The Government of Canada launched the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to strengthen Canada's ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health.
The Vanier Scholarships were named in honour of former Governor General Georges Vanier - statesman and hero. The Vanier CGS program is administered by the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (housed within CIHR) on behalf of Canada's three granting agencies - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
University of Alberta Information
Founded in 1908, University of Alberta is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the medium-sized city of Edmonton (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants), Alberta. This institution has also branch campuses in the following location(s): Camrose. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Alberta, University of Alberta (UofA) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: 35,000-39,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Alberta (UofA) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 111 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on students' past academic record and grades. International students are welcome to apply for enrollment.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants are to review the Vanier CGS program website for complete eligibility criteria and requirements. It is the applicant's responsibility to read all eligibility criteria and instructions and be familiar with the application process before applying. Applications that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria will be deemed ineligible.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and international students are eligible to apply. Joint graduate research programs with a professional degree (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD) as well as clinically-oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are eligible programs if they have a significant autonomous research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as requirement for a completion of the program.
Regardless of disciplines, all prior doctoral-level studies that started in Canada or abroad, are considered in the evaluation of eligibility, and are considered to be continuous, full-time, and uninterrupted unless otherwise confirmed by the institution (including the summer months, unless on official leave). The Vanier-Banting Secretariat will count two months of part-time study as one month of full-time study.
All applicants must:
- be enrolled full-time in a doctoral program no later than January 2026.
- be nominated by only one Canadian institution;
- be pursuing their first doctoral degree (including joint program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, or JD/PhD, MBA/PhD - if it has a demonstrated and significant research component);
- intend to pursue, in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results, full-time doctoral (or a joint graduate research program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD) studies and research at the nominating institution; For joint graduate research programs, only the PhD portion of the program is eligible for funding.
- have completed no more than 20 months of full-time study in the doctoral program as of May 1, 2025;
- The doctoral program would begin after the completion of a master's degree. The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
- 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, transferring or withdrew from program), by May 1, 2025 if:
- enrolled in a joint graduate research program, e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD, MS/PhD, DVM/PhD. Applicants in this category have access to the 32-month window whether or not they were previously enrolled in a master's program:
- The months of study are calculated starting from the date on which an applicant is officially registered in the joint graduate program. (For MA/PhD or MS/PhD, this will be the master's registration date).
- enrolled directly from a bachelor's to a PhD program (without having been previously enrolled in another graduate program);
- The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
- previously enrolled in a master's program without obtaining the degree, transferring or withdrawing from the program and subsequently starting a doctoral program.
- The months of study completed are calculated from the original master's enrolment date.
- have achieved a first-class average (GPA of at least 3.5 on the U of A grading scale) in each of the last two years of full-time study (or equivalent)
- not hold, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral program.
- Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First nation, Inuit and/or Métis) are highly encouraged to apply. The U of A may nominate applicants who wish to self-identify as Indigenous without those nominations being counted towards the university quota.
Offered Benefits
Awarded at $50,000 a year for three years, the Vanier is one of Canada's most prestigious graduate awards.
Application Process
Go to University of Alberta on www.researchnet-recherchenet.ca to apply
This is a direct application, whereby students apply through Vanier’s on-line portal ResearchNet. After university adjudication, candidates selected to be forwarded to the federal competition will require a support letter from their Department (see Nomination Procedures for additional details). Therefore, interested eligible applicants should contact their proposed or admitting Department to notify them of their intent to apply to the Vanier CGS program.
Review The 2024-25 VANIER MEMO STUDENTS & DEPARTMENTS and The VANIER CGS WEBSITE For Program Details and Requirements:
- Applications that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria will be deemed ineligible.
- It is the applicant's responsibility to read all instructions and be familiar with the application and institutional process and requirements before applying.
- Relevant document attachments (CCV, lay abstract, research proposal, project references, and transcripts) required for online application submission can be written and obtained without access to ResearchNet. Due to tight timelines, applicants are encouraged to start their application early.
- Applicants who wish to self-identify themselves as an Indigenous are to complete the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS): Voluntary Self-Identification Form and upload it within their application.
- Students who studied on a part-time basis must outline their part-time study in the Other Application material task attachment. The information must also be reflected in the transcripts.
Start Vanier’s Online Application:
Applicants are to complete an application in ResearchNet by following Vanier's application instructions. GPS is the university designate for the Vanier CGS program and thus have access to applications in ResearchNet for institutional review.
- Submission of the application in ResearchNet constitutes students’ intent to apply to the program at the University of Alberta.
- Edits or corrections such as spelling, grammar, formatting, attachments, etc. are the responsibility of the student and will not be checked by GPS. Students who do not follow Vanier’s application instructions and presentation standards for attached documents may jeopardize their application. GPS does not follow up with applicants regarding missing reference letters; it is also the responsibility of the student to follow up with their referees prior to the institutional deadline.
Founded in 1908, University of Alberta is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the medium-sized city of Edmonton (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants), Alberta. This institution has also branch campuses in the following location(s): Camrose. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Alberta, University of Alberta (UofA) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: 35,000-39,999 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Alberta (UofA) offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. This 111 years old higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on students' past academic record and grades. International students are welcome to apply for enrollment.