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Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M)

  • CIHR – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships
  • NSERC – Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships
  • SSHRC – Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The objective of the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M) program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.

The CGRS M program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in an eligible master’s or, in some cases, doctoral program in Canada (refer to the Eligibility (external link)  section for more information). This support allows these scholars to concentrate more fully on their studies in their chosen fields.

The CGRS M program supports up to 3,000 students annually in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three granting agencies: 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 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.

$27,000. The award is tenable for a maximum of one year and is non-renewable.

Eligible students are required to submit their application via the Research Portal by December 1, before 8:00 p.m. (ET). Complete applications must be submitted by the deadline using the Research Portal. If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 8:00 p.m. (ET).

As the application deadline approaches, delays may occur due to a high volume of users on the Research Portal, which may prevent the timely submission of your application. Requests to submit late applications will not be accepted.

The application portal will be available early September.

Results and offers will not be released until the week of April 1st.

To be eligible to apply, you must

  • be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the application deadline date
  • be enrolled in, have applied for or will apply for full-time admission to an eligible (external link)   graduate program at the master’s or doctoral level that can be started within the eligible dates of the competition year at a Canadian institution with a CGRS M allocation
  • respect the internal deadline to apply for admission for your intended program of study—contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at the selected Canadian institution(s) for more detailed information
  • have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application
    • either between 0 and 12 months of full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in the program for which you are requesting funding, which may be one of the following:
      • a master’s program
      • a doctoral program that you are entering directly from a bachelor’s program without having ever been enrolled in any graduate programs (direct-entry)
      • a combined master’s-doctoral program
      • a master’s program that will transition to an eligible doctoral program, either before or after award activation, with no master’s degree conferred (fast-track)
      • a master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before the end of the award, allowing the award to continue into an eligible doctoral program
    • or between 4 and 12 months of full-time study (or full-time equivalent) in an eligible master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before activation of the award at that same institution, allowing it to be activated during the first 12 months of the subsequent doctoral program for which you are requesting funding
  • 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 average, as determined by the host institution, 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 scholarship (master’s or doctoral) or fellowship application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC

Note: Should more than one application be submitted, the eligible application submitted first chronologically will be retained

Program of study eligibility

An eligible graduate program must include a significant research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completion of the program. If the program requires additional admission into the major research component stream, this acceptance must be confirmed before you can hold the award.

Joint programs with a professional degree (for example, MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/MA, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD, MA/MBA) as well as clinically oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are eligible if they have a significant autonomous research component, as described above.

Master’s programs that are based only on course work are typically not eligible since they do not include a significant research component, as described above.

Given the specific requirements of certain disciplines, institutions are invited to contact the appropriate agency for guidance on the eligibility of programs of study.

Official transcripts are required to be uploaded via the Research Portal (external link) 

 (PDF file) Selection criteria

The Tri-agency is acting on the evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-agency statement on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) (external link) .

Black student researchers
The Government of Canada has deployed additional funds to increase direct support for Black student researchers. CGRS M applicants who self-identify as Black and provide consent in their application to be considered for funds designated for specific groups may be able to receive this funding through a scholarship as part of this initiative. Each agency has a limited number of additional CGRS M awards reserved for this initiative.

To apply to the CGRS M 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 Scholarship – Master’s program: Instructions for completing an application web page (external link) .

Offers of awards will be available in the Research Portal as of April 1. Alternate offers may be made up until January 31 of the next calendar year. It is your responsibility to regularly check the Research Portal between April 1 and January 31 for the results of the competition. For more information on the notification of results, refer to the instructions for completing an application web page (external link) .