University of Toronto St George campus quad in autumn with stone academic buildings.

Canada Annual — awarded through PhD admission/nomination cycles; align with your programme's main admission deadline (often December/January)

UBC Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)

The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) is the University of British Columbia's flagship funding package for top PhD students — and crucially it is open to international applicants, not just Canadians. It guarantees four years of support combining a living stipend (at least CAD 18,200, with most programmes topping this up well past CAD 24,000) plus full tuition coverage, for both incoming and continuing doctoral students. There is no separate application: PhD programmes nominate their strongest candidates, so the practical route for a Sri Lankan applicant is to secure admission to a strong UBC doctoral programme and a supportive supervisor, then be put forward for the 4YF. UBC is consistently ranked among the world's top 40 universities.

University of British Columbia (UBC)

University-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Stipend

≥CAD 18,200/yr (often CAD 24k+ with top-up)

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Tuition

Full doctoral tuition covered

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Duration

4 years guaranteed

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Eligibility

Domestic & international PhD students

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Outstanding Academic Record

A first-class academic profile and strong research potential. Sri Lankan applicants with a research Master's, a solid thesis, and publications are well-positioned for nomination.

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Admission to a UBC PhD

You must be admitted (or be applying) to a doctoral programme at UBC. The 4YF supports both newly admitted and continuing PhD students within their first years.

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Programme Nomination

There is no direct application — departments nominate their best candidates. Securing a committed supervisor and a strong admission file is how you get put forward.

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English Proficiency

Standard UBC graduate English requirements apply unless waived. Many Sri Lankan English-medium degrees qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver.

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Open to Internationals

Unlike Canada's tri-council awards (which favour citizens/PRs), the 4YF is explicitly available to international doctoral students, making it a key route for Sri Lankans.

account_tree Application Process

Identify a programme and supervisor

Find a UBC doctoral programme and a potential supervisor whose research matches yours. Email them early with your CV and research interests — supervisor support drives nomination.

Apply for PhD admission

Submit a strong doctoral admission application by the programme's deadline (often December/January) with transcripts, references, a research statement, and English proof.

Be nominated for the 4YF

Departments review their admitted/continuing students and nominate the strongest for the 4YF. There is no separate form — your admission file is your application.

Award and start

Nominated students receive the multi-year funding offer alongside or after their admission offer. UBC's international office supports study-permit processing.

About UBC

The University of British Columbia, with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, is consistently ranked among the world's top 40 universities and Canada's top research institutions. The 4YF is one of the few major Canadian doctoral packages explicitly open to international students, and Canada's post-graduation work permit lets PhD graduates stay and work for up to three years.