Tools and Resources
Awards Information Sessions & Other Resources
Information sessions for the 2022/23 external government-funded scholarship competitions. (These information sessions are intended for students who are enrolled in or planning to pursue graduate studies.)
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Info Sessions for Trainees in Health Research
CIHR hosts information sessions for trainees on awards in Health Research. These are designed to assist participants with the different awards funding opportunities requirements and answer questions on how to apply.
The series of live events indicated below are also posted on the CIHR website. If you are interested in participating, we invite you to mark your calendar for the session of your choice.
Date, Time & Duration (*additional time may be allocated as needed) |
Language Session |
MS Teams Live Event Link |
· Tuesday, June 14, 2022 |
English |
|
· Wednesday, June 15, 2022 |
French |
|
· Thursday, June 16, 2022 |
English |
|
· Thursday, June 16, 2022 |
French |
Please Note: CIHR hosts these information sessions, so OGPS staff will not be able to assist if an attendee has difficulty accessing a session.
Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Doctoral and Post-doctoral Awards
NSERC typically hosts information sessions for Doctoral and Post-doctoral Awards early each September. Details for 2022 information sessions will be posted when available.
Please also reference the NSERC application playlist via Youtube for complete details on applying for the NSERC CGS/PGS-D and CGS-M.
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 hosts the CGS-M competition for all three agencies: NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR.
NSERC typically hosts question and answer sessions for the CGS M program in November. These information sessions are for NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR CGS-M applicants. These 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. Participants are asked to watch the videos in advance and come to the Q&A session with specific questions in mind. Please attend any of the sessions that best suits your schedule. Registration is not required.
Details for 2022 information sessions will be posted when available.
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 an “NSERC (OGS, SSHRC, CGS-M, CIHR, Vanier etc.) Scholarship Application”. This will indicate that the official transcript is to be free of charge. 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.
Deadlines for requesting transcripts free of charge for scholarship purposes:
Vanier CGS - September 14, 2021
CIHR Doctoral - September 20, 2021
NSERC Doctoral - September 16, 2021. You must ask for the transcript office to send transcripts to your Graduate Program Assistant. All transcripts MUST be sent to your Graduate Program Assistant to upload to your application no later than September 22, 2021 in order for them to upload transcripts to your application before the application deadline. Staff continue to work remotely, so it is imperative that you send transcripts in pdf format well ahead of the deadline.
SSHRC Doctoral - September 20, 2021
CGS-M - November 19, 2021
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. If you require the transcript prior to the standard five days, you will need to pay the $12 transcript fee plus the $13 rush fee.
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). 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.
- 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
Sally Hickson, COA
Leonid Brown, CEPS
Todd Gillis, CBS
Rebecca Hallett, OAC
Noella Gray, CSAHS
Sean Lyons, LANG
Shayan Sharif, OVC
Last updated Feb. 2021
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Sally Hickson, COA
Don Dedrick, COA
Jade Ferguson, COA
Peter Goddard, COA
Rebecca Hallett, OAC
Karine Gagne, CSAHS
Marion Joppe, LANG
Elizabeth Kurucz, LANG
Sheri Longboat, OAC
Sean Lyons, LANG
Alex Maynard, LANG
Kaitlyn McLachlan, CSAHS
Kate Parizeau, CSAHS
Vivian Shalla, CSAHS
Richard Vyn, OAC
Last updated Feb. 2021
Ben Bradshaw, Assistant VP, Graduate Studies
Leonid Brown, CEPS
Animesh Dutta, CEPS
Hermann Eberl, CEPS
Todd Gillis, CBS
Rebecca Hallett, OAC
Graham Holloway, CBS
Iris Joye, OAC
Neil MacLusky, OVC
TBA, OAC
Faisal Moola, CSAHS
Barbara Morrongiello, CSAHS
Theresa Bernardo, OVC
Georgina Cox, CBS
Shayan Sharif, OVC
Jennifer Murrary, CSAHS
Last updated Feb. 2021
Theresa Bernardo, OVC
Karl Cottenie, CBS
Jade Ferguson, COA
Saerom Lee, LANG
Rajesh Pereira, CEPS
Rakhal Sarker, OAC
Vivian Shalla, CSAHS
Last updated Feb. 2021
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.