SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral

Key Dates

• Sunday, September 28, 2025, 11:59 p.m. – McMaster internal deadline
• Early October 2025 – Quotas or competition processes given to departments by Associate Dean
• Monday, November 3, 2025, noon – Recommended Candidates due to SGS from departments or Associate Deans.
• No later than Friday, November 21, 2025, 8:00 p.m. – McMaster will submit the selected applications to SSHRC and inform all the applicants of the internal results.

Value and duration

• $40,000 per year for 36 months

SSHRC’s Assigned Quota to McMaster: 49

SSHRC provides a national quota to McMaster University for the number of recommended applications permitted to submit to the national SSHRC Competition by the School of Graduate Studies.

Where to apply

If you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person:

Where to submit your application based on applicant status at the time of application

• If you are currently registered in a degree program at a Canadian institution with a doctoral award quota for the selected agency (This includes if you are registered concurrently at a Canadian institution and at a foreign institution (e.g., in a cotutelle))
  • Submit your application to the Canadian institution where you are currently registered.
• If you are not currently registered in a degree program but were registered at any other time during the calendar year of application in a degree program at a Canadian institution with doctoral award quota for the selected agency.
  • Submit your application to the Canadian institution where you were registered.
• If you are currently registered at a foreign institution or a Canadian institution without a doctoral award quota for the selected agency.
  • Submit your application directly to the appropriate agency.
• If you were not registered at any time during the calendar year of application in a degree program at a Canadian institution with a doctoral award quota for the selected agency.
  • Submit your application directly to the appropriate agency.

If you are an international applicant:

Where to submit your application based on applicant status at the time of application

• If you are currently registered in a degree program at a Canadian institution with a doctoral award quota for the selected agency.
  • Submit your application to the Canadian institution where you are currently registered.
• If you are currently registered at a Canadian institution without a doctoral award quota for the selected agency.
  • Submit your application directly to the appropriate agency.

Note: If you are on an approved leave of absence from an institution you are considered to be registered at that institution.

If you are unsure of your registration status in the calendar year of application, please contact The School of Graduate Studies at graduatescholarships@mcmaster.ca.

NOTE: Failure to submit an application through the correct channel will result in an application being rejected.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must

• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), or an international student currently enrolled in your doctoral program as of the fall 2025 term.

• have completed no more than 36 months of full-time equivalent study in the doctoral program, the PhD portion of the joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD) or the joint program (such as MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD) for which you are requesting funding by December 31, 2025 if previously enrolled in a graduate program.

Number of months

Eligibility for CGRS D is based on the number of months of full-time study, including summer months, you completed by December 31, 2025 toward the degree for which you are requesting funding. Two terms of part-time study count as one term of full-time study.

The agencies count all studies toward the doctoral degree for which funding is requested, whether or not they were completed in the same program or at the same institution.

• Fast-track programs: If you were enrolled in a master’s program and subsequently transferred to a doctoral program (fast-track), the months of study completed are calculated starting from the date on which you transferred into the doctoral program.
• Joint programs: If you are enrolled in a joint program and will obtain a master’s degree as part of the program (for example, MA/PhD, MSc/PhD, MBA/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date on which you officially enrolled in either portion of the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).
• Joint professional undergraduate/PhD programs: If you are enrolled in a joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (such as MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD), only the months of study in the PhD portion will be counted.

Proposed locations of tenure

You may take up your CGRS D at any eligible Canadian degree-granting institution. To be eligible to hold your award at an international degree-granting institution, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act(Canada) as of the application deadline; and
• have completed at least one previous undergraduate or graduate degree at a Canadian institution.

Up to 20% of all doctoral awards will be eligible to be held abroad.

Other restrictions

• You can submit a maximum of one scholarship or fellowship application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. If you submit more than one application, only the eligible application submitted first will be retained.
• You can apply a maximum of three times to this funding opportunity
• You cannot have already received a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.
• You cannot hold a tenure or tenure-track appointment or be on leave from such an appointment concurrently with your CGRS D award (some exceptions apply; see the Tri-agency research training award holder’s guide for details).

Program of study

An eligible doctoral program must be predominantly research oriented, leading to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit-/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completing the program.

Joint programs with a professional degree (for example, MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD), as well as clinically oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are eligible if they have a significant autonomous research component as described above.

SSHRC applications are submitted through the SSHRC On-line System.

We have provided key application instructions below, please be sure to review all the information and instructions on the following web pages Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral Program (CGRS D) and SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral. The onus is on the applicant to provide a clear and complete application that demonstrates attention to detail and permits a comprehensive assessment.

A complete SSHRC application package includes the following:

• SSHRC CV
• CGRS D Application
  • Application profile
  • Program information (where you identify you are applying through McMaster)
  • Areas of study
  • Diversity considerations in research design module
  • Research proposal – upload (max. 2 pages)
  • Bibliography and citations – upload (max. 5 pages)
  • Transcripts * (max. 10MB)
  • Allowable inclusions (if applicable) – upload (max. 1 page)
  • Research contributions, relevant experience and activities – upload (max. 2 pages)
  • Supplement justification (if applicable)
  • Joint or special initiatives justification (if applicable)
  • Referees – 2 letters of appraisal

*Transcripts

At McMaster you must provide up-to-date official transcripts of all your undergraduate and graduate studies in the application. Retain the paper copy of any uploaded transcripts, as you could be asked to provide it for verification purposes.

Up-to-date official transcripts are defined as transcripts issued by the registrar’s office and 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). Note: If you started your degree at McMaster in Fall 2025, you are still required to include a McMaster transcript to confirm your registration.

Requirements:

• If you submit transcripts written in a language other than English or French, you must provide a certified English or French translation.

• If you are or were registered at an institution that does not provide transcripts, you must instead submit a letter bearing the official institution seal/stamp or a letter signed by the Dean of Graduate Studies, confirming:
  • your program of study;
  • your registration status;
  • the date of initial registration;
  • the degree obtained or sought; and
  • that the institution does not provide transcripts.

Official letter to confirm part-time study and/or leave of absence (if applicable)

• Maximum 1 page
• If applicable, combine this official letter with the PDF of your transcripts.
• In calculating the value and duration of awards, SSHRC assumes that all doctoral studies were full-time and uninterrupted. If, as part of your doctoral studies, you studied part-time, or interrupted your studies with your institution’s official approval, you must upload an official letter from the institution’s registrar (or assigned designate) confirming the change of registration status in your doctoral program (including dates and duration). No deduction of months of study will be made unless you include an official letter with your application.

Additional information

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The three agencies are acting on evidence that achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to advance knowledge and understanding, and to respond to local, national and global challenges. This principle informs the commitments described in the Tri-Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and is aligned with the objectives of the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan.

Self-identification data and consent provided with applications may be used to determine eligibility for additional awards or priority funding opportunities designated for specific underrepresented groups.

Indigenous student researchers and Indigenous research

The three agencies have implemented measures to support Indigenous research and First Nations, Inuit and Métis graduate students.

These measures include:

• an opportunity for self-identified Canadian Indigenous doctoral applicants to have their application considered for submission beyond their institution’s quota—self-identified Indigenous student researchers must agree to their personal information being used for this purpose by making the appropriate selection in the application form;
• a checkbox in the application form to identify a proposed program of study as Indigenous research, such that the Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research will apply (CIHR and SSHRC only);
• instructions for members of the doctoral review committees to take into account special circumstances that may have had an impact on the academic or career paths of Indigenous applicants; and
• concerted efforts by the three agencies to include Indigenous members and experts in Indigenous research on review committees.

Black student researchers

The Government of Canada has provided additional funds to increase direct support for Black student researchers. CGRS D applicants who self-identify as Black and provide consent to be considered for funds designated for specific groups may be selected to receive this funding. Each agency has up to 10 additional CGRS D awards reserved for Black student researchers.

San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment

CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, along with other Canadian research funding agencies, are signatories of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). The agencies are committed to meaningful assessment of excellence in research funding and to ensuring that a wide range of research results and outcomes are considered and valued as part of the assessment process. The agencies will continue to work to ensure that their strategies, policies and guidance align with DORA.

McMaster internal deadline: Sunday, September 28, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

Applications are prepared and submitted by students in the SSHRC On-line System by the internal deadline set by McMaster. Students will not be able to submit their applications to the SSHRC On-line System until all their required tasks are completed, including referee letters of appraisal.

Notification of results

Applicants will be notified of the results by April 30.

Helpful Links

Canada Graduate Research Scholarships – Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral

SSHRC On-line System

SSHRC Contact Information

Toll-free: 1-855-275-2861; Email: fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

For help with technical difficulties, contact the helpdesk:

Phone: 613-995-4273 ; Email: webgrants@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

SGS Contact Information

graduatescholarships@mcmaster.ca

Selection criteria