Applications are officially open for the prestigious Toronto Metropolitan University Global Migration Institute Scholarships 2027-2028 (Bridging Divides Graduate Student Stipends). Hosted by the Global Migration Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in Toronto, Canada, this major research funding initiative provides generous annual stipends of up to $35,000 CAD per year for Master’s students and up to $45,000 CAD per year for PhD candidates.
Funded by the Government of Canada through the landmark Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), the Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides initiative unites top-tier researchers across four leading Canadian institutions: Toronto Metropolitan University, Concordia University, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia. The program is open to both domestic Canadian and international graduate students proposing innovative research on migration, settlement, technological impacts, and social integration.
Application deadlines for Fall 2027 entry: February 1, 2027 for PhD candidates and April 1, 2027 for Master’s candidates. Applicants must apply for their chosen graduate degree program at TMU and submit the online Bridging Divides stipend application.
Quick Facts - TMU Global Migration Institute Scholarships 2027-2028
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Awarding Institution | Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) |
| Research Entity | TMU Global Migration Institute / Bridging Divides |
| Host Location | Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 |
| Host Landmark | Toronto Skyline, CN Tower & Lake Ontario Waterfront |
| Degree Levels | Full-time Master’s (thesis/major research paper) & PhD |
| Eligible Nationalities | Open to all nationalities (Domestic Canadian & International students) |
| Master’s Stipend Value | Up to $35,000 CAD per year (maximum 2 years, total up to $70,000 CAD) |
| PhD Stipend Value | Up to $45,000 CAD per year (maximum 3 to 4 years, total up to $180,000 CAD) |
| Funding Sponsor | Government of Canada (Canada First Research Excellence Fund - CFREF) |
| Partner Universities | TMU, Concordia University, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia |
| PhD Deadline | February 1, 2027 (23:59 EST) |
| Master’s Deadline | April 1, 2027 (23:59 EDT) |
| Official Portal | torontomu.ca/global-migration-institute/opportunities/scholarships |
About the Global Migration Institute & Bridging Divides
The Global Migration Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University is an internationally renowned center of excellence for policy-relevant research, global dialogue, and scholarly innovation regarding migrant and refugee inclusion. Operating at the heart of Canada’s largest immigrant gateway, the institute examines how demographic transformations, emerging technologies, labor shifts, and urban infrastructures intersect to shape 21st-century mobility.
Its flagship $98-million multi-institutional research program, Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides, leverages cutting-edge data science, artificial intelligence, and intersectional social analysis. Recipient graduate students become core members of the institute, enjoying extensive professional development, research mentorship from world-leading faculty, and participation in national conferences and collaborative working groups.
The Four Core Research Themes
To qualify for a Bridging Divides stipend, applicants' proposed research must directly connect to at least one of the four thematic pillars:
- Immigrant Health and Well-Being: Investigating healthcare access disparities, physical and mental health outcomes, social determinants of health, and institutional care models for immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers.
- Employment and Lifelong Learning: Analyzing foreign credential recognition, labor market integration, deskilling, gig economy realities, workforce retraining, and the impacts of AI automation on immigrant careers.
- Place and Infrastructure: Exploring housing affordability, neighborhood settlement patterns, transit accessibility, urban governance, regionalization of immigration, and spatial segregation across Canadian and global metropolitan areas.
- Citizenship and Participation: Examining civic engagement, voting rights, naturalization hurdles, political representation, digital surveillance, social cohesion, and the legal structures of belonging.
Comprehensive Financial Support & Benefits
The TMU Global Migration Institute provides substantial competitive funding packages designed to allow students to focus fully on high-impact research:
- Master’s Students: Award of up to $35,000 CAD per year for incoming students for up to two years (total potential award of $70,000 CAD). Available to incoming first-year Master's students and continuing students entering year two in Fall 2027.
- PhD Students: Award of up to $45,000 CAD per year for up to three to four years for incoming and eligible existing students (total potential award of $135,000 to $180,000 CAD).
- Tuition & Living Security: Generous stipend levels fully offset tuition costs and provide comfortable living expenses in Toronto, one of the world's most dynamic multicultural cities.
- External Grant Top-Ups: Scholars who secure competitive external tri-agency funding (such as SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC, or Ontario Graduate Scholarships) are eligible to apply for supplementary top-up stipends.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Co-mentorship opportunities and research exchanges with faculty and peers across TMU, Concordia, University of Alberta, and UBC.
- Professional Development: Dedicated funding for research fieldwork, conference travel presentations, high-performance computing workshops, and policy dissemination forums.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must satisfy all institutional and thematic requirements:
- Enrolment Status: Must be a full-time Master’s or PhD student enrolled in, or applying to enter, a graduate program at Toronto Metropolitan University starting in Fall 2027.
- Academic Affiliation: Open to programs across multiple faculties, including Arts, Community Services, Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS), Science, Law, and the Ted Rogers School of Management (e.g., Immigration and Settlement Studies, Policy Studies, Public Policy and Administration, Sociology, Urban and Regional Planning, Data Science, and Biomedical Engineering).
- Research Alignment: Proposed thesis, dissertation, or major research project must demonstrate a clear conceptual link to one of the four Bridging Divides themes.
- Faculty Supervision: The designated supervisor or co-supervisor must be a Toronto Metropolitan University faculty member actively involved in the Bridging Divides initiative.
- Citizenship: Open to both Canadian citizens / permanent residents and international applicants requiring a Canadian study permit.
Required Application Documents
Applicants must prepare the following materials for submission through the TMU online portal:
- Proof of Graduate Application: Confirmation of your submitted application to an eligible TMU Master's or PhD program.
- Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV): Detailing academic achievements, degrees, research experience, publications, awards, and relevant employment.
- Official Post-Secondary Transcripts: All undergraduate and graduate course records.
- Statement of Interest / Letter of Intent: Copy of the research proposal or statement submitted with your TMU department application.
- Bridging Divides Motivation Letter (Maximum 2 pages): Highlighting your research questions, methodologies, personal motivations, justification for the award, and exact alignment with one or more of the four Bridging Divides research themes.
- FEAS Applicants Only: Name of proposed supervisor affiliated with Bridging Divides and an endorsement statement from the FEAS Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
Application Deadlines & Timeline
- February 1, 2027 (23:59 EST): Application deadline for PhD candidates.
- April 1, 2027 (23:59 EDT): Application deadline for Master’s candidates.
- Spring 2027: Review of stipend applications in coordination with graduate admissions decisions.
- May - June 2027: Official award notifications and funding confirmation issued.
- September 2027: Fall term academic commencement, onboarding at the Global Migration Institute, and first stipend disbursement.
Step-by-Step Application Instructions
- Select Your TMU Graduate Degree: Browse eligible graduate programs at Toronto Metropolitan University (such as MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies, PhD in Policy Studies, MA in Public Policy, or related degree tracks) and complete your standard admission application on the TMU graduate portal.
- Connect with a Bridging Divides Faculty Member: Identify a TMU professor affiliated with the Bridging Divides research team whose scholarly expertise matches your proposed research, and confirm their agreement to supervise your studies.
- Prepare the Motivation Letter: Write a concise, compelling 2-page letter demonstrating how your research answers crucial questions in immigrant health, employment, housing infrastructure, or citizenship.
- Submit the Online Stipend Form: Navigate to the TMU Global Migration Institute Scholarships Portal and complete the Bridging Divides Graduate Student Stipend application, uploading all supporting PDF documents before the respective deadline.
Official Sources & Inquiries
Official TMU Global Migration Institute Scholarships Page
Bridging Divides Research Program Official Site
TMU Graduate Studies Programs Directory
General inquiries can be directed to the program office at: bridging.divides@torontomu.ca.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are international students eligible for the full stipend amounts?
Yes. The Bridging Divides Graduate Student Stipends offer up to $35,000/year for Master's and up to $45,000/year for PhD students to both domestic Canadian students and international applicants.
Do I need an admission offer from TMU before applying for the stipend?
No. You must have submitted an application for admission to an eligible TMU graduate program. If you are subsequently accepted into the degree program, your stipend application will be formally evaluated by the selection committee.
Can existing TMU graduate students apply?
Yes. Current Master’s students entering their second year and enrolled PhD students are eligible to apply, provided their research is closely aligned with the Bridging Divides thematic areas and their supervisor is an active team researcher.
Is this funding renewable each year?
Yes. Stipend renewal is subject to annual reviews of satisfactory academic and research progress, continued full-time enrollment, and availability of CFREF funding.
