Graduate and postdoctoral fellowships from the Federal Government granting Councils are normally open only to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada for research-based studies at the Master's, Doctoral and Postdoctoral levels. Exceptions on funding for international students will be covered in
section 3.5, “External Fellowships for International Students and Postdocs”. Competition rules and regulations are updated annually and available on the agency websites.
Deadlines are normally in the Fall of the year prior to the academic year for which funding is requested. Several competitions involve a pre-selection by the university where the student is registered in the year or term of application. Students and postdocs may only apply to one federal agency per competition year (August to July); students in disciplines that border the mandate of several agencies (e.g., psychology, geography, cell and molecular biology) must select the agency that funds the specific proposed research.
Funds Master's, Doctoral and Postdoctoral research-based studies in the Natural Sciences and Engineering.
Master's and Doctoral competitions involve a pre-selection by the university where the student was registered in the year of application. Postdoctoral applications are direct to the agency. Deadlines are normally in October.
Funds Master's, Doctoral and Postdoctoral research-based studies in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
Doctoral competitions involve a pre-selection by the university where the student was registered in the term of application. Master's competitions involve a pre-selection by the university where the student was registered in the year of application. Deadlines are normally in October and November.
Funds Master's, Doctoral and Postdoctoral research-based studies in the Human Health Sciences (broadly defined).
Doctoral and postdoctoral competitions are by direct application to the agency. Master's competitions involve a pre-selection by the university where the student was registered in the term of application. Deadlines are normally in October and February (not all competitions allow for February applications).
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program aims to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally, to develop their leadership potential and to position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow, positively contributing to Canada's economic, social, and research-based growth through a research-intensive career. The fellowships are administered by Canada's three research-granting councils: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies and leadership skills. Vanier Scholarships have a stipend of $50,000 per annum, and are tenable for up to 36 months. The Vanier Scholarships are administered by the three federal founding agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Candidates must be nominated by the Canadian University where they plan to study; McGill University undergoes a pre-selection process. Timing of future competitions is still in discussion at the time of publication.
