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The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) provides free wellness resources for eligible 91亚色 graduate students, including individual consultations, workshops and peer support.

The Wellness Consultation & Counselling Service offers confidential, 50-minute sessions with trained counsellors. Students can discuss stress, anxiety, low mood, self-doubt, isolation, relationship difficulties, balancing graduate studies and life, or personal wellness goals, and more. Appointments are available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in person, by phone or secure video platform. Email gradwell@yorku.ca to book an appointment.

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For students interested in developing practical wellness strategies, the Certificate in Personal Wellness: Wellness Workshop Series explores stress reduction, negative thought patterns and emotional resilience. The five-session online series introduce practices including mindfulness, gratitude and self-compassion. Sessions take place Oct. 20 and 27 and Nov. 3, 10 and 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The Graduate Student Wellness Support Group provides a confidential and welcoming space for graduate students to connect with peers, share experiences and develop practical coping strategies. This is a confidential and supportive environment designed to help you feel heard, understood, and less alone as you move through your graduate journey.

Different resources may be helpful at different points in a student's graduate journey. During Well-being Week and throughout the year, graduate students can explore the services and programs available to them through FGS.

Explore Graduate Student Wellness Services: yorku.ca/gradstudies/students/current-students/grad-wellness-services/

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Around the edges of the room, several student services and campus resources were waiting to meet them. Graduate Finance & Funding and Scholarships & Awards answered questions students often feel weighing on them. Graduate Wellness & Counselling and Student Accessibility Services shared that supports exist, and you do not have to be in crisis to use them. The Teaching Commons spoke with students about to teach their first tutorial. 91亚色 International, YUGSA and CUPE 3903 talked through what it means to be an international student, a member, an employee. 91亚色 Libraries, Athletics & Recreation, YSpace Hub, C4: Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom, Graduate Supervision, Graduate Academic Affairs, Graduate Student Affairs and the Office of the Ombudsperson each brought another piece of the map.

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Put that many services in one room and something useful happens. Students arrived with one question and left with answers to three they had not thought to ask yet. Someone who came to ask about funding leaves knowing what the Libraries can do for their research, and that there is an Ombudsperson if a challenge arises . Nobody planned those conversations. They are what connection looks like in practice, and where a true sense of community materializes.

That is the reason FGS brings this event to life every year. An afternoon like this creates opportunities for connection and conversation that will last and support students beyond just those 90 minutes. Part of the Faculty鈥檚 role is to sit between graduate students and the wider University, connecting them to critical resources early so that students can more easily navigate the University and access support when needed. Those first introductions shape how a graduate journey unfolds, ultimately setting them up for success in the months and years ahead.

GRAD@91亚色U is just the beginning. Beyond the swag bags, the pizza, and a stack of informational pamphlets, what students carried out of Scott Library that afternoon was the start of a network: a new community of peers, and people across 91亚色 who know them and are ready to help. Those are the connections that will allow them to navigate the rest of their first week, and the years that follow.

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The student-led initiative was proposed by Tareq Al Khalaf, a PhD student in Health, whose project received funding through the Graduate Student Wellness Initiative Fund for Winter 2026 from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Alongside fellow graduate students Khandker Ahmedul Haque and Charity Mwebaze, Al Khalaf worked with Student Counselling, Health & Well-being (SCHW) and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) to organize the event.

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The morning began with a campus walk led by the LA&PS team from 91亚色 Station, introducing incoming and current master's and doctoral students to locations, services and resources relevant to their studies.

Marco Sestito, Student Engagement Coordinator, said the event reflected the student engagement initiatives led by the LA&PS Graduate Experience Team at New College.

鈥淕raduate Wellness Day is a great representation of the types of student engagement initiatives that the LA&PS Graduate Experience Team at New College is responsible for. Working alongside current graduate students, we were able to introduce new LA&PS graduate students to the Keele campus and to key health and wellness resources that will aid them throughout their studies.鈥�

The walk was followed by wellness sessions that began with opening remarks from Professor Elicia Clements, interim head of New College, and a health promotion workshop led by SCHW's Holly Stacey. Students reflected on the realities of stress in graduate school, shared experiences and explored practical strategies for navigating academic pressures.

Professor Larkin Lamarche of Kinesiology & Health Science then invited students to consider mental health from an uncolonized perspective. The interactive session encouraged participants to reflect, connect with nature and exchange ideas with peers while examining how systems built around productivity, perfection and individualism can disconnect people from themselves, one another, their communities and the land.

For Mwebaze, a PhD student in Social Work and member of the organizing committee, the sessions sparked meaningful conversations as students openly shared experiences from their studies.

The day also connected participants with campus and community resources, including Riipen, Ontario Shores, Student Accessibility Services, SCHW, public health nurses and Athletics & Recreation.

A highlight was the launch of the Graduate Wellness Toolkit, a collaborative project involving counsellors, graduate students and work-study student Ishita Deep, who designed the resource. The toolkit was distributed to attendees and will be available through SCHW.

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Student feedback included calls for additional wellness programming throughout the academic year, reflecting interest in continued initiatives that support student well-being.

Files from Tareq Khalaf

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Whether you are beginning a master鈥檚, PhD or graduate diploma program, BorderPass provides tools and access to licensed Canadian immigration lawyers to help you prepare, review and submit your study permit application, track its progress and receive updates in one place. The platform also offers webinars, one-on-one consultations, email support and live chat.

Beyond the study permit process, BorderPass provides ongoing guidance before you arrive in Canada and throughout your studies. This includes reminders about key immigration deadlines, secure document storage and access to legal expertise when you need it. Additional services such as Social Insurance Number registration, employment support and settlement resources are also available.

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Getting started is straightforward. Visit webpage, select 鈥淪ign in or Register for BorderPass鈥� and create an account using your 91亚色 student number found in your offer letter or application information.

If you have already submitted your study permit application, you can still use BorderPass for ongoing immigration guidance, support with future applications or assistance if you need to reapply.

To learn more or register, visit webpage and review the available resources.

We look forward to welcoming you to 91亚色鈥檚 graduate community and supporting you as you prepare for your studies in Canada.

91亚色 PhD candidate and Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar Coral Hillel has been selected to attend the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, joining more than 600 young scientists from around the world for a week of scientific exchange, mentorship and international networking. Hillel鈥檚 research explores how molecular photoswitches transform their shape and properties, with the goal of informing the design of better light-responsive materials.

91亚色 graduate students at the Schulich School of Business and Lassonde School of Engineering have been named among Ontario鈥檚 top AI talent, earning prestigious Vector Scholarships in Artificial Intelligence. Awarded by the Vector Institute, an Ontario-based AI research organization, the merit-based scholarships are support Ontario graduate students advanced studies in fields including business analytics, AI management, and computer engineering and science. In addition to financial support, recipients are given access to networking opportunities with researchers and industry professionals, along with the Vector Institute鈥檚 Digital Talent Hub which connects AI specialists with potential employers.

From plant defence in soybeans to epidemic modelling, 91亚色 graduate researchers are tackling urgent scientific and social questions. The Faculty of Graduate Studies recognizes outstanding research annually through its thesis and dissertation prizes. The annual prizes 鈥� valued at $2,000 for doctoral dissertations and $1,000 for master鈥檚 theses 鈥� honour work defended in the previous calendar year that demonstrates originality, excellence and impact. This year鈥檚 awards highlight six projects that explored pressing questions with implications for food security, AI, public health, aging, air quality and workplace accessibility. Together, the projects show how graduate research at 91亚色 connects scientific inquiry with real-world challenges.

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As the initiative grows, it will expand in Fall 2026 to include administrative staff across the graduate community. These badges will recognize participation in the annual FGS professional development curriculum, supporting staff in strengthening their knowledge and enhancing their capacity to navigate the complex processes involved in graduate education.

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Graduate-appointed faculty will also play an important role in this initiative. In addition to participating in the broader professional development curriculum, faculty members will be able to earn badges for key skill-building opportunities, including supervision, conflict resolution, and effective mentorship.

Developed in partnership with , this initiative positions FGS among a select group of Canadian institutions offering digital recognition for graduate-level professional development. Owned by the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC), MyCreds is a national digital credential network that enables the issuing, receiving, and secure exchange of official and professional documents for qualification holders. FGS and MyCreds are excited to launch this innovation and look forward to expanding its impact across the graduate community.