needs time to rank and nominate before the start date.
Can a 4YF holder apply for more funding?
Yes. International 4YF recipients are not required to enter UBC’s annual Affiliated Fellowship competition, but they may do so, for example to compete for higher-value awards such as the Killam Doctoral Fellowship. Canadian citizens and permanent residents have a stricter rule: they must apply each year for Tri-Agency funding if eligible, and forfeit the remaining 4YF if they do not.
What the 4YF does not cover
- It is not a master’s award – coursework master’s students are funded through other UBC awards.
- It does not pay relocation, visa or health-insurance costs as separate items; those sit outside the stipend and tuition package.
- It is not a research grant – there is no separate allowance for fieldwork, conferences or equipment.
- It cannot exceed four years of support, and less if your progress or program length requires it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. UBC states that Four Year Fellowships may be held by domestic and international students, so Indian applicants are eligible on the same terms. You need an offer of admission to a PhD, DMA or MDPhD program.
From the September 2026 intake onward the fellowship pays CAD 24,000 in stipend funding plus full tuition per year, for up to four years of doctoral study.
No. All PhD, DMA and MDPhD applicants who are offered admission to UBC are automatically considered for 4YF funding. The graduate program nominates selected students.
There is no single 4YF closing date. Each UBC graduate program sets its own application deadline, and that program deadline is the date by which your admission application must be in for fellowship consideration.
If you hold a Vanier, CGSD, CIHR doctoral research award, NSERC PGSD or SSHRC doctoral fellowship, you automatically become a 4YF designate. The 4YF stipend and tuition support begin once your external award funding ends.
Yes. The fellowship includes full tuition coverage on top of the CAD 24,000 stipend, so international tuition is not deducted from the stipend amount.
Official links
- UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) – official award page
- UBC Graduate Degree Programs – find your program and its deadline
- UBC application and admission
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