The new Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES) Indigenous recognizes outstanding academic achievement of students pursuing graduate studies in Alberta. It was established to incent the best and the brightest students to study in Alberta.
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
To be eligible, students must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Must have aboriginal ancestry and be Status Indian/First Nations, Non-Status Indian/First Nations, Métis, or Inuit
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Open to course-based or thesis-based study programs
- Open to masters or doctoral students. Students registered in a graduate certificate that can ladder into a Master's degree program are also eligible
- Students must be living in Alberta while enrolled (taking classes remotely/online or in-person) at the institution
- Current students must be registered full-time in Fall 2025 and/or Winter 2026 terms. Newly admitted January 2026 students must be registered full-time in Winter 2026. Note: Students who are registered with Student Accessibility Services or have a documented need for accommodation, can apply if they are enrolled in at least 40% of a full course load
- Must demonstrate academic excellence, as evidenced by one or more of the following:
- Current students must have earned a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.3 or greater over the most recent 15 units of course weight in the current program. Where there are less than 15 graded credits in the current program, the admission GPA (AGPA) is a weighted factor. For students newly admitted in Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 terms in which graded coursework is not yet available in the current program, the Admission GPA (AGPA) will be used.
- Research and/or academic contributions that may include published manuscripts, presentations, posters, exhibitions, community engagement, or performances
- Previous record of scholarly achievement through awards, scholarships, prizes, among others
- Must be registered in years 1-4 of the master's program or years 1-6 of the doctoral program during the tenure of the scholarship. If students transferred from a Master’s program to a Doctoral program, the number of months completed during the Master’s program will count towards the Doctoral Program.
- Qualifying students and students on academic probation are not eligible.
Offered Benefits
The value of the scholarship at University of Alberta is $12,000 and paid out to recipient as one-time payment.
A student may only receive one Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship per year.
Application Process
Required Documents:
A complete application includes:
- Up to date unofficial U of A Transcript (printed in Fall 2025)
- CV (maximum 5 pages in length)
- Research Proposal (thesis-based students), or Explanation of Courses and End Goals or Final Project-Capstone Project (course-based students) - maximum 1 page in length (and one additional page for references only, if applicable).
- Completed AGES Student Declaration form
- Academic Letter of reference (online request form is sent through the GSMS portal - refer to the Help Sheet). Please note:
- The online request link will no longer work after the deadline set by the student
- Give enough time for your referees to submit their references
- Follow up with your referees regularly as needed
- Do NOT have GSMS open in multiple windows
- The online reference is NOT a letter – letters will not be accepted
- Proof of Indigenous ancestry is required. A photocopy (front and back) of one of the following documents must be uploaded to the online application in the GSMS Awards Portal for accepted proof of ancestry. Students are to write their status (Status Indian/First Nations, Non-Status Indian/First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) at the top of the document.
For more details, visit University of Alberta Scholarship webpage
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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.