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.
Table of Content- Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
- Benefits of Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
- Requirements for Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
- Selection Process
- Application Documents
- Application Deadline
- How to Apply
Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
| Application Deadline | October 30, 2024 |
| Value | $50,000 |
| Funding Type | Partially Funded |
| Country to study | Canada |
| Type | Ph.D |
| Sponsor | Government of Canada |
| Gender | Men and Women |
Benefits of Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
Valued at $50,000 per year for three years during doctoral studies
Requirements for Government of Canada PhD Scholarships
To be considered for a Vanier CGS, you must:
- Be nominated by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quota
- Be pursuing your 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 your doctoral program as of May 1, 2024;
- 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 your doctoral program (i.e., joint graduate research program, directly from bachelor's, previously enrolled without obtaining master's degree), by May 1, 2024 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 and subsequently transferring to a doctoral program.
- The months of study completed are calculated from the original master's enrolment date.
- 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:
- Have achieved a first-class average, as determined by your institution, in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent. Candidates are encouraged to contact the institution for its definition of a first-class average; and
- Note: Institutions may, at their discretion, accept Vanier CGS applications from individuals who have not obtained a first-class average; contact your proposed host institutions to determine their use of this eligibility criterion.
- Cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral program.
Selection Process
Selection Criteria
- Academic Excellence
- Research Potential
- Leadership (potential and demonstrated ability)
Timelines
| July – November 2024 | Applicants seek a nominating institution, prepare and submit application package. |
| Internal Deadline (varies) | Deadline to submit application to the nominating institution. Contact nominating institution for specific date. |
| October 30, 2024 (20:00 EDT) | Deadline for institutions to submit nominations to the Vanier CGS program. |
| November 2024 – March 2025 | Review and evaluation of nominations. |
| Early April 2025 | Anticipated notification of results. Nominees will be notified by email when the results are available on ResearchNet. |
|
May 1, 2025, or |
Application Documents
A complete Vanier CGS application package includes:
- ResearchNet application form (includes two letters of reference, each with three sections)
- CCV (limited entries; please see Completing the Common CV (CCV) for complete information)
- Research contributions (maximum one page)
- Personal leadership statement (maximum 2 pages for English applications; maximum of 2.5 pages for French applications)
- Special circumstances (maximum 1.0 page, optional)
- Two leadership letters of reference (maximum 2 pages)
- Research proposal (maximum 2 pages for English applications; maximum of 2.5 pages for French applications)
- Project references (maximum 5 pages)
- Transcripts