When you were offered admission to a York University graduate program, you received a letter guaranteeing a minimum amount of funding for the duration of your degree. This funding, and how it interacts with the work you do as a TA, can be very confusing. This section demystifies how much you can expect to be paid, when, and from what sources.
TA Wages
As a Teaching Assistant, you are paid wages on the 25th of each month in which you have a contract. How much you receive will depend on the type and size of your contract. Wages as of September 2022 are listed in the table below.
| Position Type | Wages (for a 1.0 contract/270 hours) |
| Tutorial Leader (Tutor 1)Studio Instructor (Tutor 6)Instructor (Faculty of Education) | $12,338 ($1542.25/month) |
| Lab Demonstrator (Tutor 2) | $13,238 ($1654.75/month) |
| Marker/Grader (Tutor 3)Individual Tutor (Tutor 4) | $10,727.10 ($1340.88/month or $39.73/hour) |
| Visual Arts Tutor (Tutor 6) | $15,430 ($1928.75/month) |
| Miscellaneous (Tutor 7)Lab Facilitator (LSE only) (Tutor 7) | $12,338 ($1542.25/month) |
| Music Tutor | $7979 ($997.37/month or $79.79/hour)* |
| Coach (Fine Arts) | $12,490.20 ($1561.27/month or $46.26/hour) |
| Writing Instructor | $18,454 ($2306.75/month)** |
*For Music Tutors, a full 1.0 assignment is considered to be 100 hours
**Assuming a contract that is spread over 8 months
For smaller contracts, simply pro-rate the wage amount, e.g. a 0.5 Tutor 1 would receive $6169
You will also receive vacation pay in the amount of 4% of your wages, added to your monthly paycheque. If you have more than 5 years of service, your vacation pay will be 6%.
Your wages and vacation pay are your gross revenue. The amount you will receive will be lower once all deductions are accounted for.
If in doubt, take a look at your paystub. It will break down how much you got paid from which sources. Please note that the hours of work and rates of pay on the paystub exist for tax purposes.
Other Forms of Funding
In addition to your wages, you will receive various types of other funding at different times, deposited to your student account.
Grant-in-Aid
Grant-in-Aid (GIA) is a part of your remuneration as a TA. It is processed through your student account on or around the 25th of each month. It should be deposited directly into your bank account and not be applied to any amounts owing in your student account.
GIA on a 1.0 TAship is $4073, or $509.12 per month. If you have less than a 1.0 assignment, your GIA should be pro-rated to the size of your contract. You don’t accrue GIA past the 1.0 mark (e.g. if you have 1.0 in Fall/Winter and 0.5 in Summer, you will receive GIA over the first 8 months, but not on the Summer contract).
Graduate Financial Assistance
Graduate Financial Assistance is an amount negotiated over the years by CUPE 3903 in order to help offset the cost of tuition. It is applied to your student account once per term (before November 1st, March 1st, and July 1st) as long as you are enrolled full-time and have held a TA contract that year (regardless of whether you are currently on contract). The amount you receive depends on your year of study and your visa status.
| Year 1-2 | Year 3+ | |
| Domestic Students | $715/term | $893/term |
| International Students | $1194/term | $1424/term |
York Fellowship
Another form of funding applied to your student account once per term is the York Fellowship. Do not let the name fool you – this is money guaranteed to you by the collective agreement as additional funding for priority pool members.
The fellowship is applied to your student account once per term and will be applied against your tuition if you have any amounts owing. The amount of your fellowship depends on your degree program, your visa status, and (for international PhD students) your year of study.
| Master’s | PhD | |
| Domestic Students | $5,403 ($1,801/term) | $5,403 ($1,801/term) |
| International Students | $8,467 (2,822.33/term) | $8,467 in years 1-2 (2,822.33/term)$7,837 in years 3+ ($2,612.33/term) |
International Tuition Offset
Visa students who pay higher international tuition fees will receive the International Tuition Offset (ITO) to index their fees to the 2012 amount. This was a provision we enforced through the 2015 strike to protect international student members. The ITO is applied once per term to your student account and will be applied to your tuition if you have an amount owing.
| International Master’s Students | $7,533 ($2511/term) |
| International PhD Students | $6,709 ($2236.33/term) |
Duration of Funding
Master’s students receive funding for the duration specified in their offer letter. PhD students who are in the Priority Pool (i.e. who have held at least one TAship during their PhD) are guaranteed work and the associated funding for 6 years.
However there are some reductions in funding in the 6th year: you will receive your wages, vacation pay, and GIA for Fall/Winter, as well as GFA and ITO (if applicable) all year, but not your fellowship amount.
If your degree progress has been impacted by illness, injury, disability, family status, or service on the union executive or bargaining team, you may be entitled to a funding extension. Extension requests are for a maximum of 12 months at one time, so if you are entitled to multiple extensions, you will need to reapply.
Members considering extensions are strongly recommended to contact Nadia Kanani, Equity Officer (cupe3903equity@gmail.com) before applying. You can also contact the union at any point in the process if you need support, including help appealing negative decisions.
How Scholarships Impact Funding and TA Allocations
If you receive an external scholarship of more than $5000, that amount will be clawed back from your fellowship amount. So for example, a domestic PhD student with an OGS ($15,000) would receive $403 as their fellowship amount for the year ($5403 minus $5000).
Members with large scholarships may also be only offered a 0.5 TAship, depending on availability. This is not a requirement. If there is work available and it is offered to you, your department cannot deny you the opportunity simply because you hold a large scholarship.