External Awards
Expandable List
The Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) and NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS) provide financial support to high-caliber scholars who are engaged in masters or doctoral programs in the natural sciences or engineering. To be eligible for support from NSERC, you must and/or will be undertaking a program of study or research in one of the fields that NSERC supports. In addition, for awards held at universities, the research must be supervised by a faculty member whose own research is in a field that NSERC supports. In cases where the proposed research is deemed to fall within the mandate of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), NSERC will not accept the application. If you hold, or have held, a CGS from another federal granting agency (CIHR or SSHRC), you are not eligible to apply to NSERC for support at the same level. Students may submit only one application per academic year to either NSERC or CIHR.
Scholarship Values:
- CGS D – $35,000 per year for 3 years
- PGS D – $21,000 per year for 3 years
More Information:
- Applications are prepared and submitted by students in the NSERC online portal before the internal deadline set by McMaster. Students will not be able to submit their applications to the NSERC online system until all their required tasks are completed, including referee letters of support
- For eligibility requirements and application instructions, please refer to the following websites:
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the masters and doctoral levels. An Ontario Graduate Scholarship is awarded for one academic year, which may consist of two or three consecutive terms. The value of the OGS is $5,000.00 per term. Thus, you may receive $10,000 for two consecutive terms or $15,000 for three consecutive terms. One-term awards are not granted. At McMaster, winners of Ontario Graduate Scholarships may hold a full teaching assistantship.
More Information:
- CGS-M: Students who apply for a CGS-M at McMaster University through the central Master’s competition will automatically be considered for an OGS or QEII-GSST.
- CGS-D: Students who apply for a CGS-D at McMaster are not automatically considered for an OGS or QEII-GSS. The BBS Graduate Curriculum Committee will finalize the allocation of Faculty OGS awards before June 1.
- For eligibility requirements and application instructions, please refer to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and The Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology webpage.
The CGS-M Awards Program supports students in all research disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the university level, under the guidance of the three agencies.
The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the institutional level, under the guidance of the three agencies. Students submit their application to the institution at which they intend to hold their award using the Research Portal. No additional changes can be made after submission. The portal will instruct applicants to select up to three universities where they wish to hold the award.
Applicants can be considered for a CGS M at McMaster University if they select McMaster as one of their institutions on their CGS M application and are: currently enrolled in, have applied for, or will apply for full-time admission at McMaster in an eligible graduate program.
*Important: Up-to-date official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies must be included in your application. Retain the paper copy of any uploaded transcripts, as you may be asked to provide it for verification purposes. It is important to order your transcript(s) as soon as possible. A McMaster paper copy can take 7-10 business days (please allow time for delivery). Students can request an official paper copy or e-transcript through Mosaic. For more details, please refer to the Office of the Registrar’s website to learn how to request your transcript. Electronic transcripts are protected, therefore you will have to scan before uploading to your application.
More Information:
- For eligibility requirements and application instructions, please refer to the following websites:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Doctoral Research Awards consist of two programs administered through a single application: The Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Awards (CGS-D) program provides special recognition and support to students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in a health-related field in Canada. The maximum amount for a single award is $35,000 per annum for up to three years. The Doctoral Foreign Study Award (DFSA) provides special recognition and support to students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in a health-related field abroad.
Applications are prepared and submitted by students in ResearchNet by the internal deadline set by McMaster. Students will not be able to submit their application to ResearchNet until all the required tasks are completed, including the letters from your sponsors.
More Information:
- For eligibility requirements and application instructions, please refer to the following websites:
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral competitions are highly competitive and the awards are considered very prestigious. Award winners are selected according to criteria with a higher level of achievement than a typical doctoral scholarship. A two-stage internal review process is in place at McMaster to help identify the strongest applications and to select the most competitive candidates in each mandate area of CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.
Important: The Vanier competition is separate from the regular doctoral (CIHR/NSERC) competition, therefore students must submit an application to both competitions to be considered for both awards.
More Information:
- Please visit Vanier Canada Graduate Doctoral Scholarships to learn more
Bursaries
Bursaries are non-repayable grants, intended to assist with education-related expenses that are available to students who demonstrate financial need. These bursaries are for Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada and are funded by the University and through the generosity and commitment of donors.
Internal Awards
Internal Awards are based on academic achievement. Some are by application and some are by nomination. Many of these awards are made possible in part by the generosity and commitment of our donors.
Academic Grants
Academic Grants are based on financial need and academic achievement.
*A list of available awards, bursaries and grants and grants can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website. Students will apply through AwardSpring, which is accessed through the tile on their Mosaic homepage.
