External Scholarships

We expect all eligible applicants and current students to apply for external awards or scholarships. External awards provide generous funding and students are strongly encouraged to apply for these awards. Students must be alert to all of the requirements pertaining to applications for the following year. These include filling out the necessary forms, obtaining letters of recommendation and transcripts. Deadlines and application instructions are sent to current students by email.

In addition to the list below, the School of Graduate Studies Graduate Awards Office maintains a comprehensive list of scholarships and awards available to graduate students at the University of Toronto.

Vanier Award (SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR)

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to brand Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. It is worth $50,000 per year for three years and is available to both Canadian and international PhD students studying at Canadian universities.

  • Application and eligibility requirements are available in August on the Vanier website
  • Applicants must be nominated by the Department of Geography. If you are interested in being nominated, please contact the graduate office. The department is only able to submit a maximum of two applications each year.
  • SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR Vanier Awards are valued at $50,000 for up to three years.

CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC – Doctoral Awards

The Canada Graduate Scholarships—Doctoral (CGS D) program is a federal program of scholarships awarded through national competitions by the granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The program aims 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 CGS D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment. Students submit an application online through the respective granting agency portal:

Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Awards (SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR)

The SSHRC Scholarships programs seek to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students in the social sciences and humanities who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.

Trudeau Scholarship

Applicants must be entering or registered in their first year of PhD studies and must have achieved high academic standing.

  • Application and eligibility requirements are available in September on the Trudeau Foundation website
  • Valued at up to $40,000 stipend and $20,000 travel allowance for up to three years.
  • In 2021, applications are submitted directly to the Foundation.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels. It is a merit-based award.

  • Application form and eligibility requirements are available on the SGS website
  • OGS awards are administered by the universities. Each Ontario institution/department will have their own application, application process and internal deadline(s). An OGS application must be submitted to each Ontario University to which you are seeking admission.
  • OGS awards are non-transferable – they must be held in the department/institution offering the award.
  • Value of up to $15,000 for one year.