The Government of Canada launched the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in 2008 to strengthen Canada’s ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and/or engineering and health.
Up to 166 scholarships are awarded annually
A total of up to 500 scholarships are active at any time.
Value
$50,000 per year
Type
PhD
Duration
3 years (non-renewable)
Scholarships are distributed equally between the three federal granting agencies:
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Selection Criteria
Timelines
| July – November 2019 | Applicants seek a nominating institution, prepare and submit application package. |
| Internal Deadline (varies) | Deadline to submit application to the nominating institution. Contact nominating institution for specific date. |
| November 6, 2019 (20:00 ET) | Deadline for institutions to submit nominations to the Vanier CGS program. |
| November 2019 – March 2020 | Review and evaluation of nominations. |
| Early April 2020 | Anticipated notification of results.Nominees will be notified by email when the results are available on ResearchNet. |
| May 1, 2020, September 1, 2020 or January 1, 2021 | Payments begin. |
Nomination process
Candidates must be nominated by a Canadian institution with a quota (i.e., a predetermined number of applications that can be put forward to the national competition) to host Vanier scholars. Candidates should only seek a nomination from the institution at which they want to study.