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Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral (CGS D​) Program​

The Canada Graduate Scholarships — Doctoral (CGS D) program is a federal program of scholarships administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Scholarships are awarded through national competitions by these three granting agencies.

The CGS D program supports and promotes research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of natural sciences and engineering, health and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. This support allows scholars to concentrate on their doctoral studies more fully, to seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields and to contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.

Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS-M) Program

​The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS M) Program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies. The Tri-council allocates CGS M awards to universities specifying the number of awards that each may offer to their students annually. CGS M awards can only be offered to students pursing graduate studies at eligible Canadian universities, and the award must be held at the university that has made the offer.

 

MINDS Master’s Scholarships for Indigenous Students
The Department of National Defence (DND) has partnered with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to deliver the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) scholarship initiative. The MINDS program, which comprises five pillars, is committed to fostering the next generation of security and defence scholars in the Canadian academic community and to encouraging a strong Canadian knowledge base in contemporary defence and security issues.

The MINDS Master’s Scholarships for Indigenous Students, valued at $17,500, are award supplements offered to successful Canada Graduate Scholarship—Masters (CGS M) applicants who self-identify as Indigenous and whose studies relate to defence and security.

Interested students must apply via the CGS M application form, and must complete the MINDS supplement module, which includes a statement of thematic relevance. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see the MINDS program description. The deadline to apply is December 2.

 

Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements
The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative will provide financial support to meritorious Indigenous students who have applied to the NSERC and SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholars — Master’s program. To be considered, applicants must be eligible to apply to the CGS M program, self-identify as Indigenous for the purposes of this initiative, and have had their application deemed meritorious in the CGS M review process. Applicants who are successful in this competition will be asked to provide documentation to support their affirmation of Indigenous citizenship or membership before receiving their award. For detailed instructions on how to apply, see the pilot initiative description. The deadline to apply is December 2.

 

Black Student Researchers
The Government of Canada has deployed additional funds to increase direct support for Black student researchers. CGS M applicants who self-identify as Black and provide consent in their application to be considered for funds designated for specific groups may be able to receive this funding through a scholarship as part of this initiative. Each agency has a limited number of additional CGS M awards reserved for this initiative. For more information, consult the Frequently asked questions about the new Black scholars funding web page.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Since 1975, the OGS program has been providing merit-based scholarships to Ontario’s best graduate students in all disciplines of academic study. The scholarship program at U of T is jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto. The Province allocates OGS awards to universities specifying the number of awards that each may offer to their students annually.

Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science & Technology

The Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII‐GSST) program is designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies in science and technology. The program is supported through funds provided by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and funds raised by the University of Toronto from the private sector.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

Sunsetting of the Vanier program
The current Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (results released in mid-April 2025) will be the final competitions for these programs.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering and Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are working to offer a harmonized and streamlined suite of research training support programs that are responsive to the needs of the research community. We anticipate that more details about these programs will become available later this year.

The Vanier 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 social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health. The Vanier CGS program strongly encourages candidates to pursue their studies beyond the university that granted their previous degree(s).