The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D) program is to promote continued excellence in Canadian research by rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the CGS D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.
The CGS D program supports and promotes research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. This support allows scholars to fully concentrate on their doctoral studies, seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields, and contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.
UPDATE (Sept. 29, 2023)
The SSHRC Doctoral Awards competition portal continues to be offline until system updates can be made. They anticipate the Doctoral Awards competition portal will be live on October 5. Please reference their website for more information and regular updates.
Given the challenge SSHRC doctoral applicants are experiencing, we are extending the internal application deadline FOR SSHRC APPLICANTS ONLY to Tuesday, October 10 by 9:59 p.m. (Mountain). NSERC CGS D applicants are expected to submit their applications by the internal deadline indicated below.
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
$35,000 per year for 36 months
If you are applying through an institution, you must submit your application by the deadline set by AU. If you are eligible to apply directly to 1 of the agencies (consult “Where should I submit my application?”), you must submit using the appropriate agency application portal before 6:00 p.m. (Mountain) on Oct. 17. If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications can be submitted the following business day before 6:00 p.m. (Mountain). Incomplete applications will be rejected.
Oct. 3, 2023, before 9:59 p.m. (Mountain): AU internal deadline to submit a completed application through the appropriate portal (see Application procedures).
Oct. 3 to 20, 2023: 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, 2023, before 11:59 p.m. (Mountain): Deadline to submit the final draft of CGS D application through the appropriate portal (see Application Procedures).
Nov. 21, 2023: Deadline for institutions to submit nominations to the CGS D program.
April 2024: 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 apply, you must
be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the application deadline
have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in your doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if previously enrolled in a graduate program
Eligibility for CGS 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. Two terms of part-time study count as 1 term of full-time study.
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 and joint programs
If you were registered 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 you transferred into the doctoral program.
If you are registered in a joint program, and a master’s degree is obtained as part of the program (for example, MA/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date on which you are officially registered in the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
Other restrictions
You can submit a maximum of 1 scholarship or fellowship application per academic year to CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. Should more than 1 application be submitted, the eligible application submitted first chronologically will be retained. Nominations to the Vanier CGS program and applications to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program do not count toward this limit (other exceptions may apply to CIHR internships).
You cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC (does not apply to CIHR Fellowships).
You cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment concurrently with your CGS D award.
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:
determine if an institution has a quota for your selected agency
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 CGS 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.
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral program
The NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral (PGS D) program provides financial support to high-calibre students who are engaged in an eligible doctoral program in the natural sciences or engineering. This support allows these scholars to fully concentrate on their studies and seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields.
Applications to the PGS D program will automatically be considered for the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D) Award. If your application is 1 of the highest scored applications, you will be offered a CGS D. If your application is among the next tier of meritorious applications, you will be offered a PGS D. If your application is 1 of the lower scored applications, you will not be offered an award.
The NSERC PGS D program is valued at $21,000 per year for 3 years.
The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are expected to respond to the objectives of the Talent program.
The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships support high-calibre students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities. This support allows scholars to fully focus on their doctoral studies, 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.
SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are valued at $20,000 per year for 12, 24, 36, or 48 months, up to a total of $80,000. SSHRC determines the value and duration of an award based on the number of months of full-time study (or equivalent) the applicant will have completed by Dec. 31 of the calendar year of application.
Supplements of up to $6,000 are available to active CGS (master’s or doctoral) or eligible Vanier CGS holders to help offset the costs of undertaking research studies outside Canada for a defined period.
The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements are available to Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada or Protected Persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) who hold a Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) at the master’s or doctoral level, or a Vanier CGS at the doctoral level.
Department of National Defence MINDS Scholarship Initiative
The Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program of the Department of National Defence 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. To this end, the MINDS program has partnered with SSHRC to deliver the MINDS Scholarship Initiative.
This initiative offers research training awards and supplements to master’s and doctoral students and to postdoctoral researchers in the social sciences and humanities whose work is related to 1 or more of the MINDS Policy Challenges and/or Canada’s defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged.
MINDS Initiative Doctoral Awards: $35,000 per year for up to 36 months
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Aquatic Science Supplements
This supplement provides financial support to high-calibre students working toward degrees in ocean science and related research areas of relevance to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
To be eligible for this supplement, you must hold an active PGS/CGS D award, and your research project must fall within 1 or more of the research areas of relevance to DFO.