The term “quota” refers to the maximum number of applications an institution can forward to each agency’s national competition. Institutions receive separate quotas from each agency (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). AU’s quotas are as follows:
- SSHRC: 3
- NSERC: 3
- CIHR: 0
Value and duration: $40,000 per year for 36 months
If you are applying through an institution, you must submit your application by the deadline set by AU.
Oct. 1, before 11:59 p.m. (Mountain): AU internal deadline to submit completed application through the appropriate portal (see Application procedures).
Oct. 2 to 25: FGS Awards Review Committee reviews applications for eligibility and merit. Meritorious applications may receive feedback and students’ applications may be returned to them for revisions.
Nov. 15 before 11:59 p.m. (Mountain): Deadline to submit final draft of CGS D application through the appropriate portal (see Application Procedures).
Nov. 21: Deadline for institutions to submit nominations to the CGS D program.
April: Applicants whose applications were submitted to the agencies, whether directly or via their institution, will be notified of results by April 30.
To be eligible to hold your award at an international degree-granting institution, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the application deadline; and
- have completed at least one previous undergraduate or graduate degree at a Canadian institution.
Up to 20% of all doctoral awards will be available to be held abroad.
To be eligible to apply, you must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time equivalent study in the doctoral program, the PhD portion of the joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD) or the joint program (such as MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD) for which you are requesting funding by December 31 of the calendar year of your application.
Eligibility for CGRS D is based on the number of months of full-time study, including summer months, toward the degree for which you are requesting funding by Dec. 31 of the calendar year of application.
Note: The agencies count all studies toward the doctoral degree for which funding is requested, whether or not they were completed at the degree-granting institution.
- Fast-track programs: If you were enrolled in a master’s program and subsequently transferred to a doctoral program (fast-track), the months of study completed are calculated starting from the date on which you transferred into the doctoral program.
- Joint programs: If you are enrolled in a joint program and will obtain a master’s degree as part of the program (for example, MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date on which you officially enrolled in either portion of the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
- Joint professional undergraduate/PhD programs: If you are enrolled in a joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD), only the months of study in the PhD portion will be counted.
Other restrictions
- You can submit a maximum of one Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master's (CGRS M), Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D), or Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. If you submit more than one application, only the eligible application submitted first will be retained.
- You can apply a maximum of three times to the CGRS D.
- You cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC (including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship).
- ·You cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment or be on leave from such an appointment concurrently with your CGRS D award (some exceptions apply; see the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide for details).
For full details, visit Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral Program.
You should complete the agency application that is best aligned with your research subject matter to ensure that it is reviewed by experts in disciplines closest to your field(s) of study. For more information refer to Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency.
To complete the application process, refer to the appropriate agency’s application website and instructions.
Incomplete applications will be rejected from the competition.
Where to submit an application
You must apply either through a Canadian institution or directly to the appropriate agency depending on your registration status at the application deadline date and/or your registration status in the calendar year of application. Failure to submit an application through the correct channel will result in your application being rejected.
To determine the correct channel, you must:
If you are unsure of your registration status in the calendar year of application, contact your faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent).
The FGS Awards Review Committee will review all applications for eligibility and merit. Meritorious applications may receive feedback and students’ applications may be returned to them for revisions. Top applications will be submitted to the agencies by FGS based on AU’s quotas.
The evaluation of CGRS D applications, whether by institutions or the agencies, is based on the following criteria:
- Research ability and potential (50%)
- Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia (50%)
Applicants whose applications were submitted to the agencies, whether directly or via their institution, will be notified of results by April 30.
The agencies will publish the names (and other basic award information) of scholarship recipients on their respective websites.