CGRS-D — Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (NSERC / CIHR / SSHRC)

What you will need

• ✓ Departmental nomination — submit to your Faculty of Graduate Studies on their internal deadline (weeks before the federal deadline)
• ✓ Research proposal (typically 2-3 pages, with detailed methodology + significance + timeline)
• ✓ Academic transcripts (undergraduate + master's-in-progress, all institutions)
• ✓ Supervisor endorsement letter
• ✓ Two academic references (in addition to supervisor)
• ✓ CV with publications, presentations, prior funding, and significant academic activities

About this award

The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CGRS-D) is the federal Tri-Agency's flagship doctoral funding program — the consolidated programme that, under Budget 2024, replaced the separate Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and the prior Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral (CGS-D). The award provides $40,000 per year for 36 months (3 years), totalling $120,000 — a substantial increase over the pre-2024 levels. Administration is split across the three federal granting councils: CIHR funds doctoral research in health, NSERC funds research in natural sciences and engineering, and SSHRC funds research in humanities, social sciences, arts, and letters. Your application goes to the agency aligned with your research area; if your work is interdisciplinary, the agency selectors review fit and may redirect to a sister council. Quebec students are fully eligible — research scholarships are explicitly excluded from the Quebec opt-out of federal student financial assistance, so Canadian citizens and permanent residents domiciled in Quebec apply on the same terms as students in any other province. Holding-rule note: a CGRS-D recipient cannot simultaneously hold the parallel FRQ doctoral award (B2) — Quebec students who win both must select one.

Who qualifies

You qualify for CGRS-D if you (1) are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, (2) are enrolled in or about to begin a doctoral program at a Canadian degree-granting institution recognized by your Tri-Agency council, (3) are within the eligibility window for your stage of doctoral study (typically the first 36 months of doctoral enrolment, with some exceptions for direct-entry programs), and (4) have a research project that fits the mandate of CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC. Each agency publishes specific subject-area eligibility lists — health-related social science research can be ambiguous between CIHR and SSHRC, so consult your supervisor and your university's Faculty of Graduate Studies on which council to target before drafting the application.

This is what the award's own page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm with the provider before you apply.

• ✓ Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• ✓ Open to graduate students

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's own page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Order your transcript1–2 weeks

   Your school's registrar can take a week or two.

3. 3

   Ask for reference letters2 weeks

   Give your referees at least two weeks' notice, and send them your résumé.

4. 4

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's own page will have it.

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