Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) 2023

The Vanier Canadian Government are Scholarships available to international students who want to pursue their doctoral studies at top Canadian universities.  Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year for three years during doctoral studies. This program intends to invite and retain world-class doctoral students who exhibit both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly accomplishment in graduate studies in the natural sciences and/or engineering, social sciences and humanities and health.

The Government of Canada started the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to reinforce Canada’s ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global center of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars depict leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly accomplishment in graduate studies in the natural sciences and/or engineering, social sciences and humanities and health. The scholarships are towards a doctoral degree (or combined MA/ Ph.D. or MD/ Ph.D.).

Benefit

• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year for three years during doctoral studies.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, following is the criteria:

• You must be fluent in English Language
• You must be permanent residents of Canada, Canadian citizens and Foreign citizens
• You should be pursuing your first doctoral degree (including joint undergraduate/graduate research program such as: MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD – if it has a demonstrated and significant research component). Note that only the PhD portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding.
• You should not have completed more than 20 months of doctoral studies as of May 1, 2023.
• You should be nominated by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quota.
• You should intend to pursue, in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results, full-time doctoral (or a joint graduate program such as: MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD) studies and research at the nominating institution; Note that only the PhD portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding;
• You must not hold, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral degree.
• You should 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.

Application

Here are the steps needed to complete the application process;

Step 1: Begin your application by researching Canadian institutions through the Universities Canada website. We recommend browsing each university’s respective website and thoroughly researching the program of interest in which you would like to complete your doctorate degree, as well as supervisors for your proposed research.

Step 2: Consult the Vanier CGS quota page in order to ensure that your institution of interest has a quota for the year in which you are applying.

Complete Application Steps:

• • Applications are initiated in one of two ways. Eithernthe student informs the faculty of graduate studies at the selected institution of their intent to apply to the Vanier CGS program; or
  • The institution initiates the nomination process by contacting the desired candidate.
  • Applications are prepared by the student and submitted to the nominating institution by their internal deadline (set in ResearchNet by the nominating institution) using the ResearchNet application system.
  • The nominating institution performs the internal candidate selection process.
  • The nominating institution forwards recommended nominations to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) by November 1, 2022 (20:00 Eastern Time).
  • The Secretariat coordinates the review process.
  • The Secretariat presents the recommendations to the Tri-Agency Programs (TAP) Steering Committee.
  • The TAP Steering Committee endorses and approves final decisions for the Vanier CGS program.
  • Nominated candidates are notified of the competition results in April 2023.
  • Candidates must be nominated by the institution at which they want to study. Candidates cannot apply directly to the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program.
  • Candidates should verify institutional internal deadlines with the administrator at the nominating institution.
  • Candidates should read the Selection Committee Guide prior to commencing their application. This guide lists the three evaluation criteria and has useful information on how the criteria are evaluated.
  • The Secretariat has curated a list of resources to help applicants, institutions, referees, and evaluators consider equity, diversity, and inclusion in their application. Applicants are encouraged to review the resources before they begin writing their application.

Important notes regarding Vanier Application:

• • A student who has completed the Vanier CGS electronic application through ResearchNet must submit the application online to the Canadian institution that will be putting forward their nomination. Applications cannot be submitted directly to the Vanier CGS program.
  • Students wishing to apply for a Vanier CGS should verify that the institution to which they are applying for doctoral studies has a Vanier CGS quota. They must then inform the institution that they wish to be considered for a Vanier CGS.
  • The institution is responsible for notifying candidates if their application is not selected for nomination to the Secretariat. The timing for this notification may vary by institution.
  • Based on its quota, the institution will forward its nominations to the Secretariat.
  • Each student can only be nominated once. If more than one institution is interested in nominating an individual student for a Vanier CGS, the student must choose one institution to submit their nomination. Multiple nominations will not be accepted.
  • Students are responsible for contacting the institution for more information about selecting the appropriate federal granting agency, finding the appropriate contact person within a department/faculty, and for advice or questions related to content and how best to present the information in their application.

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