Tools and Resources
Scholarship Application Tips
External award applications often require both undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all previous and current institutions.
If you are applying for the Vanier, CIHR Doctoral, NSERC Doctoral, SSHRC Doctoral or CGS-M at the University of Guelph you may order your University of Guelph transcript free of charge. To obtain a free transcript (for eligible Scholarship purposes only) from the University’s Office of Registrarial Services, please email transcript@uoguelph.ca and indicate that the official transcript will be used for scholarship purposes. Please include the name of the scholarship you are applying to in the subject line of the email.
Please also include your name and student ID number. If you are requesting that the transcript be mailed, the you must provide the full mailing address with your name.
You may request a digital transcript, but it can only be sent to your University of Guelph email account.
Deadline to request transcripts free of charge for scholarship purposes:
Vanier CGS - September 11, 2024
CIHR Doctoral - September 18, 2024
NSERC Doctoral - September 18, 2024
SSHRC Doctoral - September 18, 2024
CGS-M - November 18, 2024
Note: There is a five-day turn-around time from the initial ordering of the transcript, so please order your transcript well in advance of the scholarship application deadline. Ordering before the above listed deadlines is advised.
If you require the transcript prior to the standard five days, you will need to request RUSH service. RUSH orders will not be accepted by email. Please request a RUSH copy through the online application form.
The University of Guelph will not provide students with copies of transcripts from previous institutions unless you have transcripts from institutions outside of North America. For transcripts from outside of North America, we will accept copies of the final and official transcript if they are certified by your home department/school (ONLY if you are applying for the Vanier, CIHR Doctoral, NSERC Doctoral, and/or SSHRC Doctoral). Please contact your department's Graduate Program Assistant for assistance.
Ensure that transcripts are ordered from all other institutions early to allow time for delivery. This is especially important given the COVID-19 pandemic may impact transcript processing times at various institutions.
- Start preparing your application early! Know deadlines and applications requirements for each scholarship that you plan to apply.
- Give yourself time. Completing an application takes a lot of time and effort. Hastiness will be reflected in the quality of your submission.
- Don’t get discouraged if you are not successful. Each competition is different so apply each year if eligible.
- Make sure your application is complete. If not included with the application, make a check list and use it.
- Only provide what is asked for. Respect page limits and word counts; additional pages will be removed.
- Use 12 point font size and plain font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Set margins. No part of the application should be handwritten!
- Pay close attention to grammar and spelling.
- Have someone who knows you well, like your Advisor or a peer from your program, review your application. They may notice inaccuracies or omissions.
- Have a friend or relative who knows you, but not necessarily your research, review your application. They will be able to evaluate your application in an objective way without any prior assumptions.
- Take a break! Look over your application a few days later with fresh eyes and a refreshed mindset.
- The following article from University Affairs may be useful: Increase your chances of winning a scholarship
- Choose your referees carefully. Request letters from referees who know you well and who you know will provide a positive reference. Some scholarships require letters from specific types of referees, so read the requirements carefully. Reference letters from faculty tend to carry more weight.
- The endorsement from a referee is a huge part of any awards application and can help you to stand out from everyone else. Letters that seem like templates, or do not substantiate their claims about your abilities and experience can be harmful to your application.
- Choose referees who have strong communications skills. If you know your referees, you will know from experience if they communicate well.
- Provide your referees with all required information including a list of your research contributions, the appropriate form or link to the referee form if applicable, a copy of your program of study, and the deadline to submit the letter. The more tools you give the referees to work with the better!
- If the reference letter must be mailed, give each referee an envelope, postage paid, so they can easily mail the letter by the deadline.
- Most importantly, give them time! The best referees are probably very busy people so be cognizant of their time.
- Remind faculty of the Award Reference Letters - Tips, Templates, and Recommendations for Writers Document
- Carefully read the application instructions regarding the research proposal/summary section. Provide the adjudicators with the information they are looking for; no more, no less.
- Write in a clear, concise way, avoiding use of jargon. Say what you mean in an accessible and dynamic way so that anyone reading it will be engaged and understand your point.
- Organize your ideas efficiently. You don’t have a lot of space to work with, so make every word count. Make sure you are relating your research to the mandate of the specific award, providing evidence of your connection to that mandate.
- Emphasize what makes your proposal special/original, and how it will contribute to your specific field of study.
- Take the time to write, and re-write. This is the part where you sell yourself to the adjudicators. Every applicant will have a top notch GPA, but if you can sell yourself on paper, you will stand out from the rest.
Awards Committees
Please note that we make every effort to update the Awards Committee membership lists below as soon as possible, but the lists are subject to change.
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Andrew Bailey, COA
Monica Cojocaru, CEPS
Graham Holloway, CBS
Sean Lyons, LANG
Francesco Leri, CSAHS
Shayan Sharif, OVC
Eric Lyons, OAC
Alice Defarges, OAC
Last updated March 20, 2024
SSHRC:
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Andrew Bailey, COA
Noella Gray, CSAHS
Sean Lyons, LANG
John Russon, COA
Elizabeth Kurucz, LANG
Danny O'Quinn, COA
Sylvanus Afesorgbor, OAC
Hwan Suk Choi, LANG
Laura MacDiarmid, CSAHS
Eric Lyons, OAC
Kaitlyn McLachlan, CSAHS
Susan Nance, COA
Mark Harding, CSAHS
Sara Epp, OAC
Lysa Porth, LANG
Last updated March 20, 2024
NSERC:
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Marc Habash, OAC
Jennifer Murray, CSAHS
Graham Holloway, CBS
Theresa Bernardo, OVC
Eric Lyons, OAC
Khashayar Ghandi, CEPS
Monica Cojocaru, CEPS
Michael Rogers, OAC
Anthony Mutsaers, OVC
Alice Defarges, OVC
Cortland Griswold, CBS
Jaclyn Cockburn, CSAHS
Francesco Leri, CSAHS
Stefan Kremer, CEPS
Steve Brown, CBS
Last updated March 20, 2024
CIHR:
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Roger Moorehead, OVC
Julang Li, OAC
Shaun Sanders, CBS
Samuel Workenhe, OVC
Last updated March 20, 2024
Robert Mullen, CBS
Ben Bradley, COA
Adrian Schwan, CEPS
Troy Riddell, CSAHS
Juan Wang, LANG
Rakhal Sarker, OAC
Theresa Bernardo, OVC
Last updated March 20, 2024
Conflict of Interest Policy for Awards Committees
Members of scholarship and award committees shall not review an application if the member may have, or be perceived to have, a bias or motive for or against the applicant (e.g., working or personal relationship with applicant). Upon receipt of applications to be reviewed, the committee member who is conflict shall declare the conflict to the Graduate Awards Officers and refrain from reviewing the application file. The member will assume a non-voting role on the funding decision for that applicant. Selection committee members will speak only to the information contained in the award application package, and not based on knowledge of the applicant external to the contents of the application. Members in conflict will declare such conflict where the applicant’s file is discussed during the committee meeting and refrain from speaking to, or voting on, the application.
Awards Information Sessions & Other Resources
Information sessions will be available for external government-funded scholarship competitions. (These information sessions are intended for students who are enrolled in or planning to pursue graduate studies.)
Past Sessions from 2023
Graduate Scholarship Information Session: Tri-Agencies Doctoral Awards (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS & QEII) & CGS-M (CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC)
Presenters: OGPS Awards Officers & Tri-Agencies Representative
Date: Wednesday, September 13th 2023 at 10:00 AM
Location: Peter Clark Hall UC001M - Center Hall & Virtually via TEAMS
We encourage students to read the competition websites in advance and come with questions.
A copy of the presentation slides may be downloaded here.
We thank attendees for respecting the Scent Awareness Policy and not wearing any of the following to the presentation: cologne, after-shave lotion, perfume, perfumed hand lotion, fragranced hair products, essential oils, and/or similar products. Our chemically sensitive attendees thank you.
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Info Sessions for Trainees in Health Research
CIHR will be offering two MS Teams Q&A sessions to trainees, postdoctoral researchers and institution staff regarding award programs that are offered. They will start by providing a quick overview of CIHR programs, however, the majority of the session will be spent answering participant questions.
CIHR will be using Slido, an interactive tool where participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the session. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance to Slido, and CIHR will do their best to answer them during the session.
If you are interested in participating, CIHR invites you to register for the session of your choice.
Date, Time & Duration (*additional time may be allocated as needed) |
Language of Session |
MS Teams Q&A Session Registration |
Registration Deadline |
· Date: Tuesday June 13, 2023 |
English |
|
Monday, June 5, 2023 |
· Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023 |
French |
|
Monday, June 5, 2023 |
CIHR will email you the link to Slido one week prior to your session to the email that you use to register (therefore it is important to register by the deadline). In this email, you will also receive a PDF presentation providing a comprehensive overview of our programs. You are encouraged to read the PDF presentation slides before submitting your questions to Slido.
If you have any questions about these presentations, please do not hesitate to contact CIHR by email at Support-Soutien@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Doctoral and Post-doctoral Awards
NSERC will be hosting a Q&A session (via Webex) focusing on doctoral (CGS-D/PGS-D and postdoctoral [PDF]) programs on August 30th, 2022 @1:00 pm.
Join the August 30th session
Please also reference the NSERC application playlist via Youtube for complete details on applying for the NSERC CGS/PGS-D. Participants are asked to watch the videos in advance and come to the Q&A session with questions. Registration is not required. A second Q&A session will be scheduled for the CGS-M competition at a later date.
Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) application Recourses
Guide to including Diversity Considerations in Research Design for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Award Applicants.
SSHRC application instructions and CV instructions.
Canada Graduate Scholarship - Masters (CGS-M) Program (NSERC, SSHRC, & CIHR)
NSERC hosts the CGS-M competition for all three agencies: NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR. NSERC is also providing information sessions on applying to the CGS-M.
The information sessions will be hosted as live Q&A WebEx events. They are supported by a series of informational videos available on the NSERC YouTube channel. These videos are intended to completely replace the presentation portion of the NSERC sessions, allowing NSERC staff and applicants to engage in a more in-depth and detailed Q&A session than we would normally have time for. Participants should watch the videos in advance and come to the Q&A session with specific questions in mind.
Please attend any session that best suits your schedule. Registration is not required.
Tuesday, November 7th 2023 (in English)
CIHR and SSHRC staff joining
1 pm to 3 pm (Eastern Time)
Thursday, November 9th 2023 (in French)
10 am to noon (Eastern Time)
Tuesday, November 14th 2023 (in English)
CIHR staff joining
1 pm to 3 pm (Eastern Time)
Tuesday, November 21st 2023 (in French)
SSHRC staff joining
1 pm to 3 pm (Eastern Time)
Thursday, November 23rd 2023 (in English)
CIHR staff joining
10 am to noon (Eastern Time)