NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR doctoral awards

The Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, along with each Council's Graduate Fellowships, are intended to provide financial support to high calibre scholars who are engaged in doctoral programs in Canada, and world wide.

The application deadlines, eligibility details, as well as the application processes differ slightly among each council. Check out the application guides below for information on the council in which you will be submitting your application to.

NSERC Doctoral Scholarships Application Guide SSHRC Doctoral Scholarships Application Guide CIHR Doctoral Scholarships Application Guide Vanier Graduate Scholarship

*Applicants may only apply to one council

NSERC doctoral scholarships

Value
  • PGS - $21,000 per year
  • CGS - $35,000 per year
Citizenship Canadian or Permanent Resident
Eligibility For more information on applicant eligibility, visit the program eligibility page.
Application Process

Applications to the NSERC doctoral competitions are submitted online through the NSERC Online System. Students should reference the registration status at time of application table before beginning their application.

Students applying through UNB should consult our timeline of events.

For complete instructions on how to complete Form 201, refer to the Instructions for Completing an Application.

Transcripts

Students applying through UNB must follow the steps below prior to the UNB internal deadline.

  • submit up-to-date and official transcripts to the Grad School prior to the internal deadline.
  • within the NSERC application portal, first ensure the Academic Background section of the application is complete. Second, enter the name of the current scholarships officer in the Grad School, as well as sgsaward@unb.ca for their contact info. This call to action will prompt SGS to upload the transcripts to your application that you dropped off. Notification will be sent once the transcripts are uploaded.
Selection Process

Applications submitted to UNB through the NSERC Online System will be subject to initial review and ranking at the Department level.

Once reviewed and approved by the applicants Department, the application will be forwarded to a University wide selection committee.

Selection Criteria Weight
Academic Excellence 30%
Research Potential 50%
Communication, Interpersonal, Leadership Skills 20%

Top applications will be forwarded to NSERC's National competition.

Deadlines

Students applying directly to NSERC should consult the program website.

Students applying through UNB should refer to our timeline of events.

Results

Students will be notified by NSERC in the spring.

SSHRC doctoral scholarships

Value
  • SSHRC Fellowships - $20,000 per year
  • CGS - $35,000 per year
Citizenship Canadian or Permanent Resident
Eligibility Before beginning your application, consult the program eligibility.
Application Process

Students looking to apply to the SSHRC doctoral scholarship program, and who are or have been registered at UNB in the current application year, must apply through the UNB internal competition.

  • Create a SSHRC Online System Login.
  • Complete your application. Application instructions are found when you begin your application.
  • Submit completed application form, along with all required attachments (references, transcripts, etc.) by the internal deadline.

Applications submitted will be forwarded to Departments will be reviewed and ranked.

Ranked and eligible applications will be collected and distributed to the University wide selection committee. This multidisciplinary committee will then complete the task of reviewing and ranking of all applications submitted  to determine the applications to be forwarded to the SSHRC National Competition as part of UNB's submission quota.

Applicants selected to be forwarded to the National Competition will be given time to make suggested revisions as well as provide official copies of transcripts.

Transcripts

Applicants being forwarded to the National Competition as part of UNB's Doctoral Award quota must provide up-to-date official transcripts to the School of Graduate Studies. Unofficial copies may be used for the Departmental review stage of the process.

Deadlines

Students applying Directly to SSHRC should consult the program website.

Students applying through UNB should refer to our timeline of events.

Results

Results are typically released in May. Successful students may choose to begin their award in May, September of January of the year awarded.

CIHR doctoral scholarships

Value
  • CGS - $30,000 per year + $5,000 research allowance
Citizenship Canadian or Permanent Resident
Eligibility In order to be eligible to apply for the CIHR CGS Doctoral awards, students must meet the individual eligibility requirements.
Application Process

The application process for this competition is completely online.

Before starting the application process, both student and supervisor should ensure they have the following:

Within ResearchNet, CIHR provides a detailed application guide and also provides application instructions.

A completed application will include:

1) A complete CCV

2) A complete CIHR Doctoral application

Applicants must review the terms listed and respond to the questions regarding consent in order to fully submit their application.

Email confirmation will be sent once you have submitted your application.

** UNB participates in the CIHR Electronic Signature Process. If your application is approved by UNB, you will receive an email notification. **

Timeline UNB students applying should refer to our timeline of events.
Results Results are typically sent directly to students in May.

Vanier doctoral scholarships

Value
  • $50,000 per year
Citizenship Canadian, Permanent Resident, International
Eligibility Before seeking nomination from UNB, speak with your supervisor or intended supervisor to verify Eligibility.
Applicants looking to submit a Vanier application to the School of Graduate Studies are encouraged to contact us well in advance of the internal deadline.
Application Process

Applications are prepared by the student and submitted to the nominating institution by their internal deadline (set in ResearchNet by the nominating institution) using the ResearchNet application system.

The nominating institution performs an internal candidate selection process. Applications selected for nomination will be returned to the applicant with comments for revision.

The nominating institution forwards recommended nominations to the Vanier-Banting Sec-retariat (the Secretariat) by the annual National deadline.

Application Process:

Students seeking a nomination through the UNB must complete a Vanier Application, and Consent and Submit by the internal deadline.

Completing an Application:

  • Confirm eligibility
  • Register for Canadian Common CV (CCV) and ResearchNet accounts
  • Create a CCV (Vanier-Banting Academic template) and link to ResearchNet application
  • Start a ResearchNet application
  • Identify area of research
  • Identify participants
  • Identify referees
  • Enter degree information
  • Enter proposal information and supporting documents
  • Confirm documents sent
  • Preview application materials
  • Consent and submit application

** Note: Applications that do not meet the formatting standards will be discarded **

Applicants being forwarded as part of the University of New Brunswick’s competition quota will be notified, and their applications returned with suggested edits.

Applicants are encouraged to attend the various Tri-Council Doctoral workshops held through the application season, as well as book editing appointments with the Deans in the School of Graduate Studies.

Transcripts

Transcripts must be sent to the School of Graduate Studies prior to the internal institutional deadline.

Unofficial transcripts can be used for the internal review, but all official transcripts must be submitted to the national competition. (Exceptions may be made as a result of the impact ov COVID-19 on University operations)

Timeline

UNB or future UNB students seeking nomination should refer to our timeline of events.

Results

Results are typically released in early spring.