Ontario Graduate Scholarship

The Government of Ontario and the Ontario universities get together to provide the Ontario graduate scholarship to the meritorious students enrolled in graduate courses willing to pursue Masters and Doctoral level studies. 22 merit-based scholarships are provided to the students in all academic disciplines. The province awards the scholarships to Canadian universities after specifying the number of scholarships to be awarded in the academic year. The application process and evaluation of the applications are undertaken by the respective university’s graduate unit. Out of the total scholarship amount of 15,000 CAD, two-thirds amount value is provided by the Government of Ontario and the remaining one-third is provided by the respective university.

Note: Ontario Graduate Scholarship application for 2023 still needs to be updated. However, the expected date for 2023 will be declared soon.

Table of Contents

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Rewards and Benefits
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Application Process
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Documents Required
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Selection Criteria
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Terms and Conditions

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

The Ontario Graduate scholarship is awarded to deserving graduate students to pursue their Master’s and Doctoral studies. The list of universities eligible under the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the other eligibility criteria for the scholarship application is given below:

List of Universities offering the Ontario Graduate Scholarship

The candidates should study in one of the participating Ontario schools:

• Brock University
• Carleton University
• University of Guelph
• Lakehead University
• Laurentian University
• Queen’s University
• Trent University
• McMaster University
• OCAD University
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• Ryerson University
• University of Waterloo
• Nipissing University
• University of Ottawa
• University of Toronto
• Western University
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• University of Windsor
• York University

Eligibility Criteria for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship

• Both domestic and international students are eligible for the scholarship.
• The domestic applicant should be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada at the time of the scholarship application.
• The international applicant should be pursuing studies in an Ontario university with a valid Canadian study permit.
• The students protected under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (subsection 95[2]) are also eligible to apply for the scholarship.
• The applicant should hold an A-Average or the Ontario equivalent of 80% marks in both the years of the full-time study before being awarded the scholarship.
• The international candidates should be proficient in English by the time of the scholarship application.
• The applicant should be registered in a full-time graduate degree program with at least 60% of the full course load (40% for students with disabilities) as defined by the university.
• The students pursuing a Master’s degree can avail of the scholarship for a maximum of 2 years.
• Doctoral students can avail of the scholarship for 4 years.
• The lifetime maximum restriction for a Government-funded scholarship is 6 years for any candidate.
• The applicant cannot avail of benefits from 2 government-funded scholarships concurrently.

List of Restricted Scholarships

• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) (formerly OGSST)
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
• Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Rewards and Benefits

The benefits offered by the Ontario graduate scholarship varies based on the respective universities where the candidate is pursuing studies. The details of the benefits offered by the scholarship are given below:

• The top universities such as Ryerson University, University of Toronto, Lakehead University, etc combine their scholarship funds with the Government to provide financial assistance to domestic and international students.
• The selected candidates receive a scholarship amount of USD 5000 per term.
• The majority of the scholarship awards are awarded for 3 terms(amounting to USD 15,000) but can also be awarded for a minimum of 2 terms(scholarship value of USD 10,000)
• One-term scholarship awards are not granted.
• The duration for which the scholarship is awarded is decided by the awarding university and is based on the applicants’ academic performance.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Application Process

The Ontario graduate scholarship application is done through the respective college/ university in which the candidate is enrolled. The application process is explained below:

• Interested applicants should submit the Ontario graduate scholarship application to the proposed graduate unit of the College/ University that he/ she is admitted into.
• Each graduate unit has its own internal scholarship submission deadline which should be followed by the students.
• The applicants should carefully go through the OGS application instructions before applying for the scholarship.
• The candidates should fill in all the required details and submit the application.
• The submitted application is then reviewed and verified by the graduate unit.
• The applicant should submit an OGS application to each university in which he/ she is seeking admission.
• The supporting mark sheets are not required to be uploaded along with the application. The selected students should submit the marks sheets for admission.

Note: For more details regarding the application process, the candidates can click here.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Documents Required

The important documents to be submitted while applying for the Ontario graduate scholarship are listed below:

• Ontario graduate scholarship 2023 application form
• Confidential academic assessment reports provided by two academic referees.
• Academic transcripts (mark sheets) from previously attended post-secondary institutions/ graduation degree
• Photocopy of the proof Canadian citizenship/ permanent resident status or visa documentation copies
• Applicants’ plan of study (maximum of 3,950 characters including spaces)
• Previous awards/ publications/ research experience of the candidate

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Selection Criteria

The selection criteria for the Master’s and Doctoral degree program are explained below:

The general selection criteria for the Ontario graduate scholarship are:

• Academic Excellence
• Research Potential and Statement of Interest
• Personal Characteristics/ Academic Assessment from Referees

Selection Criteria for Master’s level Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Selection Criteria for Doctoral level Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Ontario Graduate Scholarship Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions for the Ontario graduate scholarship are listed below:

• The Ontario graduate scholarship is non-transferable and should be held at the university that awarded it.
• The selected candidate should not work for more than an average of 10 hours/week per academic session.
• The domestic student should ensure that his/ her Social Insurance Number (SIN) is recorded in WebAdvisor as no award transaction can take place without a SIN on file.
• The candidate should not accept any other research assistantships, part-time teaching positions, or any other paid employment which affects his/ her status as a full-time graduate student.
• The students who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, complete degree requirements before the end of their award, or fail to complete the full session should repay the funds received for the incomplete session.

Contact Details

The candidates can reach out to the office from Monday to Friday between 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays. The contact details are as follows:

• Address: Student Financial Assistance Branch, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, PO Box 4500, 189 Red River Road, 4th Floor, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 6G9.
  
• Telephone Number: 807-343-7260
  
• Toll-Free Number: 1-800-465-3958

For more details, visit our Scholarships 2023 Directory.