Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Eligibility
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) were established to attract and retain exceptional doctoral students, positioning Canada as a global hub for research and higher education excellence. These scholarships are earmarked for doctoral degrees, including combined MA/PhD or MD/PhD programs.
Hosting Institutions:
These scholarships are exclusively available at Canadian universities designated to administer Vanier CGS allocations. Only the institution that submitted the nomination can host the scholarship recipient.
Academic Disciplines:
Vanier CGS supports doctoral programs in health research, natural sciences, engineering research, and social sciences or humanities research. Eligible doctoral programs must have a substantial research component leading to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital, or exhibit, subject to merit and expert review at the institutional level.
Joint graduate research programs that integrate a professional degree (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/Ph.D.) and clinically oriented programs, including clinical psychology, are also eligible if they include a significant autonomous research component as outlined above.
Number of Scholarships:
Annually, up to 166 scholarships are conferred.
Eligibility Criteria:
To qualify for a Vanier CGS, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- A single Canadian institution with a Vanier CGS allocation must nominate you.
- Be pursuing their first doctoral degree, including joint undergraduate/graduate research programs (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD) with a demonstrable and significant research component. Only the Ph.D. portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding.
- Intend to commence full-time doctoral studies and research in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results at the nominating institution. Again, only the Ph.D. portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding.
- Have completed no more than 20 months of doctoral studies as of May 1, 2024.
- Have completed no more than 32 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by May 1, 2024, if enrolled in a joint graduate research program (e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD, DVM/PhD). Applicants falling into this category have access to the 32-month window, irrespective of prior enrollment in a Master’s program, or if they accelerated directly from a Bachelor’s to a PhD, or from a Master’s degree to a Doctoral program without obtaining the Master’s degree.
- Have maintained a first-class average, as determined by their institution, in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent. Candidates should consult their institution for its definition of a first-class average.
- Must not currently hold or have held a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral degree.
Application Process:
Candidates must be nominated by a Canadian institution with a designated Vanier CGS allocation where they intend to pursue their studies. Direct applications to the Vanier CGS program are not accepted.
Applications can be initiated in one of two ways: either the student notifies the faculty of graduate studies at the selected institution of their intention to apply for the Vanier CGS program, or the institution initiates the nomination process by reaching out to the desired candidate.
Applicants prepare and submit their applications to the nominating institution by their internal deadline using the ResearchNet application system. The nominating institution then forwards endorsed nominations to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) by November 1, 2023.
For detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship, including access to the application form, please visit the official website provided here: Official Scholarship Website.
