Studying is so expensive anywhere in the world, don’t expect anything cheap that is with top notch facilities and outstanding ranking in the world, it is not different in any part of the world, so as a student that wants to embark on an academics route, you have to get prepared for this financially inclined journey, however it can be so draining and can be frustrating for students that don’t have  much funds to finance their education.

I have got a good news for graduate students that are willimg to start a graduate program in canada and does not have much fund to cater for their bills, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is a best bet to finance your education, as it currently open to students to apply.  In this article, I will be explaining in detail about Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, its benefits and step by step application process.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program 2025 is a fully funded scholarship majorly for international graduate students, who wants to run their PhD studies. This scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year for three years of their studies.

The Vanier Canadian Government Scholarships are willing to help students who want to pursue their doctoral studies at top Canadian universities to achieve their academic goals.  Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year for three years during doctoral studies  (or combined MA/ Ph.D. or MD/ Ph.D.).

 This program intends to invite, train and retain world-class, exceptional, brilliant doctoral students who shows leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achieved records in graduate studies in area of natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities and health.

The Government of Canada started the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program in the year 2008 to support Canada’s ability to attract and retain world-class, brilliant doctoral students and make Canada a center of excellence in research and higher learning worldwide.

Scholarship Summary

• Level of Study: PhD (Doctoral)
• Institution(s): any  Canadian institution with a quota to host Vanier scholars
• Study in: Canada
• Program Period: 3 years
• Courses Offered:
  • Natural sciences and/or engineering research
  • Health research
  • Social sciences and humanities research
• Deadline: Before November 01, 2024 (Anticipated 2024-2025 competition launch: mid-June 2024)

Scholarship Coverage

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is valued at $50,000 per year for three years for doctoral studies.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, here are the criteria that is to be met by the potential student:

• Required Language: English 
• Eligible Countries: Permanent residents of Canada, Canadian citizens and international citizens
• You should have started your first doctoral degree (including joint undergraduate/graduate research program such as: MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD – it must be a program that is research based). Note, if it Is a combined program, only the PhD portion of a combined degree is eligible for funding;
• You must have started, but should not have completed more than 20 months of doctoral studies as of May 1, 2024
• You should be nominated or listed by only one Canadian institution, which must have received a Vanier CGS quota from the authorities.
• You should register, in the summer semester or the academic year after you might have gotten your results. However for those doing full-time doctoral (or a joint graduate program such as: MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD) studies and research at the nominating institution; Note that the PhD portion of a combined degree only is eligible for funding;
• You must not hold any current, or have held, a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC to support or complete a doctoral degree.
• Your grade must be a first-class when your academic records is graded, determined by your institution, in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent. Candidates are to contact the institution for its definition of a first-class grade, if they are not sure on how to go about it.

How to Apply for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) ?

To apply for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, You will have visit the official website to get the application form to the scholarship, through here.

Here are some important application instructions and steps needed to be followed before you can apply for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships:

Step 1: make a thorough researching on eleigible Canadian institutions and universities through the Universities Canada website. it is advisable to go through each university’s website and to research and get information about the program of interest in which you would like to complete your doctorate degree, also to get supervisors for your proposed research work.

Step 2: Make your findings on the Vanier CGS quota page to be sure that your interested institution has a quota for the year in which you are applying.

Complete Application Steps:

• Applications are usually done in one of two ways. one: the student writes the faculty of graduate studies at your choice institution of their intention to apply to the Vanier CGS program; or
  • The institution starts the nomination process by contacting the desired candidate, they feel are amazingly brilliant.
  • Applications are then prepared by the student and submitted to the nominating institution before the deadline (set in ResearchNet by the nominating institution) using the ResearchNet application system.
  • The nominating institution initiate and complete the internal candidate selection process.
  • The nominating institution forwards recommended nominations list to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat (the Secretariat) by November 1, 2024 (20:00 Eastern Time).
  • The Secretariat, after they have gotten the list, they start the review process.
  • The Secretariat, are working on the list, they presents the recommendations to the Tri-Agency Programs (TAP) Steering Committee.
  • The TAP Steering Committee, after their own screening, they endorses and approves final decisions for the Vanier CGS program.
  • Nominated candidates are notified of the out and results of the process in April 2025.
• Candidates must be nominated by the institution at where they intend to study. As a Candidate you cannot apply to the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program directly.
• Candidates should be aware of institutional internal deadline, so as to be on a safer side of the river.
• Candidates should have read the Selection Committee Guide before they jump to starting their application. This guide lists necessary information needed such as; the three evaluation criteria and how the criteria are evaluated.
• The Secretariat have  a well researched list of resources to help applicants, institutions, referees, and evaluators consider equity, diversity, and inclusion in their application. Applicants are thereby employed to review the resources, and study them carefully before they begin writing their application.

Documents Required:

• A ResearchNet application form (includes two letters of reference, each with three sections)
• A CCV (limited entries; please see Completing the Common CV (CCV) for complete information)
• Research Contributions (maximum one page)
• A Personal Leadership Statement (maximum 2 pages)
• Special Circumstances (max 0.5 page, optional)
• Two Leadership letters of reference (maximum 2 pages)
• A Research Proposal (maximum 2 pages)
• Project References (maximum 5 pages)
• Transcripts

• A student who has completed the Vanier CGS electronic application through ResearchNet must submit the application online to the Canadian institution that will be putting forward their nomination. Applications cannot be submitted directly to the Vanier CGS program.
• Students wishing to apply for a Vanier CGS should verify that the institution to which they are applying for doctoral studies has a Vanier CGS quota. They must then inform the institution that they wish to be considered for a Vanier CGS.
• The institution is responsible for notifying candidates if their application is not selected for nomination to the Secretariat. The timing for this notification may vary by institution.
• Based on its allocated quota, the institution will forward its selected nominations to the Secretariat.
• Each student can be nominated only once. If there is a case where one or more institution is interested in nominating an individual student for a Vanier CGS, the student will have to choose one institution between then to submit their nomination. Multiple nominations of single student will not be accepted, and may cause disqualification.
• Students are advised to contact the school for more information about selecting the appropriate federal granting agency, knowing the appropriate contact person within a department/faculty, and for advice or questions related to content and how best to put information in their application.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship results will be announced Early April 2025.

To know more about Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS), please visit the official website and even guide on how to appl: Official Website 

Here is a comprehensive guide for students that want to seek sscholarship to fund their Graduate degree program; Doctorate degree in canada, Vanier canada graduate scholarship is there for brilliant and willing students to check if they are eligible, once they are, they can follow all the processes listed in this blog post to apply for your doctorate program and be ready to receive a whooping $50,000 per year for 3 years consecutively, this is a big sign of relieve to student, it will serve them to focus mainly on their academic work and research instead of cracking their head to start looking for funding, I wish you success as you apply for this scholarship.