Funding
Finding financial support for your LLM or PhD
We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, and other forms of financial support potentially available to our graduate students.
Schulich School of Law awards
The Schulich School of Law has some scholarship money made available through endowments for graduate students. These funds are awarded by the Graduate Studies Committee. Taking the LLM on a part-time basis renders you ineligible for Schulich-specific financial support.
Schulich Graduate Scholarships
There are three Schulich graduate scholarships – one for a PhD student and two for LLM students.
Law Foundation of Nova Scotia Millennium Graduate Fellowship
Our Graduate Studies Committee allocates fellowships from this C$20,000 fund to students who have demonstrated superior academic performance.
Roy A Jodrey Scholarship in Law
The will of the late Roy A Jodrey provided for an annual scholarship of varying value to one of our graduate students.
Fielding Sherwood Memorial Fund
On the advice of our Graduate Studies Committtee, our Associate Dean annually awards a scholarship of varying amounts to one LLM or PhD student whose work relates in some way to fisheries, ocean research or the environment.
George C Thompson Fellowship in Law
This fellowship, the amount of which varies, is usually awarded to a Dalhousie JD graduate undertaking our LLM degree. Students who combine scholarly achievement and athletic involvement throughout their university career receive preference.
HAJ Wedderburn Scholarship in Law
The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) created this scholarship to recognize HAJ Wedderburn's work to ensure equal access to justice for the province's black people. Each year, the scholarship awards a varying amount to a black Nova Scotian enrolled in either the LLM or PhD program.
Ronald St John Macdonald Graduate Fellowship in Law
This annual fellowship, created to support one of our graduates studying international or human rights law, honours the late Ronald St John Macdonald. A former dean and European Court of Human Rights judge, John was instrumental in developing our graduate studies program.
J Gerald Godsoe Scholarship in Law
The J Gerald Godsoe Scholarship is awarded to scholars who have demonstrated, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, a particular interest in work on current issues of social and public policy facing Canadian society.
Dalhousie University awards
Dalhousie University has a number of awards potentially available to graduate students in law.
They are managed through the Harmonized Scholarship Process which allows for a current/prospective student to be considered for several FGS-managed scholarships using a single application, including the Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, Killam Predoctoral Scholarships, James Robinson Johnston Graduate Entrance Scholarship for African Canadians, African Nova Scotian Graduate Scholarship, Indigenous Graduate Scholarship, Vitamin Scholarship and the Abdul Majid Bader Graduate Scholarship.
All required application material must be submitted via the Online Scholarship Platform. Late submission may result in your application not being eligible for review. Only one Harmonized Scholarship application will be accepted per student per year.
For more information and to apply, please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.
Faculty-supported & research-related funding
Some faculty members may be able to offer research funding on the basis of research grants. Research areas, faculty member in charge and amounts may change every year.
Funded Opportunities @ Dalhousie University, Halifax
PhD - Food Waste, Municipal Law/Policy and Governance
Applications are now open for a funded PhD position to study issues in food waste and loss, municipal law and policy, governance, and the circular economy in Canada. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research group supervised by Dr. Jamie Baxter at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax. The position begins as soon as possible and no later than September 2025. It is funded at $45,000 per year for up to two years.
Candidates must apply and be selected independently for admission through the Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies to either the PhD program in law at the Schulich School of Law (application deadline December 1, 2024) or the Interdiciplinary PhD Program (application deadline November 22, 2024). While applicants to the PhD program will be given preference for this funding opportunity, consideration will also be extended to students with a first law degree who apply to the LLM program at the Schulich School of Law and who have an interest in continuing in the PhD program.
For more information, please view the full Call for Applications.
LLM - Governing Soil Data for Sustainable Agriculture
Applications are now open for a funded LLM (Master of Laws) position to study legal and policy issues in soil data sharing and data governance as part of a multi-disciplinary project hosted at Dalhousie: Transforming Canada’s Soil Data Infrastructure to Facilitate GHG Reductions and Climate Change Mitigation. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research group supervised by Dr. Jamie Baxter at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University in Halifax. The position begins September 2025 and is funded at $30,000 per year for up to two years.
Candidates must apply and be selected independently for admission through the Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies to the LLM program in law at the Schulich School of Law (application deadline December 1, 2024). Please send the following application materials directly to Dr. Jamie Baxter at jamie.baxter@dal.ca with the subject line “Governing Soil Data LLM Application”: (1) a letter of intent describing your interest in the project and your relevant qualifications and experience; (2) CV; (3) university transcripts; and (4) contact details for two references. Applications for the position will be accepted immediately and remain open until the position is filled.
For more information, please view the full Call for Applications.
LLM - Aquaculture Law and Policy - Unlocking Just Ocean-based Climate Solutions
Applications are now open for a funded LLM (Master of Laws) position to complete an LLM thesis designed to clarify the Canadian and provincial (Atlantic provinces) law and propose transformative regulatory or policy reforms for sustainable, resilient and just aquaculture as a mitigation and adaptation solution. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research group supervised by Patrícia Galvão Ferreira, Associate Professor, and Cecilia Engler, Postdoctoral Fellow. The position begins September 2025 and is funded at $30,000 for one year.
Candidates must apply and be selected independently for admission through the Dalhousie Faculty of Graduate Studies to the LLM program in law at the Schulich School of Law (application deadline January 15, 2024). Be sure to mention this project in your application package motivation letter.
For more information, please view the full Call for Applications.
External awards
Many organizations outside Dal offer awards to our graduate students. Some of these are listed in the table below. Please bear in mind that applications for these awards may be due almost a year before our usual September enrolment.
Applications for these awards must be made by students directly to the relevant organization(s).
Organization |
Amount |
| Canadian Energy Law Foundation - Master's & Doctoral | $20,000 |
| CIHR F Banting/C Best Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master's | $17,500 |
| CIHR F Banting/C Best Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral | $35,000 |
| International Council for Canadian Studies | $3,500 |
| Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Scotia Scholarship | $10,000 |
| Tri-Agency CGS-M (Masters) | $17,500 |
| Tri-Agency CGS-D (PhD) | $35,000 |
| Trudeau Scholarships | $40,000 |
| Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships | $50,000 |
| Viscount Bennett Fellowship | $40,000 |
