Ontario Graduate Scholarship

For every academic session, the government of Ontario and Ontario universities collaborates to support the best students enrolled in graduate studies at the masters and doctoral level. The value of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship is USD 3,775 per term

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) offers 22 merit-based scholarships to students in all disciplines of academic study.
Province allocates OGS awards to Canadian universities, specifying the number of awards to be offered annually.
Application process and evaluation of applications are administered by each university’s graduate unit.
The scholarship program is awarded for a minimum of two terms and a maximum of three terms.
Selections are based on factors like academic excellence, research potential, leadership skills, etc.

Of the total scholarship amount of 15000 CAD per year, the Government of Ontario contributes two-thirds of the award value and the remaining one-third is provided by the university. The Ontario Graduate Scholarship award is non-transferable; it must be held at the institution that awarded it.

Highlights

Scholarship Type	College-Specific, Merit-Based
Offered by	Government bodies
Organization	Province of Ontario
Application Deadline	Jun 01 ,2023
Number of Scholarships	22
Amount	$10,847 ($10,847)
Renewability	One Time Payment
International Student Eligible	Yes
Scholarship Website Link	https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/ontario-graduate-scholarship/

Eligibility Criteria

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program is jointly governed by the Ontario government and the participating Ontario universities. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is established by the Province but varies according to the university.

Citizenship

Both domestic and international students are eligible for the Ontario Graduate Scholarships. As per the guidelines, the applicant must be:

A Canadian citizen or permanent resident at the time of the application;
An international student studying in an Ontario university with a valid Canadian study permit.

Note: Students protected under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) are also eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Academic Requirements

To be eligible for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, applicants must fulfill the following academic requirements:

Hold an A– Average (Ontario equivalent of 80%) in both the years of full-time study before being awarded the scholarship.
International applicants must be proficient in English by the time of application.
Applicant must be registered full-time in a graduate degree program, that is,
- 60% or more of a full course load as defined by the university
- 40% or more for students with disabilities.

Eligibility Conditions for Ontario Graduate Scholarships

Master’s students are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum of 2 years. Whereas, doctoral students may receive the scholarship for 4 years.
The lifetime maximum restriction for a government-funded scholarship is six years for any student.
No single student can avail two government-funded scholarships concurrently. The restricted scholarships are listed below:
- Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) (formerly OGSST)
- Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

Application Process

The OGS program adjudication takes place at the program level, therefore deadlines and specific processes are determined by an individual master-level program at Canadian universities. However, while applying for the scholarship, students have to submit the following documents:

Ontario Graduate Scholarship 2023 application form
Confidential Academic Assessment Reports from two academic referees.
Academic transcripts from previously attended post-secondary institutions.
Copy of photocopy of the proof Canadian citizenship/ permanent resident status or copies of visa documentation.
Plan of study (maximum of 3,950 characters including spaces)
Previous awards/publications/research experience

Universities Offering Ontario Graduate Scholarships

The universities offering OGS program are tabulated below:

Brock University	Wilfrid Laurier University	York University
Trent University	Carleton University	University of Toronto
Western University	University of Ontario Institute of Technology	Queen’s University
University of Windsor	Laurentian University	University of Waterloo
University of Ottawa	McMaster University	Ryerson University
Lakehead University	University of Guelph	Nipissing University

Selection Process

There are three areas of evaluation under which each OGS 2023 application will be evaluated. Respective program departments and faculties determine the weight placed on each of the following criteria:

OGS Selection Criteria for Masters level:

Criteria	Description	Weighting
Academic Excellence	Transcripts; Other academic achievements; Type of program; Course load; Duration of course; Prior scholarships and awards	30%
Research Potential and Statement of Interest	Statement of Interest (motivation, creativity, communication skills); Relevance of work experience; Significance and merit of proposed research; Initiative and contribution to research and development	30%
Personal Characteristics/ Academic Assessment from Referees	Work experience; Leadership experience; Involvement in academic life; Project management	20%

OGS Selection Criteria for Doctoral level:

Criteria	Description	Weighting
Academic Excellence	Academic records; Scholarships and awards received; Duration of the previous course	30%
Research Potential	Plan of study; Judgment and originality; Initiative and autonomy; Interaction with supervisors & peers; Ability to lead and complete projects within the allotted time.	50%
Personal Characteristics/ Academic Assessment from Referees	Quality of presentation; Publications; Professional relevant extracurricular interaction and mentoring	20%

Conditions for Acceptance and Continuance of OGS

An Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient must:

Not work for more than an average of 10 hours per week per academic session.
Ensure their Social Insurance Number (SIN) is recorded in WebAdvisor as the award cannot be processed without a SIN on file. This requirement does not apply to international students.
Not accept research assistantships, part-time teaching positions, or other paid employment that affect their status as a full-time graduate student.