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.
Candidate eligibility
Citizenship
- Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and foreign citizens are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier CGS.
Eligibility to apply for a Vanier CGS
To be considered for a Vanier CGS, you must:
- be nominated by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quota;
- be pursuing your first doctoral degree (including joint program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, or JD/PhD, MBA/PhD – if it has a demonstrated and significant research component);
- intend to pursue, in the summer semester or the academic year following the announcement of results, full-time doctoral (or a joint graduate research program such as MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD) studies and research at the nominating institution; For joint graduate research programs, only the PhD portion of the program is eligible for funding.
- have completed no more than 20 months of full-time study in your doctoral program as of May 1, 2024;
- The doctoral program would begin after the completion of a master’s degree. The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
- have completed no more than 32 months of full-time study in your doctoral program (i.e., joint graduate research program, directly from bachelor’s, previously enrolled without obtaining master’s degree), by May 1, 2024 if:
- enrolled in a joint graduate research program, e.g., MD/PhD, MA/PhD, MS/PhD, DVM/PhD. Applicants in this category have access to the 32-month window whether or not they were previously enrolled in a master’s program:
- The months of study are calculated starting from the date on which an applicant is officially registered in the joint graduate program. (For MA/PhD or MS/PhD, this will be the master’s registration date).
- enrolled directly from a bachelor’s to a PhD program (without having been previously enrolled in another graduate program);
- The months of study completed are calculated from the doctoral enrolment date.
- previously enrolled in a master’s program without obtaining the degree and subsequently starting a doctoral program.
- The months of study completed are calculated from the original master’s enrolment date.
- 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; and
- Note: Institutions may, at their discretion, accept Vanier CGS applications from individuals who have not obtained a first-class average; contact your proposed host institutions to determine their use of this eligibility criterion.
- cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral program.
Please note that only the PhD portion of a joint program is eligible for funding.
Eligibility of program of study
- An eligible doctoral program must include a significant research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as requirement for a completion of the program.
- Joint graduate research programs with a professional degree (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD) as well as clinically-oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are eligible programs if they have a significant autonomous research component, as described above.
Number of months of doctoral studies
- Regardless of discipline, all prior doctoral-level studies that started in Canada or abroad, are considered in the evaluation of eligibility, and are considered to be continuous, full-time, and uninterrupted unless otherwise confirmed by the institution (including the summer months, unless on official leave). The Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) will count two months of part-time study as one month of full-time study.
- Students who studied on a part-time basis must outline their part-time study in the Other Application material task attachment. The information also must be reflected in the transcripts.
Joint graduate research programs
- If you are registered in a joint graduate research program, and a master’s degree is obtained as part of the program (for example, MA/PhD, MS/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date on which you are officially registered in the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
- If you are registered in an MD/PhD joint program, only the months of study in the PhD portion will be counted.
Nominating institution
Eligibility to hold a Vanier CGS
- Without exception, the Vanier CGS is tenable only at the eligible Canadian institution that submitted the nomination.
To hold the Vanier CGS, the candidate must:
- be registered in a full-time doctoral program (or joint graduate research program MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, or MD/PhD) at the nominating Canadian institution;
- not hold a faculty appointment concurrently with a Vanier Scholarship unless they arrange for a leave of absence from the appointment;
- remain enrolled and demonstrate continued satisfactory progress in their doctoral program;
- not hold, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC to undertake or complete a doctoral program;
- not be concurrently holding any other SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR training award (note: Michael Smith Foreign Studies Supplement excepted); and
- begin their award within 12 months of the earliest possible start date and start on May 1, September 1, or January 1 following the offer of award.
Part-time studies
- A Vanier CGS may be held by students who are registered part-time due to disability, parental or medical reasons, or family-related responsibilities. For eligible part-time students, the Vanier CGS will be equivalent to full-time funding spread over a longer period of time.
Deadline: November 1, 2023 (20:00 EDT).
How to Apply: Interested candidates should Click Here to apply online.
For more visit the official The Vanier Canada Graduate Program website
