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Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and health.

Applicants wishing to apply for a Vanier CGS must do so through the Canadian university where they are pursuing their doctoral studies.

  • Value
    $50,000 per year for up to three years.
  • Quota
    The university may submit one nominee for each of the three scholarships available:
    • One for Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • One for Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
    • One for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
  • Deadline

    The deadline for all candidates to submit their application packages to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) is Friday, September 13, 2024. To complete your application, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) must receive all of your post-secondary transcripts.

  • Eligibility

    To be considered for a Vanier CGS, applicants must:

    • Be nominated by only one Canadian university, which has received a Vanier C​GS allocation.
    • Be pursuing the first doctoral degree (or combined MA/PhD or MD/PhD). Note that only the PhD portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding.
    • Intend to pursue, in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results, full-time doctoral (or combined MA/PhD or MD/PhD) studies and research at the nominating university.
    • Have completed no more than 20 months of doctoral studies as of May 1, 2025 (calculating months of doctoral studies).
    • Have completed no more than 32 months of full-time study in the doctoral program (i.e., joint graduate research program, directly from bachelor's, previously enrolled without obtaining master's degree), by May 1, 2025)
    • Have achieved a first-class average (A-) in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent as determined by Ontario Tech University
    • Not hold, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, SSHRC or NSERC to undertake or complete a doctoral degree.

    Mobility: Current Ontario Tech University students must include a strong and compelling justification as to why they have chosen the same/nominating institution to undertake their doctoral studies.

    Applicants must ask those writing referees assessments to review instructions available here:

    For full eligibility criteria and program details, visit the Vanier CGS website.

  • Nomination process
    Applicants must:
    • Be nominated by the institution at which they wish to study and hold the award.
    • Receive the endorsement of SGPS through faculty selection and university-wide selection process.
    • Submit a completed Vanier CGS application using the ResearchNet application system.
  • Timelines
    • Ontario Tech submission deadline: September 13, 2024.
    • Results released: Spring 2025.