University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Ottawa Science Policy Network, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Biochem Cell Biol. 2023 Aug 1;101(4):326-360. doi: 10.1139/bcb-2023-0021. Epub 2023 Apr 11.
Graduate students are vital to the creation of research and innovation in Canada. The National Graduate Student Finance Survey was launched in 2021 by the Ottawa Science Policy Network to investigate the financial realities of Canadian graduate students. Closing in April 2022, the survey received 1305 responses from graduate students representing various geographical locations, years of study, fields of education, and demographic backgrounds. The results capture a snapshot into graduate student finances, including an in-depth analysis of stipends, scholarships, debt, tuition, and living expenses. In its entirety, we found that the majority of graduate students are facing serious financial concerns. This is largely due to stagnant funding for students both from federal and provincial granting agencies and from within their institutions. This reality is even worse for international students, members of historically underrepresented communities, and those with dependents, all of whom experience additional challenges that impact their financial security. Based on our findings, we propose several recommendations to the Tri-Council agencies (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Social Science and Humanities Research Council, and Canadian Institute for Health Research) and academic institutions to strengthen graduate student finances and help sustain the future of research in Canada.
研究生对于加拿大的研究和创新至关重要。渥太华科学政策网络于 2021 年发起了全国研究生财政调查，以研究加拿大研究生的财务现状。该调查于 2022 年 4 月结束，共收到来自不同地理位置、学习年限、教育领域和人口背景的 1305 名研究生的回复。调查结果反映了研究生的财务状况，包括对助学金、奖学金、债务、学费和生活费的深入分析。总的来说，我们发现大多数研究生都面临严重的财务问题。这主要是由于联邦和省级拨款机构以及各机构对学生的资金投入停滞不前造成的。对于国际学生、历史上代表性不足的群体成员以及有家属的学生来说，情况更为糟糕，他们都面临着影响其财务安全的额外挑战。基于调查结果，我们向三理事会机构（自然科学与工程研究理事会、社会科学与人文研究理事会和加拿大卫生研究院）和学术机构提出了一些加强研究生财务状况的建议，以帮助维持加拿大未来的研究。
