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Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

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Scholarship at a glance

Dalhousie’s Institutional Deadline: Monday, October 6, 2025, at 4 p.m. (AT)
Value: $40,000 per year for up to three years
Scholarship type: Entrance or in-program
Degree level: Doctoral (PhD)
Available to: Canadian and International applicants

Description

The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral (CGRS D) is a scholarship in the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) administered by 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 (SSHRC). The program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.

New this year

  • The Tri-agency will no longer offer the Vanier Canada Scholarship.
  • The CGRS D is open to international students that are currently enrolled in a doctoral program of study at an eligible Canadian institution at the time of application.
  • The eligibility window has increased from 24 to 36 months of full-time equivalent study completed in program.

Application Procedures

  1. Review the eligibility, selection criteria and found on the CGRS D program website and follow the instructions found on the  individual agency links listed there. These are expected to be live by mid-July, 2025.
  2. You must apply either through a Canadian institution or directly to the appropriate agency, depending on your registration status on the application deadline date and/or your registration status during the calendar year of application. Where you intend to hold the award has no impact on the channel through which you must apply. If you fail to submit your application through the correct channel, your application will not be considered. To determine the correct channel, refer to the table found under the heading  Where to submit an application. Please note that Dalhousie is an institution with a quota.
  3. For those applying through Dalhousie, applications must be submitted to the relevant agency portal by Dalhousie’s institutional deadline of Monday, October 6, 2025, at 4 p.m. (AT).
  4. In addition to submitting your application to the relevant agency website, you must also create an application in the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ online to assist in conducting the internal review process. To do so, please click the link to the platform, create a new application under Major Scholarship Competitions (2025/2026) and select the Tri-Agency CGRS D Internal Review category. This also must be completed by Monday, October 6 at 4 p.m. (AT). Please contact fgs.slo@dal.ca for more information.

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  and other required steps, if applicable.

  • For NSERC and SSHRC awards, award recipients must accept or decline by sending an email to the appropriate , 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 Ìý³Ù´Ç 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  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 . 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.Â