Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral Program

Deadline:

September 9, 2025


Eligibility of Citizenship: Canadian, Permanent Residence, and International
Degree Level: PhD
Award Status: Closed
Applicant Status: Incoming Students and Continuing Students

Description

Quick Facts

The objective of the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships-Doctoral (CGRS-D) Program is to promote continued excellence in Canadian research by rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the CGRS-D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.

Annual Value: $40,000/year

Duration: 36 months

Eligibility

To be eligible to hold this award an applicant must:

  • be enrolled in a program of study (by the time the award is administered) that includes a significant research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level and is a requirement for completion of the program
  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or competitive international student
    • International students must be enrolled in their doctoral program of study at an eligible Canadian institution at the time of application
    • Only 15% of all awards are allocated to international students, so only competitive applicants are encouraged to apply
  • have completed no more than 36 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if previously enrolled in a master’s program
    • Two terms of part-time study count as one term of full-time study.
    • The agencies count all studies toward the doctoral degree for which funding is requested, whether or not they were completed in the same program or at the same institution.
    • Fast-track programs: If you were enrolled in a master’s program and subsequently transferred to a doctoral program (fast-track), the months of study completed are calculated starting from the date on which you transferred into the doctoral program.
    • Joint programs: If you are enrolled in a joint program and will obtain a master’s degree as part of the program (for example, MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date on which you officially enrolled in either portion of the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
    • Joint professional undergraduate/PhD programs: If you are enrolled in a joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD), only the months of study in the PhD portion will be counted.

Selecting the appropriate funding agency

Potential applicants should be sure that they are submitting their application to the most appropriate of the three federal funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC). If applicants are unsure whether they should submit their application to CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC, they should consult their Research Supervisor and/or Graduate Advisor. In cases where clarification is still needed, applicants should send a half-page summary of their intended research proposal to the appropriate agency for an assessment, rather than guess or assume incorrectly.

Complete eligibility criteria are available on the CGRS-D program page.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Research ability and potential: 50%
  • Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia: 50%

Complete details (including description and indicators) are available on the CGRS-D program page.

Application Procedures

Students registered in a UBC degree program (or on an approved leave of absence from UBC) between January 1st and December 31st of the competition year must complete their application by the application deadline indicated above.

  1. Confirm eligibility.
  2. Confirm subject matter: Select the appropriate funding agency. Applicants should complete the agency application that is best aligned with their research subject matter.
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
  3. Determine where to submit an application (through a Canadian institution such as UBC or directly to the appropriate agency). See the CGRS-D program page for guidance. If applying via UBC, complete the application by the UBC application deadline indicated above.
  4. Read the instructions and apply online.

General guidance on preparing transcripts for submission (see individual agencies application instructions below for further details):

  • All transcripts must be official
  • UBC transcripts:
    • Must be official, include the 2025W1 (Fall 2025) registration, and ordered after September 1st.
    • Students can order official transcripts from student services here: https://students.ok.ubc.ca/courses-money-enrolment/transcripts/. Note that we no longer provide academic histories, and students must order official transcripts from student services.
  • Other transcripts:
    • Must be official and up to date (include degree conferral, if applicable) as of August 31, 2025.
    • Required even from institutions in cases of transfer credit or exchange terms.
    • Foreign transcripts: if the transcripts are not presented in one of Canada’s two official languages (English or French), a certified translation must be provided, in addition to the official transcripts in its original language.
    • The transcript key/legend for each institution must be included.
    • Note that UBCO no longer provides transcripts that are on file to students. Students must ensure that they have copies of all of their official transcripts well before the deadline so they can be uploaded to the application by the deadline.

CIHR: ResearchNet | application instructions

NSERC: Online application system | application instructions

SSHRC: Online application system | application instructions

Killam Doctoral Scholarships application: CGRS-D applicants applying through UBC Okanagan do not need to submit a separate Killam Doctoral Scholarship. For students who are not eligible for the CGRS-D and would like to be considered for the Killam, they must submit a Killam Doctoral Scholarship application.

Nomination Procedures for Graduate Programs

  • The College of Graduate Studies will provide electronic copies of applications/transcripts submitted by their current and prospective students to UBCO graduate programs shortly after the applicant deadline. Graduate programs review their applications for eligibility and completeness, rank their applications, and select their nominees.

Adjudication Procedures

  • The College of Graduate Studies Scholarship and Awards Committee will convene an adjudication committee composed of UBC faculty members to review nominations submitted by graduate programs and select UBC’s nominees to the national competition.
  • Canadian universities each have a limit to the number of nominations they may submit to the CGS-D competition.
  • Results of the national competition are released to applicants in Spring 2026.

Additional Resources

Questions about this award? Email graduateawards.ok@ubc.ca