Many graduate students apply for research scholarships and awards in their first few weeks/months in graduate school. The material below will help you familiarize yourself with scholarship-writing opportunities, the awards students usually apply for in our graduate unit, and the supports available through the U of T’s School of Graduate Studies.
Common terms:
OGS: the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, funded by the provincial government and universities
Tri-agency funding programs: The federal government runs annual competitions for graduate scholarships through the following three agencies:
SSHRC: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
NSERC: The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
CIHR: The Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Graduate unit deadlines to apply for Tri-agency funding are usually in mid-late September (for doctoral scholarships) and on December 1 (for Master’s scholarships), so we are providing the information below to help you learn how to get started early on preparing a scholarship application.
Additional Information: More information on specific awards is available on the agency websites and through the School of Graduate Studies’ Awards Office at https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/
Training in Writing Research Proposals:
The School of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) offers free 6- hour courses for U of T graduate students on Writing SSHRC Proposals, Writing NSERC Proposals, and Writing CIHR Proposals. These courses are offered twice a year (May/June and August), and in addition to class time, they include tutorials and chances to submit your draft proposal for written and oral feedback. As an incoming U of T graduate student, you are eligible to register for one of these courses in May/June or in August. Dates for the August courses will be posted on the GCAC website in June. Registration for the May/June online courses listed below is now open. You should register only for the course focused on the award for which you will be applying in Fall 2025.
| Writing SSHRC Proposals | Writing NSERC Proposals | Writing CIHR Proposals |
| May 26 – Jun 9 inclusive Mondays 2pm – 4pm | Jun 2 – Jun 16 inclusive Mondays 2pm – 4pm | Jun 4 – Jun 18 inclusive Wednesdays 5pm – 7pm |
Click here to register: https://folio.utoronto.ca/students/Workflows/Detail/129