Government of Canada Vanier Graduate Scholarship for Excellent Students

The Government of Canada has announced the availability of applications for the [year] Government of Canada Vanier Graduate Scholarship to qualified domestic and international students.

The Government of Canada Vanier Graduate Scholarships reward selected candidates with a $50,000 stipend per year for three years to pursue research at top Canadian institutions.

Studying in Canada provides you with the option to not only study at world-class colleges but also to earn permanent status after graduation.

Overview

The Vanier CGS program seeks to attract and retain world-class doctorate students by providing financial assistance to students who display both leadership and scholarly excellence in graduate study in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, and/or engineering and health.

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) program, named after Major-General Georges P. Vanier, Canada’s first francophone Governor General, assists Canadian schools in attracting highly qualified Ph.D. students.

Level/Field of Study

This scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship. Specifically, it is designed for doctoral candidates only.

Host Nationality

The Vanier Graduate Scholarship is proudly hosted and sponsored by the government of Canada to encourage international students to study in Canada.

Eligible Nationality

The Vanier Graduate Scholarship is open to all countries of the world. If you want to be a beneficiary of the scholarship, read further for more information.

Required Criteria for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship

To be considered for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship from the Government of Canada, you must:

• be nominated by the university where they wish to study
• meet the following criteria
  • Academic Excellence
  • Research Potential
  • Leadership (potential and demonstrated ability)

Required Documents to Apply for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship

Candidates must be prepared to submit the following documents in order to apply for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship;

• A ResearchNet application form (includes two letters of reference, each with three sections)
• A CCV (limited entries; for further details, please visit Completing the Common CV (CCV)).
• Contributions to Research (maximum one page)
• A Statement of Personal Leadership (maximum 2 pages for English applications; maximum of 2.5 pages for French applications)
• Special Circumstances (maximum 0.5 pages, optional)
• Two Leadership letters of reference (maximum 2 pages)
• A Research Proposal (maximum of 2 pages for English applications; maximum of 2.5 pages for French applications)
• References for the Project (maximum 5 pages)
• Transcripts

Financial Coverage

• The Scholarship is worth $50,000 every year for three years (non-renewable)
• Scholarships are dispersed evenly among the three government grant-making organizations:
  • The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  • The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and
  • The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) are two research councils (SSHRC)

Deadline for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship

The deadline for the Vanier Graduate Scholarship is November 1 [year].

How to Apply

Candidates must be recommended by the institution where they wish to study. Candidates may not apply to the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program directly.

Step 1: Start your application by exploring Canadian universities on the Universities of Canada website. We recommend thoroughly investigating the program of interest in which you want to finish your doctoral degree, as well as supervisors for your planned research, on the websites of each university.

Step 2: Check the Vanier CGS quota page to check that your desired institution has a quota for the year in which you are applying.

Competition process

1. There are two ways to start an application. Either:
   1. The student notifies the graduate studies faculty at the chosen institution of their intention to apply to the Vanier CGS program; or
   2. The nomination procedure is started by the institution contacting the prospective candidate.
2. The student prepares the application, which is then submitted to the nominating institution by their internal deadline (established on ResearchNet by the nominating institution) via the ResearchNet application system.
3. The internal candidate selection process is carried out by the nominated institution.
4. By November 1, the nominating institution submits suggested nominations to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) (20:00 Eastern Time).
5. The evaluation procedure is coordinated by the Secretariat.
6. The recommendations are presented to the Tri-Agency Programs (TAP) Steering Committee by the Secretariat.
7. The TAP Steering Committee endorses and accepts the final Vanier CGS program choices.
8. In April, nominated candidates will be notified of the competition outcomes.

Important notes:

• Each student is only allowed to be nominated once every competition. If more than one institution wishes to nominate an individual student for a Vanier CGS, the student must select one to submit their nomination. Nominations from several people will not be accepted.
• If a candidate’s application is not selected for nomination to the Secretariat, the institution is responsible for informing them. The timing of this communication may differ depending on the institution.
• Students are responsible for contacting the institution for more information on selecting the appropriate federal granting agency, locating the appropriate contact person within a department/faculty, and obtaining advice or answering questions about content and how to best present the information in their application.

Click here to start your application.