introduction

It is extremely difficult for experienced researchers to obtain funding for a doctoral program, while the UBC Killam Doctoral Scholarship removes this difficulty altogether by providing one of the most generous and distinguished internal awards in Canada.

The grant, which has an annual value of $40,000 and lasts for two years, amounts to a total of $80,000 and enables PhD students to concentrate entirely on their research without forcing them to take up teaching assistantships or carry out part-time work. The competition for this grant, however, is fierce and the procedure for handling applications is different from that used for most ordinary scholarships.

overview of the killam scholarship

The scholarships, which are financed by the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund, are the most distinguished of all the academic awards offered at the University of British Columbia (UBC), since the arrangement was based on the idea that excellent scholars should have financial freedom so that they can carry out research that contributes to the advancement of learning or attains distinction in a profession.

UBC admits both Canadian and international students to all of the academic programmes it offers, including those in the humanities and in advanced quantum physics.

detailed explanation: the hidden application process

The thing that applicants should know above all-since it is often misinterpreted-s that no one can apply for the scholarship themselves.

The UBC Killam scholarship is not something that you can download on your own and then send to the university, but one that has to be nominated; in fact, each academic department at UBC is given a strict limit on the number of students it can nominate.

In order to obtain the scholarship, you first have to leave a good impression on both your PhD supervisor and the advisor who is in charge of the department's postgraduate programme. They need to choose you as their first preference and then have to nominate you personally with the Central College of Graduate Studies; if your department fails to nominate you, you will not be awarded the scholarship even though your profile is very strong.

important information at a glance

1. host institution: university of british columbia (ubc), canada
2. academic level: doctoral (phd)
3. target audience: domestic and international students
4. total financial value: $80,000 ($40,000 per year for 2 years)
5. nomination deadline: typically early september (check with your specific department)

requirements and eligibility criteria

1. To be put forward you have to satisfy a quite strict timeline requirement and perform well in a very particular evaluation framework.
2. The 24-month rule states that by the date on which the scholarship begins you must have completed fewer than 24 months of your doctoral studies; if you are in your third or fourth year of your PhD you are automatically ineligible for the award since it is intended to support early-stage doctoral research.
3. the 50/50 evaluation framework: the ubc adjudication committee splits your application assessment exactly in half:
4. The committee will examine your research proposal to check that it includes well-focused and feasible questions, a clear methodology, and appropriate ethical research practices, as well as to assess your previous work such as publications, posters, patents, or other research products which you have carried out in a community setting.
5. The assessment includes half of its evaluation based on experience and achievements outside of academia, an area in which a large number of STEM applicants do poorly. UBC values your non-research achievements just as much as your academic capabilities and considers your experience in teaching and mentoring, your project management skills, your participation in community outreach, your voluntary work, and your involvement with professional societies. A very good academic transcript cannot compensate for an application that demonstrates no engagement with the wider community.

benefits and features

the financial structure of the killam scholarship is straightforward and highly generous:

1. The annual stipend is $40,000 each year.
2. The promise regarding the duration will remain valid so long as you keep good academic standing for two consecutive years.
3. Regarding tuition, even though the amount of $40,000 is in fact a living expense allowance, most UBC PhD students have their tuition fees arranged either by their department or through external grants. You should therefore ask your supervisor to ensure that your tuition is covered.

step-by-step application process

1. The nomination being made for this award shows that your procedure has already begun internally before the official deadline.
2. The first step is to secure a place on a PhD programme at UBC and to have a principal supervisor assigned.
3. In the second step, you should let both your supervisor and the graduate program assistant in your department know as early in the spring or as early in the summer as possible that you plan to apply for the Killam scholarship and at the same time find out what deadline your department has set.
4. In the third step you will have to prepare the internal application—the department will provide you with their particular internal forms and you will then have to draw up a highly detailed research proposal which is specifically tailored to the Killam evaluation criteria (and don't forget to emphasize both the research and the community engagement).
5. In the fourth step your department will look at all internal applicants, rank them and then forward one or two of the best nominations to the UBC College of Graduate Studies by the central deadline (this is usually early September).
6. In the fifth stage a committee made up of members of the university's faculty looks at all the nominations sent in by the departments and then decides who the eventual winners are, the results being published in the spring.

expert tips for applicants

1. You must not ignore the 50% community rule; if you have no experience in the areas of teaching, mentoring, or volunteering in a community context, you should start at once. All you have to do is spend a few months organizing a departmental seminar or volunteering at a local science fair since this will provide you with the necessary material for this important half of the application.
2. Be sure to count your months carefully, and when you are calculating the 24-month period, use the date on which you registered for your PhD, not the date when you received your master's degree or the date on which you passed your comprehensive exams.
3. Prepare your research proposal so that it will be clear and attractive to both historians and biologists; the committee responsible for the judgement consists of professors from all faculties.

common mistakes to avoid

1. The biggest mistake would be not to meet the departmental deadline, since the departments usually set their deadlines in July or August, several weeks prior to the official university deadline in September; in that case you would not be able to have your name submitted.
2. If 'no IELTS' means that it is not necessary to send an IELTS score, then the scholarship itself does not require such a score; however, in order to be admitted to a PhD programme at UBC you are still required to satisfy the university's English language proficiency requirements, and the scholarship does not cancel the admission rules.
3. When preparing a general research proposal you should not simply copy and paste the one you have already written for your PhD application; instead, the Killam proposal has to specifically deal with each of the points mentioned in their evaluation criteria (ethics, feasibility, methodology).

frequently asked questions

1. Yes you can apply even if you have only just started your PhD and have not had any classes yet, since the students in the first few months of their PhD are actually in the best position for this as they still count towards the 24-month limit.
2. Can master's students apply? The simple answer is that they can't; in order to apply it is necessary that you are currently taking part in a doctoral program at UBC and you cannot apply before starting your PhD.
3. Will the amount of $40,000 be used to pay my tuition fees? Even if the scholarship is classified as a living expense allowance, in some departments you might be required to pay your tuition out of that money or your supervisor could arrange to pay your tuition separately by means of research grants. You should ask your department to clarify this point.
4. Can international students apply? Yes, they are completely eligible and often win these awards.
5. Could it be that my department has better PhD candidates than I do? Since the department establishes strict quotas, one has to compete against one's own peers first; the more difficult it is to get a nomination, the more exceptionally strong the applicants in the department must be, even if you yourself are competitive on a global scale.
6. Can the scholarship be renewed for a third year? Not because the Killam doctoral scholarship is strictly limited to two years and, by then, it is expected that you will have obtained funding through other grants (such as those from nserc, sshrc, or cihr) or by taking up a teaching assistantship.
7. Can part-time PhD students apply? The simple answer is that they can't; in order to be eligible for this funding it is essential that you are a full-time doctoral student.
8. I'll be able to tell if I've won when the Central