Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Who can apply

Must not have completed more than 36 months of full-time equivalent doctoral study in the programme being funded, as of 31 December of the application year
The programme of study must be predominantly research-oriented and lead to a thesis, dissertation or equivalent merit-reviewed output
Cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship
May apply to only one of CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC per academic year; if more than one application is submitted, only the first eligible one is retained
May apply to this programme a maximum of three times
If not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person, must already be registered in the doctoral programme at an eligible Canadian institution by the application deadline. Up to 15 per cent of awards are available to international applicants on this basis
Holding the award outside Canada is possible only for Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons who have also completed at least one previous degree at a Canadian institution. Up to 20 per cent of doctoral awards may be held outside Canada
CIHR or NSERC award holders cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment (or be on leave from one) concurrently with the award; SSHRC permits the award during an approved leave from such a position

Not a route into Canada

Read this first if you are outside Canada: this is not a route into the country. If you are not a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person, the eligibility rules require you to already be registered in your doctoral programme at an eligible Canadian institution before you can apply at all, and international candidates then compete for a capped 15 per cent of awards. This funds people already studying in Canada, or Canadians studying abroad. It does not fund the move itself.

The successor to Vanier, sitting inside a wider awards suite

This programme replaced the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, which closed after its fall 2024 competition, and it now sits inside a wider Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) run jointly by the three federal research agencies, alongside a Master’s-level equivalent (CGRS M) and the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA). You apply to whichever of CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC is closest to your research subject, not to all three, and only your first eligible application in a given year is considered if you submit more than one.

The deadline that actually governs most applicants isn’t the one printed on the overview page

The deadline that actually governs most applicants is not the one printed on the overview page. Most people apply through their own university rather than directly to the agency, and the page describes that institutional deadline only as usually well ahead of the agency’s own deadline (8:00 pm ET on 17 October for those applying directly), with no specific institutional dates published anywhere central. Ask your faculty of graduate studies directly, and do so early, since this is the date that decides whether you can apply at all, not the one on NSERC’s page. If you hold a CIHR or NSERC award, note also that you cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment (or be on leave from one) concurrently with it; SSHRC is more flexible and permits the award during an approved leave from such a position.

Extra funding exists, targeted rather than automatic

Extra funding exists beyond the base award, targeted rather than automatic. Budget 2024 funding lets the agencies make additional offers to meritorious applications aligned with eight named priority research areas: advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum computing, cybersecurity), health including biotechnology, clean technology and resource value chains, environment/climate resilience/the Arctic, food and water security, democratic and community resilience, manufacturing and advanced materials, and defence and dual-use technologies. A $5,000 one-year Indigenous Scholars Supplement is available to successful Indigenous applicants through NSERC or SSHRC, and each agency has set aside up to 10 additional awards specifically for Black student researchers who self-identify and consent to be considered for it. None of these are guaranteed alongside the base award; they depend on being a meritorious applicant in that specific category.

After the PhD, a companion award exists for postdoctoral research

If you’re planning ahead to what comes after this doctoral funding, the same three agencies jointly run the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) as the next rung of the same Canada Research Training Awards Suite.