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).
University of Toronto Information
Established in 1827, University of Toronto is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large city of Toronto (population range of 1,000,000-5,000,000 inhabitants), Ontario. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Ontario, University of Toronto (UofT) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: over-45,000 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Toronto (UofT) 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. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for a Vanier CGS, applicants must:
- Be nominated by only one Canadian university, which has received a Vanier CGS quota;
- Be pursuing their first doctoral degree (including joint program such as MD/PhD, DVM/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 programs, only the PhD portion of the program is eligible for funding
- Have completed no more than:
- 20 months of full-time study in their 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.
- All prior doctoral-level studies that started in Canada or abroad are considered in the evaluation of eligibility. Note: students registered in a “Direct Entry PhD” program at U of T who previously completed a master’s degree in any program would fall under the 20-month category.
- 32 months of full-time study in their doctoral 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:
- For joint graduate research programs in which a master’s degree is obtained as part of the program (e.g., MA/PhD, MS/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting on the date on which the applicant is officially registered in the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
- For joint professional undergraduate/PhD programs (e.g., MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD), only the months of study in the PhD portion of the program will be counted.
- All joint degree students must complete a timeline of their registration broken down by session in the “Attach other Application Materials” task to confirm eligibility.
- enrolled directly from a Bachelor’s to a PhD (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 (fast-track), 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, regardless of when the master’s degree registration began or the type of master’s degree.
- Have achieved a first-class average (A-), in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent;
- Not have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, SSHRC or NSERC to undertake or complete a doctoral program.
Note: Eligible candidates may apply to both the Vanier CGS program and other Tri-agency-specific scholarship/fellowship programs (whether at the same or a different federal granting agency in the same academic year, provided that the research proposed in each application falls within the mandate of the federal granting agency to which the application is submitted, and the candidate meets all eligibility criteria. Candidates who are successful in more than one competition will have to choose one award to accept.
Offered Benefits
Scholarship value: $50,000 per year for three years
Application Process
Kindly go to University of Toronto on www.vanier.gc.ca to apply
Applicants should refer to the Vanier website for step by step application/nomination instructions. The ResearchNet application will only be accessible to applicants until the published Institution Internal Deadline of Sept 16th at 8pm, at which time it will go offline for U of T applicants.
Applicants must complete the entire application process by their unit’s student submission deadline (which is usually earlier than the institution deadline) to be eligible for consideration. This includes:
- Contacting their proposed graduate unit regarding their specific student submission deadline and requirements;
- Submitting a completed Vanier CGS application via ResearchNet;
For more details, visit University of Toronto Scholarship webpage
Required Documents:
- Application Deadline September 16, 2025
- Value $50,000
- Study Level PhD
- Sponsor University of Toronto
- City to study Toronto
- School to study University of Toronto
Established in 1827, University of Toronto is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the large city of Toronto (population range of 1,000,000-5,000,000 inhabitants), Ontario. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Ontario, University of Toronto (UofT) is a very large (uniRank enrollment range: over-45,000 students) coeducational higher education institution. University of Toronto (UofT) 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. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment.