Killam Doctoral Scholarships

Deadline:

Consistent with the CGRS-D Application Deadline


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

Description

Quick Facts

The Killam Scholarship and Prize Programmes were established in memory of Izaak Walton Killam through the Will of his wife, Dorothy J. Killam, and through gifts made during her lifetime. Their primary purpose is to support advanced education and research at five Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts. The UBC Killam Doctoral Scholarships are provided annually from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies. It was Mrs. Killam’s desire that those selected to receive scholarships: “Be likely to contribute to the advancement of learning or to win distinction in a profession. A Killam scholar should not be a one-sided person… Special distinction of intellect should be founded upon sound character.”

Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC and are offered each year to the top doctoral candidates through the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral Program.

Annual Value: $40,000
Duration: 2 years

Eligibility

Months of Study

  • To be eligible to apply for Killam Doctoral Scholarship funding, applicants must have completed no more than 24 months of doctoral study as of the start date of the scholarship. Therefore, applicants to the 2027-2028 competition must have completed no more than 24 months of doctoral study as of 1 September 2027.
  • In cases where a student has transferred directly from a master’s program into a doctoral program without receiving a master’s degree, eligibility will be counted from the effective date of transfer to the doctoral program.
    • However, applicants will not receive funding past the end of their 48th month of study starting from the beginning of their Master’s degree, in cases of transfers to PhD.
  • Please refer to the CGRS-D eligibility for more information.*

* International students who are registered in a PhD program as of September 2026 are now eligible to apply to the CGRS-D.

Evaluation Criteria

Research ability and potential – 50%

  • Quality of research proposal.
    • specific, focused and feasible research question(s) and objective(s).
    • clear description of the proposed methodology.
    • significance and expected contributions to research.
  • Relevant training, such as academic training, lived experience and traditional teachings.
  • Research experience and achievements relative to the applicant’s stage of study, lived experience and knowledge systems.
  • Quality of contributions and extent to which they advance the field of research. Contributions may include: publications, patents, reports, posters, abstracts, monographs, presentations, creative outputs, knowledge translation outputs, community products, etc.
  • Demonstration of sound judgment and ability to think critically.
  • Demonstration of responsible and ethical research conduct, including honest and thoughtful inquiry, rigorous analysis, commitment to safety and to the dissemination of research results and adherence to the use of professional standards.
  • Enthusiasm for research, originality, initiative, autonomy, relevant community involvement and outreach.
  • The ability or potential to communicate theoretical, technical and/or scientific concepts clearly and logically in written and oral formats.

Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia – 50%

  • Scholarships, awards and distinctions (amount, duration and prestige)
  • Academic record:
    • Transcripts
    • Duration of previous studies
    • Program requirements and courses pursued
    • Course load
    • Relative standing in program (if available)
  • Professional, academic and extracurricular activities as well as collaborations with supervisors, colleagues, peers, students and members of the community, such as:
    • teaching, mentoring, supervising and/or coaching
    • managing projects
    • participating in science and/or research promotion
    • community outreach, volunteer work and/or civic engagement
    • chairing committees and/or organizing conferences and meetings
    • participating in departmental or institutional organizations, associations, societies and/or clubs

Application Procedures

  • Students who are eligible for the Canada Graduate Resarch Scholarships-Doctoral (CGRS-D) are required to apply for CGRS-D to be considered for the Killam. Students who submit an NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR doctoral award application to UBC Okanagan will be considered for the Killam Scholarship.

Adjudication Procedures

  • The College of Graduate Studies Scholarship and Awards Committee will convene an adjudication committee composed of UBC faculty members to review applications and select the top-ranked applicants.
  • Results are released in Spring 2027.

Further Information

The Killam Laureates website provides information about Killam programs across Canada and information about the original donors, Izaak Walton and Dorothy J. Killam.

Conditions for Award Holders   

Satisfactory Progress

  • Award holders must maintain satisfactory progress in their program of study and remain registered as full-time students for each term of the scholarship payment
  • If the College of Graduate Studies determines that a student is making unsatisfactory progress, the College of Graduate Studies reserves the right to cancel any awards

Deferrals

  • Students receiving an award cannot defer the award to a subsequent fiscal year

Leave of Absence

  • Students granted a leave of absence or parental leave retain the full value of any university graduate fellowship or other award whose terms and conditions are established by the College of Graduate Studies. Awards will be suspended at the onset of the leave, and reinstated at the termination of the leave period, provided the student returns to full-time study within the same academic year

Withdrawals

  • If an award holder withdraws from the faculty that nominated them for the scholarship, the funding received during the term for which the withdrawal is processed will be recovered by the College of Graduate Studies and returned to the nominating faculty for further allocation

Other Funding

  • If a recipient of the Killam Doctoral Scholarship receives other significant funding, their Killam award funding may be rescinded or reduced
  • Students who currently hold, or will hold, a CGS-D or CGRS-D are not currently eligible to receive funding via the Killam award, but may receive the award in name only
Questions about this award? Email graduateawards.ok@ubc.ca