Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral (CGS D)
Canada's three federal granting agencies have been working together to harmonize the Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral (CGS D) Programs. The Tri- Agencies launched the first phase of the harmonization, which includes a new common CGS D webpage, harmonized application timeline and program descriptions.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
More information on the CGS-D program including eligibility, application process, and selection process is posted on the new Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral Program webpage.
Reminder - NSERC: Applicant is responsible for uploading transcripts
Reminder - CIHR: Scholarships awarded from May 2023 onward will be 40 000 per year WITHOUT research allowance.
Reminder - Option for voluntary self-identification as Indigenous person (First Nation, Inuk (Inuit), or Métis) within their application.
- Institutional applications: Considered for submission to the national competition beyond the institutional quota.
Reminder - EDI requirement for applicants
- Mandatory application component where applicants are asked to indicate whether diversity considerations are applicable to their research and to provide a justification.
Reminder - Protected persons are now eligible to apply to the Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarship program
- See the Canada government web page for information on Protected Persons status
Application information specific to McGill University is posted below.
Value & Duration
$40,000.00 (per year for 3 years)
Deadlines
- Early Fall semester communicate with your Academic Unit: Graduate Program Contacts
- 01 October - online application submission (08:00 p.m.) Late submissions will not be accepted.
*Please be sure to communicate with your Academic Unit regarding nomination process, deadlines and any specific document requirements
Eligibility
*** The following information is an excerpt only and has been copied from the following agency web page: Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral Program webpage
It is applicant responsibility to verify if any changes have taken place.
Agency-specific doctoral awards
In addition to the CGS D, each agency has its own doctoral awards. Refer to the appropriate literature for CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC for further details.
Meritorious CGS D applicants may also be eligible for agency-specific doctoral awards. Applicants complete and submit one application to be considered for both a CGS D scholarship and an agency doctoral award. CGS D scholarships are offered to top-ranked eligible applicants.
To be eligible to apply, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, OR a protected person as of the application deadline date;
- have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the year of application if you are currently registered PhD including Fast-tracked, OR
- have completed no more than 36months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 if transferred directly from Bachelors to a PhD (must be enrolled in the PhD) or enrolled in a joint program, e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD; number of months are counted from 1st registration in the program;
- submit only one doctoral award application in a given academic year. Nominations to the Vanier CGS program do not count towards this limit;
- not have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
Notes:
- For information on doctoral awards tenable at foreign institutions, refer to the agency-specific doctoral awards.
- For COMPLETE eligibility criteria visit: Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral Program webpage
Number of months
Eligibility for CGS D is based on the number of months of full-time study, including summer months, toward the degree for which you are requesting funding by December 31 of the calendar year of application. Two terms of part-time study count as one term of full-time study.
Note: The agencies count all studies toward the doctoral degree for which funding is requested, whether or not they were completed at the degree-granting institution.
Fast-track and joint programs
Fast-track: If you were registered 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.
If you are registered 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.
Interdisciplinary Research
- Students seeking support for interdisciplinary research in areas covered by more than one of the granting agencies NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC (for example, research in Biomedical Engineering) should refer to “Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency” well before the deadline.
- For questions on how to categorize a proposal, consult with the granting agency webpage at Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency
How to Apply
To complete the application process, refer to the appropriate agency’s instructions.
Check with your unit if they want something from you before your submission deadline.
- CIHR instructions
- NSERC instructions
- SSHRC instructions
Additional Resources
- Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral Program webpage
- Where to submit your application (McGill University has a quota)
- McGill Webinar presentation slides Fall 2023
- 10 Tips for a successful application Although this is CIHR, it is VERY helpful for any funding application.
- NSERC Checklist
Required documents
- Full application form on the appropriate agency form that must include:
- All UP TO DATE (must include current Fall term registration status) official university transcripts (with respective transcript key/legend) obtained by student and must include all official transcripts (with respective transcript key/legend) to support transfer credits. Verify the appropriate agency instructions for attaching transcript files to your application. McGill will not accept unofficial transcripts from other institutions.
How to deal with pdf transcripts for upload
Downloadable McGill Transcript Key
**CIHR signature pages (3 pages)** note that CIHR applications going through McGill's electronic nomination process need ONLY the supervisor's signature. Please see this "How-to" to guide you.
Post-Award Information
If you have been awarded the above fellowship, please refer to Getting Paid & Maintaining Fellowship. Among other items, this page contains respective agency Award Holder's Guides, Payment Activation forms etc.
The deadlines for submitting these items in order to avoid delays in award payments are as follows:
Award Start Date |
Activation/Payment |
Progress Report |
May 1 |
Apr 15 |
Apr 15 |
Sep 1 |
Jul 15 (in-course) |
Jul 15 |
Jan 1 |
Dec 1 |
Dec 1 |
Please note that should the awardee’s student status change in any way during the course of the award, it is the responsibility of the awardee to notify the Academic Unit, GPS Funding Unit, and the Agency.
Contact
For more information, please contact your Academic Unit or consult the Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral Program webpage