Scholarship at a glance
Deadline to apply through Dalhousie: October 7, 2024 at 4 p.m. (AT)
Value: Up to $40,000 per year for up to three years
Scholarship type: Entrance or in-program
Degree level: Doctoral
Available to: Canadian students
In addition to submitting your application to the funding agency as described in the individual agency links below, you must also create a Tri-Agency Doctoral Internal Review application in FGS’s online Scholarship Management Platform to assist in conducting the internal review process. Both applications must be completed by Monday, October 7, 2024 at 4 p.m. (AT).
Description
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).
SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC doctoral competitions each have their own eligibility and application requirements. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to review funding opportunity announcements, award criteria and application preparation documentation available on each site.
Applicants are expected to review each agency’s eligibility criteria and application instructions in detail. For those submitting applications through Dalhousie, applications must be submitted to the relevant agency portal by Monday, October 7, 2024 at 4 p.m. (AT).
Note: Some applicants may be required to apply directly through the funding agencies. To determine whether you should apply through Dalhousie or directly to the agencies, please consult “Where should I submit my application?”
CIHR application and instructions
NSERC application and instructions
SSHRC application and instructions
Important items to note:
- Dalhousie is considered an institution with a CGS-D quota for all three agencies.
- If your previous institution does not permit former students to receive transcripts directly, please have them sent to the Scholarships Liaison Officer (SLO) at fgs.slo@dal.ca and please notify the SLO that transcripts are being sent.
- Unofficial transcripts (academic records) from Dalhousie which you have downloaded from DalOnline to PDF will be accepted for this competition. Please note that you must include your most recent transcript, even if it does not include grades. This is required by the funding agency to confirm your current status and time in program. Applications without current transcripts will be rejected by the agency.
Internal review process
After the institutional deadline, FGS will download the application you have submitted to the relevant agency portal, evaluate it for completeness and link it with your internal review application in our platform.
Applicants will receive an email in late November indicating whether or not their application has been supported by our internal reviewers and forwarded to the funding agency for consideration. Please remember that Dalhousie has a quota/limit from each agency so it is possible that your application will not be supported.
Final results of this competition will be announced by the funding agencies in April 2025.
Acceptance of awards
Tri-Agency Doctoral awards (CGS-D, PGS-D, or SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships) may be taken up in May, September or January in the year following the competition provided the student meets all eligibility criteria for the award.
For CIHR awards, offers must be accepted or declined by completing the Response to Offer task in ResearchNet and other required steps, if applicable.
For NSERC and SSHRC awards, award recipients must accept or decline by sending an email to the appropriate program contact, stating whether you accept or decline, and confirming the start date.
Doctoral students wishing to activate a Tri-Agency award in May must submit a copy of the Notice of Award and a completed and signed Request for First Installment form to fgs.slo@dal.ca as soon as possible to avoid delays in payment, and should consult with their department on the impact this might have on other department-level funding over the summer.
Doctoral students wishing to activate the Tri-Agency award in September/January must provide this documentation to fgs.slo@dal.ca by July 1st to avoid delays in payment in the fall or winter.
Eligibility criteria
You must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
As of December 31 of the year you are applying for the scholarship, you must have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in your doctoral program if previously enrolled in a master’s program.
Requirements vary if you are enrolled in a joint master’s/PhD program (such as MD/PhD) or if you enrolled in a PhD program directly from a bachelor’s program (with no time spent in a master’s program). Visit the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral Program website for complete eligibility requirements.
Application overview
SSHRC, CIHR and NSERC doctoral competitions each have their own eligibility and application requirements. This may include specific priority research areas for each funding body which may change year-over-year.
Applications must be submitted through the respective Tri-Agency portal. To facilitate the internal review process, you are also required to create a Tri-Agency Doctoral application in FGS’s online Scholarship Management Platform. This application is for internal purposes only and does not replace your Tri-Agency application.
Please see above for detailed guidelines on the application process for each of the three competitions.