Funding Information for Supervisors and Staff
Below are information, instructions, and deadlines for supervisors and support staff interested in awarding graduate students a stipend for activities in relation to their thesis or graduate training.
For further information regarding how University of Winnipeg graduate students receive their funds, please visit Student Award Payment Process.
Graduate students may receive tax-exempt remuneration for Research Assistantship and Teaching Assistantship activities only when those activities are directly in support of their course of study AND when in the course of those activities they receive a high degree of mentorship from their supervisor. Like other awards (Tri-Council, Research MB, etc), training awards cannot be cancelled or diminished during the academic year for any reasons except for changes in registration status (withdrawal, change from full- to part-time, etc). Supervisors wishing to fund their student via a training award must confirm that any associated activities are in direct support of the student’s graduate studies and/or research, and that the funds are an award and are not compensation for employment activities or services rendered.
To pay your UWinnipeg graduate student as an employee, you may hire them through HR.
Below we have detailed instructions for how, and when, to complete the paperwork required to have your student receive their funding.
The paperwork for graduate student training awards can be found on Graduate Studies: Forms for Faculty and Staff
Annually committed funding refers to funding students receive as part of the funding package their program has committed to them. These are distinct from top-up awards, which students receive throughout the year in addition to their annually committed funding.
Deadlines for Annually Committed Funding Paperwork
Paperwork for annually committed funding must be sent to the student’s graduate program chair or designate by the internal deadlines set by the program. The Graduate Program Committee (GPC) Chair will send this information to the Faculty of Graduate Studies as part of its annual funding memo. Paperwork should not be sent directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Below are Graduate Studies’ deadline for receiving Funding Memos from GPC Chair. Please confirm with your student’s Graduate Program Committee Chair when they require this paperwork.
August 15: Fall 2026 Funding Memo for second-year and returning students
September 1: Fall 2026 Funding Memo for first-year students
- Following the September 1 deadline no additional funding paperwork will be processed until October 1 (or the next business day)
December 7: Funding Memo for Winter 2027
- Following the December 7 deadline no additional funding paperwork will be processed until February 1 (or the next business day)
April 15: Funding Memo for Spring/Summer 2027
- Following the April 15 deadline no additional funding paperwork will be processed until June 1 (or the next business day)
Instructions for Annually Committed Funding Paperwork
Please note that incorrect or incomplete paperwork can significantly delay award payments to students.
- Complete a Graduate Studies Training Award T4A Form.
- For annually committed funding, we recommend using the default award distribution. (see: Student Award Payment Process). However, the form also allows supervisors to select a distribution of their choosing.
- In the case of training awards offered as lab instructorships, we recommend a one-time payment in the first month of the instructorship.
- The Award and Training Particulars section must be completed confirming that any activities associated with the award are directly related to the student’s graduate study/research, that the student will receive a high degree of mentorship, and that funds are given as an award and are not compensation for employment activities or services rendered
- Student funding paperwork available on Graduate Studies: Forms for Faculty and Staff
- Complete a transfer form debiting (DR) the account(s) from which the award is to be paid, and crediting (CR) award number 75100 name Graduate Research and Training Awards (exception: Bioscience uses award number 75078 – Bioscience Graduate Supervisory Scholarship)
- Please note that transfers of ≥$5,000 require two signatures: one from the award holder, and one from their department chair or next higher-up.
- Transfer forms are available through Financial Services’ Forms page. The second sheet contains an example of how to complete the form
- If you are unsure of your account number, please contact researchaccounting@uwinnipeg.ca
- In the details section at the bottom, indicate the name of the student receiving the award and the award amount. Please indicate also whether the students is an international or domestic student.
- If you are unable to sign the Excel sheet, you may save it as a .pdf and insert your signature
- You may use the same transfer form for multiple students
- Send the T4A and transfer form to your student’s graduate program chair or designate for inclusion in the program’s funding memo
Top-up awards are those given to students by supervisors/programs/departments in addition to the student’s committed funding for the academic year/term.
Top-up awards are typically processed as one-time lump sum payments, though you may indicate a different distribution. It can take up to eight weeks from the time the paperwork is received to the time a student receives their cheque with the credit balance. Thus, it is recommended that all graduate program faculty review the deadlines below, and submit their paperwork well in advance of when they would like their student to receive cash-in-hand.
Deadline for Top-Up Awards
Top-Up Awards are processed once-to-twice a month following the deadline for submission (below). Please note the periods at the beginning and end of each term during which no top-up awards are processed as during that period the Faculty of Graduate Studies is processing annual and term committed funding
Fall Term Deadlines
- October 1
No additional paperwork can be processed October 2-31 - November 1
- November 15
- December 1: Final date to submit paperwork for awards to be processed in the Fall term
Winter Term Deadlines
- February 1
- February 15
- March 1
- March 15
- April 1: Final date to submit paperwork for awards to be processed in the Winter Term
Spring/Summer Term Deadlines
- June 1
- June 15
- July 1
- July 15
- August 1: Final date to submit paperwork for awards to be processed in the Spring Term
It is the supervisor/grant holder’s responsibility to ensure that all paperwork is filled out accurately and sent to their graduate program chair (or designate) to be shared with the Faculty of Graduate Studies by the relevant deadline. Items submitted between the deadlines listed may not be processed until the following month.
Instructions for Top-Up Award Paperwork
- Complete a Graduate Studies Training Award T4A form.
- For top-up awards, we recommend a one-time payment in a particular term
- The Award and Training Particulars section must be completed confirming that any activities associated with the award are directly related to the student’s graduate study/research, that the student will receive a high degree of mentorship, and that funds are given as an award and are not compensation for employment activities or services rendered
- Student funding paperwork available on Graduate Studies: Forms for Faculty and Staff
- Complete a transfer form debiting (DR) the account(s) from which the award is to be paid, and crediting (CR) award number 75100, Graduate Research and Training Awards (exception: Bioscience uses award number 75078, Bioscience Graduate Supervisory Scholarship)
- Please note that transfers of ≥$5,000 require two signatures: one from the award holder, and one from their department chair or next higher-up.
- Transfer forms are available through Financial Services’ Forms page. The second sheet contains an example of how to complete the form
- If you are unsure of your account number, please contact researchaccounting@uwinnipeg.ca
- In the details section at the bottom, indicate the name of the student receiving the award and the award amount. Please indicate also whether the students is an international or domestic student
- If you are unable to sign the Excel sheet, you may save it as a .pdf and insert your signature
- You may use the same transfer form for multiple students
- Ensure the paperwork is sent to your student’s graduate program chair or designate, and shared with the Faculty of Graduate Studies, by the deadlines above. Please check with the student’s graduate program chair regarding their internal processes.
Graduate students at external universities are paid via direct deposit through Payroll.
- Have the student complete the new hire paperwork at uwinnipeg.ca/newhire
- This is NOT required if the student is already on UWinnipeg payroll, but please have them confirm that their banking information is up to date.
- Complete a Research Award Fellowship form (available on Grad Studies Forms page)
- In the Particulars section please indicate:
- The student’s home institution, program, and degree
- That any activities associated with the award are directly related to the student’s graduate study/research, that the student will receive a high degree of mentorship, and that funds are given as an award and are not compensation for employment activities or services rendered
- If you are unable to insert a signature in the Excel sheet you can save the form as a .pdf and add a signature through Adobe
- Student funding paperwork available on Graduate Studies: Forms for Faculty and Staff
- In the Particulars section please indicate:
- Email form to graduateawards@uwinnipeg.ca to be signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies and forwarded to HRIS.
- Please note that the Faculty of Graduate Studies reviews award paperwork according to the deadlines below. We recommend supervisors send the paperwork to the Faculty of Graduate Studies 6 weeks in advance of the first pay date they would like the award to begin
- Deadlines:
- August 1
- September 1
- October 1
No awards can be processed Oct 2- 31, 2026 - November 1
- November 15
- December 1
- December 7
- February 1
- February 15
- March 1
- March 15
- April 1
- April 15
- June 1
- June 15
- July 1
- July 15
Supervisors who wish to pay their student as an employee must hire them through HR.
Students hired as Research Assistants are members of the PSAC RC bargaining unit. They are employees and that income is not tax exempt.
Researchers do not need to follow the normal posting process in the event that they wish to grant an appointment to a student for the purposes of pursuing research activities arising directly from the student’s graduate or undergraduate thesis. This appointment shall occur no later than two (2) months following the completion of the student’s undergraduate or graduate thesis.
To hire without posting, the researcher and student should complete the new hire packet (uwinnipeg.ca/newhire) as well as the Employment Form for Hourly PSAC-RC Employees (available on Human Resources Forms). On the employment form researchers should select exception D.
Once complete, the paperwork may be sent to hris@uwinnipeg.ca.
For additional information, please review Frequently Asked Questions – PSAC-RC Hiring Research Assistants/Senior Research Assistants.
For help with questions during the process, please contact Erin McCarthy, Human Resources Consultant at e.mccarthy@uwinnipeg.ca.