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Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) Faculty of Graduate Studies

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and QEII Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)

Posted on 28 August 2020

Overview

Since 1975, Ontario, in partnership with Ontario’s publicly–assisted universities, has encouraged excellence in graduate studies at the masters and doctoral levels through the awarding of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). OGS awards are merit–based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of academic study jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and Ontario universities. The Province of Ontario contributes two-thirds of the value of the award and the university provides one-third. In 1998, the Ontario government introduced the QEII-GSST, a merit-based scholarship program targeted specifically towards graduate students in science and technology.

At York University, OGS and QEII awards are adjudicated together. OGS applicants in science and engineering programs who are eligible to hold a QEII are automatically considered for a QEII.

Value and Duration

  • $5,000 per term for up to $15,000 over three terms*
  • Must be held for a minimum of two sequential terms

* Note: Unless awarded in the year you were admitted to the program and held in the first three terms of study in the program, if you receive a York Graduate Fellowship as a part of your funding from the university, the university contribution portion ($5,000) of the OGS will count towards the Fellowship.

Eligibility

  • Domestic and international students who receive graduate funding and is registered in an eligible graduate program.
  • Be applying for or enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution in Ontario at the time of application at a Master’s or Doctoral level.
  • Be taking an eligible program on a full-time basis. An eligible program is defined as a full–time program of study of two or three terms at an eligible institution leading to a graduate degree. Eligible programs must be approved as eligible for funding by MTCU.
    • A full-time student is usually registered in at least 60% of a full course load (40% for students with a permanent disability) as defined by their institution.
  • PhD students in their 4th year of study (or beyond) in Fall 2024 are ineligible to apply. Students must be in 3rd year or less as of December 2024, to be eligible.
  • Students who have OSAP restrictions may apply to an OGS if the other eligibility criteria are met; however, they must clear the restrictions before the funds may be disbursed.
  • Minimum Academic Requirements: The applicant must, at minimum, meet the following OGS/QEII academic requirements: 
    • If entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline, the student must have achieved at least A-minus or equivalent first-class standing, in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent). 
    • If the student is entering the third year of graduate studies at the time of application the applicant must have an overall average of at least A-minus, or the equivalent, on all graduate courses completed in their current degree. 
    • Equivalent first-class standing: Students may still be considered for an OGS award if their application or admittance to a graduate program is on the basis of professional accomplishments or experience and not on the basis of their academic record. The nominating program must also include a rationale for nominating the student without an academic background and a statement of the grade equivalent at which they assess the student’s professional accomplishments. 
  • Award Maximums:
    • Master’s students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years and doctoral students for a maximum of four years, subject to a lifetime maximum of six years per student. Awards under the following programs will be counted toward this lifetime maximum:
      • Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
      • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
      • Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
      • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Doctoral Scholarship or SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
      • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alexander Graham Bell CGS Doctoral Scholarship or NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship
      • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Frederick Banting and Charles Best CGS Doctoral Award or Doctoral Foreign Study Award
      • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)
      • Canada Graduate Scholarships, Master’s level (CGS-M)
    • Combining awards: students also cannot hold the OGS with any of the above awards simultaneously

Deadlines

Combined OGS And Tri-Council Award Procedures 

At York University, the adjudication of OGS is combined with the Tri-Council scholarship competitions (CIHR Doctoral, NSERC Doctoral, SSHRC Doctoral, and CGS-Masters awards). This will allow students who are applying to both a Tri-council award and OGS to submit one application to be considered for both. Accordingly, application deadlines are aligned with the deadlines of the respective Tri-Council awards as described below.

*To find out which Tri-agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) mandate covers your field of research, please see the Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency.

**The SSHRC/OGS Doctoral deadline on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) is October 7th, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.

***Masters Tricouncil and OGS applications on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) is November 30, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.

How to Apply

Students are encouraged to review the Tri-Council and OGS Guide (.pdf) prior to submitting their application on the Financial aid awards and scholarship system.

Decide if you are applying to one of the Tri-Council awards (CIHR Doctoral, NSERC Doctoral, SSHRC Doctoral, and CGS-Masters awards). If you are eligible to apply to a Tri-Council program, you are expected to do so. Graduate students must submit the Tri-Council application through the funding agency portal and also submit a condensed Tri-council/OGS application on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) system. This will enable staff to match tri-council applications submitted by the student in the system.

  1. If you are a current York student applying to a Tri-Council award, submit your Tri-Council application to the relevant agency as well as the Tri-council and OGS application on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) system by the applicable deadline above.
  2. If you a prospective student, you will not have access to complete the application on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) system. Submit your Tri-Council application to the relevant agency as well as the 2025–2026 Tri-Council and Ontario Graduate Scholarship Cover Sheet to accompany your Tri-Council Application.
  3. If you are submitting an current York student submitting an OGS only application (that is, you are not submitting any Tri-Council applications), you are required to complete your OGS application on the Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) system.
  4. If you a prospective student submitting an OGS only application you are required to complete your OGS application using the 2025–2026 Ontario Graduate Scholarship Application Form

Gather transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Unofficial copies are acceptable. Arrange them from the most recent to the oldest in one PDF file and upload it to your OGS application. To access your York University unofficial transcript, please visit the Order Transcripts Online page and request for your unofficial transcript to be emailed to you. Please note that grade reports will not be accepted. 

Next Steps:

  • Solicit references from two referees and have them submit them before your submission deadline, you will need to add the name of your references to your application, so that they can receive a unique upload link.
    • Note: Applicants are responsible for soliciting reference assessments and ensuring that they are submitted by the applicable deadline. Incomplete or applications received without two reference assessments will not be considered.  
  • A complete OGS application will consist of the following, please be prepared to upload or cite them in your application:  
    • Research Proposal or a Plan of Study 
    • References or Works Cited 
    • Professional Experience 
    • Academic Background 
    • Credentials and Recognitions 
    • Research Contributions 
    • Relevant Experience and Activities  
    • Transcripts – undergraduate and graduate transcripts including the Fall 2024 term
    • Two reference assessments 

Students are required to submit their applications using tri-council pagination guidelines.

SSHRC—Doctoral Awards Applicant Instructions: sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
NSERC—Doctoral Awards Application instructions: nserc-crsng.gc.ca
CIHR—Doctoral Awards Application instructions: cihr-irsc.gc.ca

While the OGS-QEII application forms are available in English only, students may submit an application in either English or French. Applications will be reviewed and adjudicated by the appropriate committees according to the language selected.

Resources

FGS encourages all graduate students applying for external scholarships to consult the following guides:

Troubleshooting – Common Issues

  • If students are inviting their referees directly for the OGS application (while also applying to Tri-Council), referees need to:
    • Accept the invitation.
    • Respond to each question in the assessment form with “n/a” or “see Tri-Council reference.”
    • Submit the form.
    • This process signals that the student’s Tri-Council reference letters will be used for the OGS evaluation.
  • If a referee accepts an OGS reference invitation and their status shows as “accepted,” this does not mean they’ve submitted the assessment form. Referees must:
    • Enter a response or value.
    • Click Submit to complete the process.
  • If a referee only fills in the fields and clicks Save (instead of Submit), the student won’t be able to submit their application. Both referees must submit the form before the student can proceed.
  • Authentication Errors
    • If referees encounter an authentication error, they should contact askfgs@yorku.ca immediately.
  • Withdrawing Applications by Mistake
    • If a student accidentally withdraws their application, they must notify askfgs@yorku.ca to resolve the issue.

Support

  • If you require further assistance, please contact our Scholarship & Awards Coordinator (for general queries) or Research Officer by visiting our FGS Staff Directory.

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