UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship

The UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) is a fully funded doctoral award from the University of British Columbia in Canada. UBC offers it to outstanding PhD, DMA and MDPhD students, giving a $24,000 annual stipend effective September 2026 plus tuition coverage for up to four years.

It is open to both domestic and international doctoral students across UBC graduate programs. The tuition award is applied against tuition charges rather than waived outright. Each graduate program sets its own deadline, and applicants offered admission are automatically considered. Read on for eligibility, benefits and application steps.

The UBC 4YF provides significant financial support for doctoral students.

Benefits include:

• $24,000 annual stipend effective September 2026.
• Tuition coverage through a tuition award applied against the student's tuition charges.
• Funding for up to four years under the applicable 4YF rules.
• Support for both domestic and international doctoral students.
• Stable base-level funding for doctoral study and research.

The current 4YF guidelines clarify that tuition is not literally waived; instead, a tuition award equal to the applicable tuition assessment is applied against the student's tuition charges, subject to the program's funding rules.

Is the UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship Fully Funded?

The UBC 4YF provides $24,000 per year plus tuition coverage, making it a substantial doctoral funding package.

However, applicants should understand that the official terminology describes the award as a $24,000 stipend plus full tuition coverage, rather than claiming that every living or personal expense in Canada is separately funded. The stipend is intended to provide base-level financial support while students undertake their doctoral studies and research.

The actual duration and value of funding can also be affected by other scholarships, previous doctoral study, transfers between programs and the student's funding history.

The UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship supports:

• PhD programs
• Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) programs
• MDPhD programs during the PhD portion of the program

The fellowship can provide funding for up to four years, although the actual duration may be shorter in some circumstances. Continued funding is conditional on satisfactory academic progress.

The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship is available across UBC graduate programs that offer eligible doctoral degrees.

The official UBC page does not restrict the fellowship to a particular academic discipline. Examples of doctoral fields represented among current 4YF award holders include:

• Forestry
• Botany
• Law
• Population and Public Health
• Geography
• Linguistics
• Nursing
• English
• Applied Animal Biology
• Other eligible doctoral disciplines

Students should check the specific graduate program's admission requirements because eligibility for the fellowship is connected to admission and selection within the relevant UBC graduate program.

The UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship is open to:

• Canadian citizens
• Canadian permanent residents
• International students

UBC specifically states that 4YF fellowships may be held by both domestic and international students.

International students are also eligible to compete for other UBC affiliated fellowships if they wish, although they are not required to apply to the annual Affiliated Fellowship competition simply to maintain 4YF eligibility.

To be considered for the UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship, applicants generally need to:

• Apply to an eligible UBC doctoral program.
• Be entering or continuing an eligible full-time PhD, DMA or MDPhD program.
• Meet the admission requirements of the relevant UBC graduate program.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
• Be a domestic or international student.
• Be selected for 4YF funding by the relevant graduate program.

UBC states that the fellowship is generally offered to students beginning their first year of full-time doctoral study, although continuing students may also be offered funding.

There is no separate universal 4YF application form for all applicants. Admission applicants are automatically considered for 4YF funding.

Selection Criteria:

Selection for the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship is based on academic excellence.

Each UBC graduate program receives an allocation of 4YF fellowships and reviews eligible incoming and continuing students. Programs generally give priority to incoming students when making their selections.

Because graduate programs conduct the selection, individual programs may have their own internal processes, timelines and additional requirements.

Step 1: Choose an Eligible UBC Doctoral Program

Identify the UBC graduate program offering the PhD, DMA or MDPhD program that matches your academic background and research interests.

Step 2: Review Program Requirements

Check the graduate program's admission requirements, including academic qualifications, English-language requirements where applicable, research requirements and application deadlines.

Step 3: Prepare Your Graduate Application

Prepare the documents required by your selected UBC graduate program. These may vary depending on the faculty or department.

Step 4: Submit Your UBC Admission Application

Apply for admission to the appropriate UBC graduate program through the university's graduate admission process.

Step 5: Automatic 4YF Consideration

All PhD, DMA and MDPhD applicants who are offered admission are automatically considered for Four Year Doctoral Fellowship funding. There is no separate general 4YF application.

Step 6: Graduate Program Selection

The relevant graduate program reviews its incoming and continuing students and selects recipients based on academic excellence and available fellowship allocations.

Step 7: Accept the Fellowship Offer

Students selected for a 4YF-G award receive an initial notification from their graduate program and must respond according to the instructions in their offer letter. The award is subsequently assigned through UBC's Workday system, where students must accept the online award offer.

Required Documents:

There is no single separate 4YF document checklist because students are considered through the UBC graduate admission process.

Applicants should therefore prepare the documents required by their specific graduate program, which may include:

• Academic transcripts
• Degree certificates
• Curriculum vitae
• Statement of purpose or personal statement
• Research proposal or research statement, where required
• Letters of recommendation
• Proof of English-language proficiency, where applicable
• Other program-specific supporting documents

Applicants should consult their intended UBC graduate program for its exact admission requirements.

Application Deadline:

There is no single university-wide 4YF application deadline.

UBC states that the deadline is set by each UBC graduate program. Students should therefore check the admission deadline for the specific PhD, DMA or MDPhD program they intend to enter.

For 4YF-G recipients, possible fellowship start dates are May 1, September 1 and January 1, with the start date determined by the graduate program.

Fellowship Duration:

The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship can provide funding for a maximum of four years.

However, the exact period of 4YF funding can be affected by the student's doctoral-program timeline and other scholarship funding. UBC's guidelines state that 4YF status and funding are retained for a maximum of four years in total, or until the end of the fifth year of the doctoral program, whichever comes first.

Previous doctoral study at another institution is treated differently depending on the type of 4YF designation and whether that previous study is counted toward the current UBC doctoral program.

Funding for International Students?

International doctoral students are eligible for the UBC 4YF.

International students who receive 4YF funding are not required to apply for the annual Affiliated Fellowship competition to maintain their 4YF eligibility. However, they may apply if they wish to compete for affiliated fellowships that provide higher stipends.

This makes the 4YF particularly relevant to international applicants seeking doctoral funding at UBC.

Other Scholarship Funding:

The 4YF can interact with other internal and external scholarships.

Students receiving certain major external awards may automatically become 4YF designates or become eligible for 4YF tuition and stipend support after their external funding ends, depending on the award and applicable rules.

The 4YF guidelines also contain specific rules for students receiving internal university-wide scholarships. Applicants should review these rules carefully before assuming that all awards can simply be combined at their full values.

Academic Progress Requirements:

Four Year Doctoral Fellowship funding is conditional on maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

UBC also requires doctoral students to advance to candidacy within 36 months of their initial registration. If a student's candidacy is overdue, award funding can be placed on hold until the required paperwork is processed or an approved extension is submitted and processed.

Important Points:

Applicants should remember:

• The UBC 4YF is a doctoral-level funding opportunity.
• It supports PhD, DMA and MDPhD students during the eligible doctoral portion of their program.
• Domestic and international students can hold the fellowship.
• The current stipend is $24,000 per year from September 2026 onward.
• Tuition is covered through a tuition award.
• Funding can continue for up to four years under the applicable rules.
• There is no single central 4YF application deadline.
• Each UBC graduate program sets its own deadline.
• Applicants must first apply for admission to an eligible UBC graduate program.
• PhD, DMA and MDPhD applicants offered admission are automatically considered for 4YF funding.
• Selection is based on academic excellence.
• Graduate programs have a limited number of fellowships each year.
• Incoming students receive priority in the program's selection process.
• Continued funding depends on satisfactory academic progress.
• International students are eligible.
• International students are not required to apply for the annual Affiliated Fellowship competition to maintain 4YF eligibility.
• The fellowship may interact with other internal and external scholarship funding.
• Students should carefully review UBC's 4YF Guidelines before accepting other awards.