Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s (CGS M) Program

Deadline

December 1, 2024

Annual Value

$27,000

Citizenship

Canadian
Permanent Resident

Degree Level

Masters
Doctoral
 

The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's (CGS 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 CGS M Program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in eligible master's or, in some cases, doctoral programs in Canada.

The CGS 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 (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative (NSERC and SSHRC): The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative consist of a one-year, non-renewable supplement valued at $5,000 for all meritorious Indigenous CGS M applicants and a one-year, non-renewable award valued at $27,000 for all alternate candidates, subject to the limit of available funding. If you self-identify as Indigenous you are eligible to apply for this initiative.  Note: CIHR is not participating in this initiative.  For more information, see the pilot initiative webpage.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the application deadline date. International students are not eligible for the CGS M and should refer to Affiliated Fellowships Master's Program, which runs in parallel to the CGS M competition at UBC.

Complete eligibility criteria are available on the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's (CGS M) Program website. For research subject matter guidelines, please refer to Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency.

If applicants are unsure which granting agency they should select, they should consult their research supervisor and/or Graduate Advisor. In cases where clarification is still needed, applicants should send a half-page summary of their intended research proposal to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for an assessment. The summary should be submitted via email to graduate.awards@ubc.ca with a request for confirmation if the research falls under the chosen agency’s mandate.

In addition to the eligibility requirements noted above, interested applicants should check with their future UBC department to find out if their future UBC department has any additional requirements to consider their CGSM application (such as having also submitted a UBC admission application by the CGSM application deadline).

Evaluation Criteria

Complete evaluation criteria are available on the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master's (CGS M) Program website.

Application Procedures

Application deadline: 1 December 2024 before 5:00 pm PT (8:00 pm ET).  Note that the application deadline is set at the national level and is not flexible; late applications cannot be submitted in the system and extensions to the deadline are not possible. Revisions to applications are not allowed once submitted.

Applicants must complete and submit the online application using the Research Portal (make sure to follow the instructions).

Each applicant may apply to up to three eligible institutions in Canada. To be considered for a CGS M at UBC, applicants must fill out one of  "Proposed Host Organization" sections with the following information:

  • Organization: select "The University of British Columbia"
  • Faculty: select the disciplinary faculty (ex. 'Faculty of Arts') under which your current/proposed graduate program falls (look up your program if you are unsure)
  • Department/Division: select your current/proposed graduate program if it is available on the list. If it is not available on the list, select the closest available department/division based on your research area.

A complete CGSM application includes the following documents:

  • The application form in Research Portal (it consists of three parts: Identification, Summary of Proposal, and Activity Details)
  • The outline of the proposed research (1 page) and bibliography and citations (1 page) - applicant uploads as a PDF to Research Portal
    • Follow CGSM’s page limit (1 page for each of outline and bibliography) and presentation standards, as there will not be an opportunity to revise these documents after the application deadline.  If the documents exceed the page limits or do not follow the presentation standards (ex. Too small font), the portion that exceeds the page limit will be blocked off from view in the university-wide stage of the award competition.
  • All up to date undergraduate and graduate transcripts  - applicant uploads as a PDF to Research Portal
  • UBC requires official, up to date transcripts for all post-secondary studies (including studies that did not lead to a degree, e.g. exchange/transfer course grades) as part of each application package. General guidance on preparing transcripts for submission as follows (see individual agencies application instructions for further details):
    • UBC Transcripts:
      • Official UBC transcripts are preferred.
      • The "Advising Transcript" document (available on Workday) is acceptable.
      • The UBC transcript or Advising Transcript should show 2024W1 (Fall 2024) course registration.
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Other Transcripts:
      • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Only official transcripts will be accepted.
      • ​​​​​​​Transcripts must be authentic, complete, and up to date.
    • “All undergraduate and graduate transcripts” includes transcripts from transfer credit courses and exchange or study abroad terms.  The transcripts from those institutions must be provided.
    • Up-to-date transcripts are defined as transcripts dated or issued in the fall session of the year of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered).
    • Foreign transcripts: For applicants including foreign transcripts, if the transcripts are not presented in one of Canada’s two official languages (English or French), a certified translation must be provided, in addition to the official transcripts in its original language.
    • Grading key/legend: All transcripts must include one copy of the transcript key/legend (typically found on the back of each paper transcript page)
    • If an institution does not provide transcripts, applicants can submit, in lieu of a transcript, a letter bearing the official institution seal/stamp or a letter signed by the dean of graduate studies or an equivalent confirming 1) the program of study, 2) the registration status and 3) the fact that the institution does not provide transcripts.
    • The UBC graduate program may have some of the applicant's transcripts on file already; if so, well in advance of the application deadline, the applicant must confirm with their UBC graduate program which transcripts the program has on file and can provide to support the CGSM application, and which transcripts the applicant must still order from their prior institutions.  Note: The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is unable to provide transcripts.
    • It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they are submitting a complete transcript package in their CGSM application.  Transcript submissions cannot be revised after the application deadline.
  • The CGS M Canadian Common CV (CCV) - applicant enters the confirmation number in their application form
    • Applicants must create a Canadian Common CV (CCV) (make sure to follow the instructions)
    • Special circumstances: if applicable, indicate special circumstances that may have affected your research, professional career, record of academic or research achievement or completion of degrees in the 'Leaves of absence and impact on research' section of the CCV.
  • Two reference assessments - applicant invites two referees; referee completes an online form
    • Per CGSM, “You will not be able to submit your application until these assessments have been completed and linked to your application. It is your responsibility to ensure your references complete and submit their assessments early enough to allow you to submit your complete application in the research portal before the December 1 deadline.  There are multiple steps to the reference assessment process. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you clearly communicate an early deadline to your references for the completion and submission of their assessments.”.

Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative (NSERC and SSHRC): The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative consist of a one-year, non-renewable supplement valued at $5,000 for all meritorious Indigenous CGS M applicants and a one-year, non-renewable award valued at $27,000 for all alternate candidates, subject to the limit of available funding. If you self-identify as Indigenous you are eligible to apply for this initiative.  Note: CIHR is not participating in this initiative.  For more information, see the pilot initiative webpage.

Affiliated Fellowships-Master's: All CGS M applicants applying through UBC will automatically be considered for 'un-restricted/open' Affiliated Fellowships. To be additionally considered for 'criteria-based/restricted' Affiliated Fellowships, students should submit a checklist of criteria-based Affiliated Fellowships to their program by the CGSM application deadline.

Nomination Procedures

Applications will be available to graduate programs for review and ranking shortly after the applicant deadline. Graduate programs are to review their applications for eligibility and completeness and submit their nominees to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by 23 January 2025 at 4:00 pm PT.

Graduate program resources (ex. application checklists) will be posted on the Awards Administration webpage.  The nomination allocation/quota document will be posted in January.

Please note, graduate programs are not permitted to add to or revise applications prior to nomination. Nominated applications will be reviewed and considered by Grad Studies as submitted in the Research Portal.

Adjudication Procedures

CGS M applications are first reviewed and ranked by the applicant's UBC graduate program. The graduate program forwards its top-ranked applications to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, which oversees a university-wide adjudication of all nominated applications. Adjudication committees composed of UBC faculty members review and rank nominated applications and select which applicants will be offered CGS M awards. The first round of award offers will be made on 1 April 2025.

Further Information

Resources for applicants and referees are available on the Tri-Agency Harmonized CGS M website.

 
 

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