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Graduate student awards

External awards for domestic graduate students


External awards for international graduate students


Other external awards

  • Autism Scholars Award (closed)

    The Autism Scholars Awards Program was established with the support of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent scholars studying autism.

    Internal deadline: December 1

    • Master's: $18,000
    • Doctoral: $20,000

    Visit Autism Scholars award website

  • Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate Scholarship (closed)

    In Ms. Lassonde’s memory, one $15,000 award is granted to a woman studying engineering full-time at the PhD level.

    This is an ambassadorial award and applicants must demonstrate they are leaders, ambassadors for the profession and serve as role models for other women who dream of becoming engineers.

    Eligibility:

    • Must self-identify as a female
    • Possess Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residency Status
    • Be currently enrolled full-time at a PhD level in an accredited Engineering Program within Canada
    • Must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited Canadian engineering program, or have a P. Eng. designation or be a recognized E.I.T. in their province of residence.

    VISIT Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate AWARD WEBSITE

  • John Charles Polanyi Prizes for postdoctoral research (closed)
    To honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Ontario Government established a fund to award John Charles Polanyi Prizes annually to up to five outstanding researchers or scholars who are in the early stages of their careers and at Ontario universities.
    • Resident of Ontario
    • Have received their doctoral degree from any recognized university in the world on or after September 1, 2020, or, if the doctoral degree has not yet been awarded, be confident that they will have completed all degree requirements by May 31, 2024 (an applicant who was on parental leave between the time of completion of the doctorate and the time of application may have their period of eligibility extended by six months);
    • Either be planning to continue to post-doctoral studies, or hold a faculty appointment, in a recognized publicly assisted university in Ontario.
    • $20,000
    • Internal deadline: December 1

    VISIT John Charles Polanyi AWARD WEBSITE

  • MacKenzie King Scholarship (closed)

    Two classes of Mackenzie King Scholarship are available to graduates of Canadian universities: the Open Scholarship and the Travelling Scholarship. Both are to support graduate study.

    The Open Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in any discipline, in Canada or elsewhere.  One Open Scholarship is awarded each year. 

    The Travelling Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in the United States or the United Kingdom in the areas of international relations or industrial relations.  

    • Open scholarship: One award valued at $11,000
    • Travelling scholarship: Four awards valued at $12,500

    Deadline: February 1, 2022

    LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MACKENZIE KING SCHOLARSHIP

  • Ontario Women's Health Scholars Awards (closed)

    The Ontario Women’s Health Scholars Awards Program was established with the support of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to ensure that Ontario attracts and retains pre-eminent scholars studying women’s health.

    Internal deadline: December 1

    For the academic year 2024-25, the program offers up to:

    • two one-year awards of $25,000 (plus a research allowance of $1,000) at the master’s level;
    • three renewable one-year awards of $35,000 (plus a research allowance of $2,000) at the doctoral level; and
    • two one-year awards of $50,000 (plus a research allowance of $5,000) at the postdoctoral level.

    VISIT Ontario Women's Health Scholars AWARD WEBSITE


Donor awards


Grad Conference Travel Awards

  • Overview

    The Graduate Student Research Travel Award provides financial support to graduate students in thesis-based programs who are attending and presenting research at academic or professional conferences.

    Learn more about Conference Travel Award


Receiving your award (OGS, OGSST, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, donor and other)

  • Acceptance and activation
    Accept the offer of award from the agency following the instructions provided in the offer letter, and then activate it for payment by completing the required agency forms.

    Review the harmonized Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder's Guide.

    Initiate the payment process at Ontario Tech University by completing the Graduate Award Activation Form.
  • Annual progress reports (doctoral students)
    Any student who holds a NSERC multi-year award at the doctoral level must fill out an annual progress report in order to receive the next three terms of the award.

    These reports need to be submitted each year as per the following schedule:

    • April 1 – May anniversaries
    • July 1 – September anniversaries
    • December 1 – January anniversaries
     Completed forms and questions can be directed to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
  • Revised funding
    Recipients of external scholarships and fellowships may have their funding package reviewed. Revised funding may be issued for the duration of the award.
  • Method of payment

    At Ontario Tech University the annual value of an award is divided into three equal installments and each is pre-paid to the award holder’s tuition account at the beginning of every term (September, January and May), unless otherwise specified by the agency. Payments are made before the tuition payment deadline and until the award has expired or until the student no longer meets the eligibility requirements outlined by the scholarship program(s).

    These external organizations may require students who are completing their degree early to repay a portion of the scholarship.

  • Income tax reporting

    T4A slips for scholarships and bursaries are issued by the finance department and can be viewed by signing in to MyOntarioTech. For questions or concerns, please contact studentar@ontariotechu.ca.

    Questions can be directed to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (905.721.8668 ext. 6209 or gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca).


Download Grad Studies Guidebook Scholarship Tips and Tricks