• Objective
• Description
• Eligibility
• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Indigenous student researchers
• Black student researchers
• San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment
• Application procedures
• Application deadline
• Selection process
• Selection criteria
• Notification of results
• Conditions of the award
• Use and disclosure of information
• Official languages
• Related opportunities
• Contact

The objective of the Master’s scholarship funding opportunity is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate potential to contribute to Canadian research.

The CGRS M 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 CRTAS aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.

The CGRS M program supports up to 3,298 students annually in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three granting agencies. The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the institutional level under the guidance of the three agencies. Students submit their application to the institution(s) at which they intend to hold their award using the Research Portal.

To be eligible to apply, you must

• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the application deadline date
• be enrolled in, have applied for or will apply for full-time admission^{Footnote 1} to an eligible  graduate program at the master’s or doctoral level that can be started within the eligible dates of the competition year at a Canadian institution with a CGRS M allocation
• respect the internal deadline to apply for admission for your intended program of study—contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the selected Canadian institution(s) for more detailed information
• have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application
  • either between 0 and 12 months of full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in the program for which you are requesting funding^{Footnote 2}, which may be one of the following:
    • a master’s program
    • a doctoral program that you are entering directly from a bachelor’s program without having ever been enrolled in any graduate programs (direct-entry)
    • a combined master’s-doctoral program
    • a master’s program that will transition to an eligible doctoral program, either before or after award activation, with no master’s degree conferred (fast-track)
    • a master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before the end of the award, allowing the award to continue into an eligible doctoral program
  • or between 4 and 12 months of full-time study (or full-time equivalent) in an eligible master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before activation of the award at that same institution, allowing it to be activated during the first 12 months of the subsequent doctoral program for which you are requesting funding
• not have held or be currently holding a Master’s level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC
• not have held or be currently holding an Indigenous Scholars Award and Supplement
• have achieved a first-class average^{Footnote 2}, as determined by the host institution(s), in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent)
  • Note: Institutions may, at their discretion, accept CGRS M applications from individuals who have not obtained a first-class average; contact your proposed host institution(s) to determine their use of this eligibility criterion
• submit a maximum of one postgraduate (master’s or doctoral) or postdoctoral application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC
  • Note: Should more than one application be submitted, the eligible application submitted first chronologically will be retained

An eligible graduate program must be predominantly research oriented, leading 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 a requirement for completing the program. If the program requires additional admission into the major research component stream, this acceptance must be confirmed before you can hold the award.

Joint programs with a professional degree (for example, MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/MA, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD, MA/MBA) as well as clinically oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are eligible if they have a significant autonomous research component, as described above.

Master’s programs that are based only on course work are typically not eligible since they do not include a significant research component, as described above.

Given the specific requirements of certain disciplines, institutions are invited to contact the appropriate agency for guidance on the eligibility of programs of study.

Without exception, CGRS M awards are tenable only at eligible Canadian institutions.

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC support and promote high-quality research in a wide variety of disciplines and areas, which are divided into broad fields of research (health, natural sciences and engineering and social sciences and humanities). This includes research that bridges two or more disciplines or that requires the skills of several disciplines.

You must ensure that you are submitting your application to an institution that has an allocation for the field of research you intend to pursue. Applications deemed by a host institution to have been labelled incorrectly will be re-labelled according to the agency’s research subject matter guidelines (refer to Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency). You should contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the institution(s) where you intend to hold the award for further guidance on subject matter eligibility.

The three agencies are acting on evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency statement on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and is aligned with the objectives of the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan.

Self-identification data and consent provided with applications may be used to determine eligibility for additional awards or priority funding opportunities designated for specific underrepresented groups.

The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative provides financial support to meritorious Indigenous students who have applied to the CGRS M program. To the limit of available funding, Indigenous students who are successful in the CGRS M competition will be offered the Indigenous Scholars Supplement, valued at $5,000. To the limit of available funding, Indigenous Students on the alternate list will be offered an Indigenous Scholars Award valued at $27,000 and an Indigenous Scholars Supplement valued at $5,000.

The Tri-agency Policy on Indigenous Citizenship and Membership Affirmation and the associated directive apply to these awards and supplements; successful applicants must provide documentation as outlined in the Policy and Directive.

For more information refer to the Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative web page.

The Government of Canada has provided additional funds to increase direct support for Black student researchers. CGRS M applicants who self-identify as Black and provide consent in their application to be considered for funds designated for specific groups may be selected to receive this funding. Each agency has up to 20 additional CGRS M awards reserved for Black student researchers.

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, along with other Canadian research funding agencies, are signatories of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). The agencies are committed to meaningful assessment of excellence in research funding and to ensuring that a wide range of research results and outcomes are considered and valued as part of the assessment process. The agencies will continue to work to ensure that their strategies, policies and guidance align with DORA.

To apply to the CGRS M program, you must complete and submit an application to up to three institutions using the Research Portal. For more information on how to apply, consult the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s program: Instructions for completing an application web page.

Eligible Canadian institutions are assigned a separate allocation of awards to offer from each agency. Institutions must respect the agency-specific allocation. For a list of allocations by institution and by agency, refer to the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s award allocations web page.

The deadline for CGRS M applications is December 1 before 8:00 pm ET. Complete applications must be submitted by the deadline using the Research Portal. If the deadline falls on a weekend or on a federal holiday, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 8:00 pm (ET).

Note: As the application deadline approaches, delays may occur due to a high volume of users on the Research Portal, which may prevent the timely submission of your application. It is your responsibility to strictly follow all 11 steps in the instructions for completing an application before the portal closes. Late applications will not be accepted.

The faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at each institution is responsible for coordinating the selection process for the CGRS M applications. For more information on the selection process, refer to the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s program information and instructions for scholarships liaison officers web page.

The merit review of CGRS M applications will be carried out by institutions with an allocation and will be based on the following evaluation criteria:

Offers of awards will be available in the Research Portal as of April 1. Alternate offers may be made up until January 31 of the next calendar year. It is your responsibility to regularly check the Research Portal between April 1 and January 31 for the results of the competition. For more information on the notification of results, refer to the instructions for completing an application web page.