If you are planning to study in Canada with financial support, the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship is one of the best opportunities available for international students. This scholarship provides fully funded programs at Canadian universities across a wide range of fields. In this article, we have explained everything you need to know about the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, including its benefits, eligibility criteria, required documents, and a detailed step-by-step application process to help you apply successfully.
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship 2026-2027 is available for Master’s, and PhD students. The scholarship will provide the recipient with a value of $40,000 per year.
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship program recognizes and supports the next generation of outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers, and researchers. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.
The CPRA program is a federal program that invests in research talent within the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The CRTAS aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity, and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy, and prosperity.
To help build a world-leading innovative economy, reinforce a diverse culture of critical thought, and improve Canadian productive capacity, the CPRA supports and promotes promising research talent in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. This support allows postdoctoral researchers to add to their experience by engaging in research either in Canada or abroad and facilitates their transition to the next phase of their career.
Scholarship Summary
- Level of Study: Master’s, PhD
- Institution(s): Eligible Canadian or international institutions
- Opportunity Focus Areas:
- Health research
- Natural sciences and/or engineering
- Social sciences and/or humanities
- Program Period: One year for Master’s and three years for PhD
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Application Deadline
The application deadline for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship:
- Master’s: December 1
- PhD:
- Through a Canadian institution: Contact your institution (often significantly earlier than the agency’s deadline)
- Directly to the agencies: October 17
Scholarship Coverage
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship program provides the recipient with the following benefits:
- Master’s: The applicant will get funds up to $27,000 for 12 months, non-renewable
- PhD: The applicant will get funds up to $40,000 per year for three years.
Eligibility Criteria for Canada Graduate Research Scholarship
To be eligible for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Required Language: English
- Eligible Countries: All countries
- Master’s, you must
- have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application
- not have held or be currently holding a Master’s level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC
- not have held or be currently holding an Indigenous Scholars Award and Supplement
- have achieved a first-class average2, as determined by the host institution(s), in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent)
- Note: Institutions may, at their discretion, accept CGRS M applications from individuals who have not obtained a first-class average; contact your proposed host institution(s) to determine their use of this eligibility criterion
- submit a maximum of one postgraduate (master’s or doctoral) or postdoctoral application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHR
- PhD, you must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time equivalent study in the doctoral program, the PhD portion of the joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD) or the joint program (such as MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD) for which you are requesting funding by December 31 of the calendar year of your application.
How to Apply for the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship
Please follow the instructions below to avail of this fellowship
- Select the appropriate funding agency based on your research field:
- Choose the agency (CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC) that best matches your research subject matter
- This ensures experts in your field review your application
- Check each agency’s guidelines to confirm eligibility:
- CIHR: ResearchNET and instructions
- NSERC: Online system and instructions
- SSHRC: Registration and login and instructions
- If unsure, contact the agencies for clarification
- Important: Applications sent to the wrong agency may be disqualified
- Complete your application using the correct online system:
- CIHR: Use ResearchNET (see their instructions)
- NSERC: Use their online system (see their instructions)
- SSHRC: Register and log in to their system (see their instructions)
- Submission requirements:
- All application materials must be complete
- Must be submitted electronically through the agency’s platform
- All references/letters of support must also be submitted online before the deadline
- To apply to the Master’s program, you must complete and submit an application to up to three institutions using the Research Portal. For more information on how to apply, consult the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s program: Instructions for completing an application
web page.
Website
To know more about the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship, please visit the official website: