SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral (CGS-D)/Doctoral Fellowship Competition

The CGS-D is valued at $40,000/year, for three years

The Doctoral Fellowship is valued at $40,000/year, for one, two, or three years.

Each scholarship has different eligibility requirements. It is the responsibility of the applicant to fully review all requirements before submitting an application. For complete eligibility and to determine registration status at the time of application submission, review the following websites:

• SSHRC CGS-D Website
• SSHRC Fellowship Website

General Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a “protected person” under subsection 95(2) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act as of the application deadline date;
• Must be pursuing doctoral studies in the social sciences or humanities. An eligible doctoral program must include a significant, autonomous research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit. This component must be merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completing the program.
• Must meet the months in program eligibility requirements as outlined on the CGS-D and Fellowship websites (Note: If your time in program makes you eligible for only one of the scholarships, you can still submit an application, and will only be considered for that scholarship);
• Must not have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR to undertake or complete a doctoral degree or combined MA/PhD;
• Must only submit one doctoral award application in the 2025-2026 competition year to either SSHRC, CIHR, or NSERC (nominations and applications to the Vanier CGS Scholarship program do not count towards this limit). Should more than one application be submitted, the eligible application submitted first chronologically will be retained.
• Must review and meet the General Guidelines for the Eligibility of Subject Matter at SSHRC. If your research is health related, consult CIHR's mandate first to explore eligibility.
• Cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment concurrently with a CGSD award.

The evaluation of SSHRC CGS-D and Fellowship applications, whether by institutions or by SSHRC, is based on the following criteria:

• Research ability and potential - 50%
• Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia - 50%

For further details please consult the respective SSHRC CGS-D and Fellowship websites.

The Application Deadline listed below is for applications submitted through the University of Alberta only. Failure to submit an application through the correct channel may result in an application being removed from the competition. For more information, refer to the flow chart “Where should I submit my application?” of the CGS D Scholarships descriptions. This flowchart details which option should be selected within the online application form. Note: all applicants registered in a degree program at the U of A (with a quota) at any time during the calendar year of application (January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024) must apply through the U of A, even if they intend to pursue their doctoral studies at an institution other than the U of A.

Applications submitted this Fall 2024 term are for awards to start May or September 2025, or January 2026.

1. Review the following document: 2025 SSHRC Memo to Students and Departments, and the Fellowship/CGSD Program details and requirements.

2. Start SSHRC's Online Application: To complete a full application students must follow SSHRC's Application Instructions, and submit through SSHRC's Online Services portal. It is the student's responsibility to read all instructions and be familiar with the application process before applying. This includes making sure to click "preview" and "verify" on each page in order to submit the application. GPS accesses U of A applications from the agency portal for university review and adjudication.

• Students should consider requesting letters of recommendation (SSHRC's Letter of Appraisal) as early as possible in order to meet the application submission deadline of October 3, 2024. It is highly recommended students give their referees a deadline at least one week prior to any application deadline in order to avoid possible delays/changes. Students are responsible for ensuring their references have completed and successfully submitted the Letters of Appraisal via the SSHRC online portal.
• Edits or corrections such as spelling, grammar, formatting, attachments, etc. are the responsibility of the student and will not be checked by GPS. Students who do not follow SSHRC’s Application Instructions may jeopardize their application.

3. Transcripts: It is the student's responsibility to submit online through SSHRC'S On-line Services portal any and all required up-to-date transcripts. This includes all undergraduate and graduate studies, completed or ongoing.

University Transcript Policy and Requirements – applicants who do not adhere to these instructions may be rejected:

U of A Transcripts: U of A unofficial transcripts (printed from BearTracks) will be accepted

• U of A transcripts must be up-to-date and show current full time registration (courses/thesis in progress) if the applicant is currently registered.
• Transcripts associated with transfer credit MUST be included.
• GPS will not print an unofficial U of A transcript for institutional review should the student submit an outdated or incomplete transcript. Outdated/incomplete copies will render the students’ application incomplete and will be rejected.

Other Institution Transcripts: certified true copies of official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies from other institutions attended are required. Opening and scanning a paper transcript, or providing a copy of an official e-transcript will not render the transcript unofficial:

• Transcripts must be up-to-date; students are responsible for obtaining official transcripts
• Transcripts associated with transfer credit MUST be included.
• GPS does not provide copies of transcripts from student records held at the U of A (includes transcripts from other Canadian/international post-secondary institutions, and transcripts included in former, recent, or in progress admission/award applications). Students are responsible for ensuring transcripts for all institutions attended are are included in their application.
• Missing, unofficial, or illegible transcripts may deem students' applications as incomplete and will not be reviewed. Refer to SSHRC’s Application Instructions. These instructions are imperative, as non-compliance with transcript related guidelines is the primary reason for the rejection of applications.
• One copy of the legend (reverse of each transcript) must be included
• Self-produced transcripts or mark sheets from institutions’ self-served student systems are considered unofficial and will not be considered.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that their transcripts are complete and legible once uploaded. In all cases, the applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete by reviewing the final version of the online application.

4. “Official letter to confirm part-time study and/or leave of absence”: if applicable, students who as part of their doctoral studies have studied on a part-time basis, or interrupted their studies (ex. leave of absence), must send a request to GPS Award Services Online by Friday, September 20, 2024, 11:59 pm (MST) to obtain a letter.

• GPS can only confirm part-time registration/leaves of absences that have been officially approved (i.e. reflected on the current U of A transcript).
• GPS will return the letter for students to upload to their application in the portal by the Application Deadline .

5. Application Deadline and Submission: October 3, 2024, 11:59 pm (MST). Deadline for students to submit their completed application via SSHRC's On-line Services portal (including Letters of Appraisal and uploaded transcripts). Note that there is no system shutoff in SSHRC's portal October 3, 11:59 pm; however, student’s applications will be date and time stamped once submitted and this will be the copy used for university review and adjudication. Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted and extension requests will not be granted.

• Changes cannot be made after the application has been submitted. Students will not be offered the opportunity to revise their applications.
• Students are responsible for ensuring their references have completed and successfully submitted the Letters of Appraisal via the SSHRC online portal by October 3, 2024.
• Edits or corrections such as spelling, grammar, formatting, attachments, etc. are the responsibility of the student and will not be checked by GPS. Students who do not follow SSHRC's application instructions may jeopardize their application.

NOTE: Institutions may recommend applications from self-identified Indigenous applicants to the doctoral awards competition beyond their application quota. Indigenous applicants who wish to have their application considered for submission beyond their institution’s quota are asked to select the “Option for Self-identified Indigenous Applicants” in the “Application Profile” section of the online application form.

This information will be visible only to the applicant and institutional officials with appropriate access to the SSHRC online system. Note applicants are not automatically forwarded to the national level; they will be reviewed and recommended by GPS’s Graduate Scholarship Committee (GSC) among the full pool of applicants.

September 20, 2024, 11:59 pm (MST): GPS Deadline to request an "Official letter to confirm part-time study and/or leave of absence", if applicable. Refer to the Application Procedures for full instructions.

October 3, 2024, 11:59 pm (MST): Deadline for students to submit their completed application via SSHRC's on-line services portal. Refer to Application Procedures for full instructions.

October 4 - Mid October, 2024: GPS Award Services reviews applications for eligibility and completeness. 

Mid October - Mid November, 2024: GPS's GSC reviews applications and selects nominees to be forwarded to SSHRC for review at the national level.

November 21, 2024: Deadline for GPS to forward university nominations to SSHRC for the national competition.

End of November, 2024: Results of the SSHRC competition at the University level will be released. Students whose applications have been forwarded to SSHRC will receive a notification from GPS. Unsuccessful students will be notified via the SSHRC portal.

April 2025: Final SSHRC doctoral results are expected to be announced.

• Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement: Active CGS-D holders who wish to undertake research outside of Canada for a defined period of time may consider applying for this supplement.

SSHRC offers supplementary funding to scholarship and fellowship award holders, some of which is offered through joint initiatives. Unless otherwise indicated, there is no separate application process for most initiatives and supplements:

• Department of National Defence MINDS Scholarship Initiative
• Joint Initiative for Digital Citizen Research
• Sport Participation Research Initiative 
  • Offers will be made to award holders from SSHRC.
  • Depending on the offer, payments may be made in the same manner as the award: via GPS.
  • Students are to refer to SSHRC's website for eligibility and application details.

The Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) is the primary contact and administrator for the SSHRC Doctoral award and its regulations for the term the student holds the award. Recipients planning to accept the award at the U of A (activate Payment of Award: Awards paid by Canadian institutions) are to proceed with the following steps:

1) Advise SSHRC if the award will be accepted (for May 1, Sept 1, or Jan 1).

2) Submit the following two documents to grad.awards@ualberta.ca:

• Copy of the offer letter “Notice of Award” from SSHRC’s secure site
• Copy of the “Notice of Decision” from SSHRC’s secure site
• Tri-Agency's Request for First Instalment or Reinstatement of Award Paid by Canadian Institution form:
  • This form is required to pay the award at the university. Students are to ensure to complete the appropriate form “Paid by Canadian Institution”, not “Award Paid Directly to Award Holder”.
  • Complete Parts 1, 2, and 3; leave Part 4 blank. GPS will sign and complete this section as the university official, and will return to the agency on students’ behalf.  
  • Note that the start date may be changed from the "Proposed Start Date" as initially indicated on the application.
  • When selecting the start date, consider other sources of funding (if applicable) that will be held or currently hold (ex. other awards, department funding) to ensure there are no conflicts with overlap. 

Students’ renewable award will be viewable in the GSMS Awards Portal under “My Awards” with the status of "Awaiting Renewal". GPS will notify students approximately 2 months prior to the renewal start date when it will be viewable in GSMS.

It is the student’s responsibility to send the renewal request to GPS via GSMS approximately 4 weeks before the start of the renewal year. Requests for renewals are subject to review by GPSS Awards Staff. Note that the value and specifics of the award may be adjusted. Renewal request requirements:

1) Student supervisor's authorization via GSMS 

To request the supervisor's authorization and to renew the award, follow the complete GSMS Awards: Renew My Award instructions (also available on GPS’s website under Awards and Funding/Award Resources/Student Resources/Renew my Award). 

 Enter a due-date for the supervisor sign-off that is as late as possible before the renewal deadline. Ensure the request is properly submitted; incomplete submission requests may result in delayed payments. 

2) Required form for all Tri-Council (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) Doctoral award holders: the completed Tri-Agency Doctoral Awards Progress Report (also available in the Forms Cabinet (under Awards\Awards Management)):

• the Progress Report must be signed by the Department's Graduate Coordinator/Chair (not the student’s program supervisor); students are responsible for securing the appropriate signature from their Department.
• the Progress Report is required to initiate payments; it is students’ responsibility to ensure that the Progress Report is complete in every respect, once uploaded. If incomplete, including missing signature(s) and/or unmarked checkbox (Student Progress), delays in processing will occur and may result in delayed payments

3) Award requirements: students must meet the eligibility requirements of their award set out within the Graduate Scholarship Committee Scholarships and Awards Manual (SAM). 

• the SAM is located in GPS's Forms Cabinet.
• the award is also subject to the regulations outlined in the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.

4) Full-time registration: students are to ensure they are full-time registered in their program during the tenure of the award. Students are to contact their home department if assistance with registration is required.