External Awards

Whenever eligible, graduate students in Chemistry must apply to all scholarships, awards, bursaries and fellowships. The most important of these are the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology .

Please note that all scholarships, awards, fellowships and selected bursaries are considered part of a student's funding package. Review the Graduate Funding Structures available in the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website.

Students submit applications to the Chemistry Graduate Office by a prescribed deadline for adjudication.

The general selection criteria in order of significance are as follows:

  1. Research ability/potential
    • Contribution to research (number of refereed publications, type of authorship, paper reviews, patents, citations)
    • Research proposal - originality, significance, critical thinking, initiative, application of knowledge, judgement, enthusiasm for research
  2. Academic Excellence
    • Academic record
    • Previously held competitive scholarships
  3. Leadership Abilities

Graduate students can receive a lifetime maximum of six years of government-funded student awards. Awards received under the following programs are counted toward this lifetime maximum:

  • the Ontario government, through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program
  • the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
  • the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)

Since total scholarship support is limited to a maximum of six years full-time equivalence, scholars are encouraged to complete their studies in an expeditious manner.

 

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) offers scholarships at the master's and doctoral levels to outstanding students pursuing a degree in natural sciences or engineering. These awards are valued at $27,000 at the MSc level for 12 months and $40,000 (CGS/PGS) at the PhD level for up to 3 years. The competition is open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

Learn more about eligibility for NSERC scholarships.

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) offers scholarships in graduate studies at the master's and doctoral levels. The value of the OGS is $15,000 for both the MSc and PhD levels for 12 months. The province of Ontario contributes two-thirds of this amount and the university provides one-third. The competition is open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada and international students