Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral (CGRS D)

C$40,000 a year for three years (36 months) of doctoral study.

• International applicants must be registered in a doctoral programme at an eligible Canadian institution by the application deadline.
• Up to 15% of awards go to international applicants.
• You must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time-equivalent doctoral study by 31 December of the year you apply.
• Your programme must be mainly research-based and end in a merit-reviewed thesis, dissertation or equivalent.
• You can't already have received a doctoral-level CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC scholarship, including a Vanier.
• You can apply to only one agency programme per academic year, and to CGRS D no more than three times.
• There is no minimum grade: research potential and relevant experience and achievements are each weighted 50%.

This replaced the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, which no longer take applications. International students can apply only if they are already registered in a PhD at an eligible Canadian university by the deadline, and up to 15% of awards go to international applicants. You must have done no more than 36 months of your PhD by 31 December of the year you apply.

1. 1

   Step 1: Choose the right agency

   Apply to whichever of CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC best matches your research field. Choosing the agency is your responsibility.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check your application channel

   If your Canadian university has a doctoral quota for that agency, you apply through the university; if it has no quota, you apply directly to the agency. Applications sent through the wrong channel are rejected.

3. 3

   Step 3: Get your university's internal deadline

   Ask your faculty of graduate studies for its internal deadline, which is often well before the agency deadline.

4. 4

   Step 4: Complete the online application

   Fill in the form and upload your attachments in the agency's system (CIHR's ResearchNet, NSERC's online system or SSHRC's portal). You can't change it after you submit.

5. 5

   Step 5: Arrange two reference letters

   Your two referees submit their letters through the same online system, and they must do so before the deadline.

6. 6

   Step 6: Wait for the results

   Your university reviews and forwards applications within its quota, then agency committees assess them. You'll hear by 30 April.

• Research proposal (max. 2 pages)
• Bibliography (max. 5 pages)
• Transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate study
• Certified English or French translation of other-language transcripts
• Statement of research contributions and experience (max. 2 pages)
• Two reference letters (sent by referees)
• Proof of registration (NSERC)
• SSHRC web CV (SSHRC applicants only)

Deadline

For the 2026 competition, direct applications are due by 8 pm ET on 19 October 2026 (17 October falls on a Saturday); if you apply through your university, its internal deadline is earlier, and SSHRC accepts quota-university submissions until 7 December 2026.

International applicants apply through their Canadian university, which usually sets an internal deadline well before the agencies' mid-October deadline (17 October for direct applicants).