Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

$50,000 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships 2023/2024

Here is a comprehensive review of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships with guides on how to apply for the $50,000 worth of scholarships for Canadians and international students.

This scholarship program was names after Major General George P. Vanier, the first French-speaking Governor General of Canada. To attract more international students into the noble student destination, Camada, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship programs are coming in for highly qualifies doctoral students.

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is also known as the Vanier CGS and this award takes into account, three areas of core selection criteria, namely:

  1. Academic Excellence
  2. Research Potential and
  3. Leadership Potential

As we proceed with this review, you will be learning the unique ways to apply and how to stand better chance of becoming a Vanier CGS awardee.

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Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Worth

Students who qualify and bags the Vanier CGS award will be getting up to $50,000 per year for their studies. Doctoral studies in Canada last from 3 to 5 years in Canada and with this scholarship, students will be getting annual funds up until graduation.

Note: Not all doctoral courses are eligible for the scholarship and candidates cannot apply directly for selection.

From each of the paragraphs of this guide, you will be learning every step required for a successful application.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Selection Process

Upon nomination by your chosen Canadian University, the members of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) selection committee will begin your evaluation for the award.

This committee is comprised of the three federal granting agencies, namely:

  • a) Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
  • b) Natural Science and Engineering Council (NSERC)
  • c) Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

These member of the selecting committee are appointed from the Canadian and international academic communities, and are very used to the mandate, the internal mechanism and programs of the federal granting agencies.

Who can Apply

To be considered for a Vanier CGS, you must:

  • be nominated by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quotaFootnote1;
  • be pursuing your first doctoral degree (including a joint program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, or JD/PhD – if it has a demonstrated and significant research component);
  • intend to pursue, in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results, full-time doctoral (or a joint graduate research program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD) studies and research at the nominating institution;
  • have completed no more than 20 months of full-time study in your doctoral program as of the stipulated deadline.
    • The doctoral program would begin after the completion of a Master’s degree. The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
  • have completed no more than 32 months of full-time study in your doctoral program (i.e., joint graduate research program, accelerated, previously enrolled without obtaining Master’s degree), define period if:
    • enrolled in a joint graduate research program, e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD, DVM/PhD. Applicants in this category have access to the 32-month window whether or not they were previously enrolled in a Master’s program:
      • The months of study are calculated starting from the date on which an applicant is officially registered in the joint program (including the Master’s portion of the program).
    • enrolled directly from a Bachelor’s to a PhD (not previously enrolled in a Master’s program);
      • The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
    • Previously enrolled in a Master’s program without obtaining the degree.
      • The months of study completed are calculated from the original Master’s enrolment date.
  • have achieved a first-class average, as determined by your institution, in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent. Candidates are encouraged to contact the institution for its definition of a first-class average; and
  • must not hold, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHRNSERC or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral program.

Please note that only the PhD portion of a joint program is eligible for funding.

Eligibility of program of study

  • An eligible doctoral program must include 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 as requirement for a completion of the program.
  • Joint graduate research programs with a professional degree (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD) as well as clinically-oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are also eligible programs if they have a significant autonomous research component, as described above.

NB: To learn more about the eligibility for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, kindly visit this comprehensive eligibility page for more information.

Top References

Vanier.gc.ca – Official Information about Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program

Jobreaders.org – How to Apply for the Vanier CGS  Program

How to Apply for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Candidates must be nominated by the institution at which they want to study. 

Vanier CGS application packages submitted through ResearchNet will first be submitted to the Canadian institution that will be putting forward their nomination.

Candidates should verify institutional internal deadlines with the administrator at the nominating institution. Candidates should read the Selection Committee Guide before commencing their application.

This guide lists the three evaluation criteria and has some vital information on how the criteria are evaluated. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships selection committees are multidisciplinary, and applications should therefore be written with a non-specialist research audience in mind.

You must also review the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page before beginning the preparation or review of an application.

To be considered eligible for funding, candidates must attain an average score of at least 3.1 in each of the three criteria.

NB: For an up-to-date information regarding nomination and application for the scholarships, this description will help you get started.

FAQ

How do I get a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship?

To get a Vanier Canada graduate scholarship, you must be nominated by a Canadian university that has Vanier scholarship quota. First, you will need to seek a nomination from the school you intend to study in, and them follow the steps in this guide.

Note: Quota in this regard describes the actual number of students that each school/university can forward to the selection committee for funding.

How hard is it to get Vanier scholarship?

To be considered for the Vaier Canada Graduate scholarship, you must have completed no more than 20 months of full-time study in your doctoral program. For all other requirement that makes it hard or easy to bag this award, kindly refer to the entire guide in this post, to get started.

How do you get nominated for the Vanier scholarship?

Each application is to prepared by the student and then submitted to the schools that carry out the nomination. So, you still need to apply for the Vanier Scholarship using ResearchNet application system. Your school will the carry out the internal selection process before forwarding the final nomination to the committee.

Can international students apply for a Vanier scholarship?

Yes, international students can apply for a Vanier scholarship. Being one of the highest-paid scholarship programs in Canada with up to $50,000 annual support, students from all eligible countries can apply.

Which Canadian university gives the most scholarship?

Here are the top universities in Canada that award more scholarships:

  1. Queen’s University.
  2. University of British Columbia.
  3. The University of Alberta.
  4. The University of Toronto.
  5. McGill University.
  6. Simon Fraser University.
  7. Ryerson University.
  8. The University of Ottawa.

Read Also: Best Universities in Canada with No Application Fee for International Students

How to be Nominated for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Part of the eligibility criteria for this scholarship is that a candidate must be nominated by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quota.

Secondly, by pursuing your first doctoral degree (including a joint program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD or JD/PhD), when it demonstrates a good research component.

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Note: As it has been expressed in this guide, applying via your university of choice is key to getting this award, as an application is not directly accepted by individual students.

So, to apply for this scholarship, candidates must ascertain if their school have received the Vanier CGS quota; and you can figure this out by directly contacting your institution.

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