Canada Government Scholarships

How government scholarships work in Canada

The Government of Canada, through its three federal research agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC — together the "Tri-agency"), funds a number of scholarship and fellowship programmes, mostly aimed at graduate and postdoctoral researchers. These are competitive, merit-based awards with secular eligibility criteria set out on each programme's official site.

For most government research awards, you do not simply apply to the government as a member of the public — you apply through, or are nominated by, a Canadian university where you intend to study or do research, following the route described on the official programme page. Note that the Tri-agency restructured these programmes effective 2025: the former Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships have been wound down and replaced by the awards below. Always confirm which programmes are currently open on the official Government of Canada source.

Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral

The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral (CGRS — Doctoral) is the Tri-agency doctoral (PhD-level) scholarship, part of the Canada Research Training Awards Suite administered by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. Effective 2025 it consolidated several earlier doctoral awards, and the Tri-agency no longer offers the former Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in its place.

The programme supports research excellence across health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, and applications are made through, or routed via, a Canadian institution. The exact value, number of awards, eligibility, and deadlines are set by the programme; confirm the current details on the official CGRS — Doctoral pages.

• Tri-agency (CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC) doctoral (PhD)-level award
• Open to eligible Canadian citizens, permanent residents, protected persons, and a limited share of international applicants — check the official eligibility text
• Applied for through a Canadian institution — not a direct public application
• Replaced the former Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Tri-agency, effective 2025)

Canada Postdoctoral Research Award

For postdoctoral researchers, the Tri-agency offers the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA), also part of the Canada Research Training Awards Suite administered by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC. This harmonized programme replaced the earlier agency-specific postdoctoral fellowships and the former Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, whose final competition was the 2024 cycle.

Because award value, eligibility windows, and deadlines change between cycles — and because programme names themselves have recently changed — treat any figure or programme detail you read elsewhere as out of date until you confirm it on the official Canada Postdoctoral Research Award pages.

• Tri-agency harmonized postdoctoral fellowship
• Replaced the former Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships (final competition: 2024 cycle)
• Confirm current eligibility, value, and deadlines on the official source

Where to find official government awards

The Government of Canada runs an official scholarships portal, EduCanada, that lists awards for studying in Canada and lets you filter by level of study and country of origin. This is the authoritative starting point for federal and bilateral scholarship programmes.

Some scholarships are administered through bilateral agreements between Canada and specific countries, and others are run by Canada's federal research agencies (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC). Use the official portal and each programme's own page to confirm what currently exists and how to apply, because programme names and structures change over time.

• EduCanada — official Government of Canada scholarships search
• The Tri-agency research scholarships have their own official programme pages
• Some awards are bilateral (country-specific) — check the portal

Eligibility, ethics, and no guarantees

Government scholarship criteria are secular and published — typically based on academic and research excellence, the proposed programme, and citizenship or residency conditions. Read each programme's eligibility section and apply only where you qualify.

These are competitive awards decided by the funding body on its own criteria; no one can guarantee you a government scholarship, and any service that claims otherwise or asks for payment to "secure" a federal award should be treated with caution. This is general information — confirm all details on the official Government of Canada sources.