Ontario Graduate Scholarships and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology

Both scholarships are jointly funded by the Ontario government and Trent University. The government contributes two-thirds of the value of the awards and the university provides the remaining one-third through the generous contributions of our donors.

Awards are valued at $15,000 for one year ($5,000 per term for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms).

Additional Information:

• Funded with $10,000 by the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and $5,000 by private donations to Trent University.
• Each scholarship is to be awarded for a minimum of one year or two consecutive academic terms.
• Award may not be held for only 1 term.
• Award installments are paid per term to a recipient's student account.
• A T4A will be issued for each calendar year that the scholarship is held.

Applicant Eligibility

To be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST at Trent, a student must:

• Be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Protected Person [under subsection 92 (2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] at the time of the application deadline.
• Be enrolled at Trent University in a full-time graduate program or have applied for admission to a Trent University graduate program by March 1, 2025. Course-based programs where institutional funding is not provided (i.e. no RFAs or GTAs) are not eligible.

Additionally, for a QEII-GSST award, a student must:

• Be enrolled in a research master's or doctoral program in a science and technology discipline.

International students studying in Ontario with a valid study permit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) are eligible for the OGS international student awards but are ineligible for the QEII-GSST awards. An award holder must have a valid study permit before award funding is issues. Trent University has two awards designated for international students. 

Eligibility Time for OGS/QEII-GSST Program

To be eligible for the OGS/QEII-GSST scholarship, applicants must have sufficient eligibility time remaining in their current or proposed graduate program to hold the scholarship is awarded.

• Master's Level: Applicants can receive the scholarship for up to 2 years and must not have exceeded 24 months of full-time graduate study during the award period.
• Doctoral Level: Applicants can receive the scholarship for up to 4 years and must not have exceeded 48 months of full-time doctoral studies during the award period.

Additionally, an OGS/QEII-GSST applicant:

• Must not have exceeded the six year lifetime maximum of government-funded student award support.
• Recipients may not concurrently hold a second government-funded scholarship.

Academic Eligibility

• Students entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline, they must have achieved a first-class average (A-) in each of the last 2 completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Students entering the third year of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must have an overall average of at least A-, or equivalent, on all graduate courses completed.

Award holders must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program. Recipients who withdraw, transfer to part-time studies, or fail to complete the term are required to repay the award for incomplete terms. A withdrawal in a subsequent term will not require repayment of the award for any completed terms. 

Recipients cannot be enrolled in a qualifying or make-up year, or be on a paid educational leave or sabbatical, to receive an OGS/QEII-GSST.

The University Selection Committee may require applicants to meet more rigorous academic requirements as they deem appropriate.

OSAP Restrictions

Recipients cannot receive the award if they are restricted from further scholarships at the time of disbursement. Before paying the OGS/QEII-GSST award to the recipient, the School of Graduate Studies must confirm that the nominee is not on the Ontario Student Assistant Program (OSAP) restricted list. The regulations of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development require that students who are on OSAP's restricted list will NOT receive the funding until they are removed from the restricted list. There is no appeal for this decision. The School of Graduate Studies will provide a 3-week period to clear any OSAP restrictions prior to revoking an award offer.

Students must apply using the OGS/QEII-GSST application form in the myTrent portal:

myTrent > Finance > Financial Aid > Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Application and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) Application

Part 1 of the application includes Applicant Information and Referee Information.

Part 2 of the application includes Required Documents (Section A and B):

Section A

1. Academic Background: List all schools attended and completed degree program(s), including: institution and month/year the degree was awarded or is expected. Maximum one page.
    
2. Academic, Research, Relevant Work Experience: Include institutions or organizations, period of employment, and position. Maximum one page.
    
3. Awards and Prizes: Please provide name, source, year awarded, duration, and value of awards and prizes received. Start with the most recent award and included up to a maximum of 10 items. Maximum one page.
    
4. Special Circumstances: If appropriate, describe any interruptions or delays to the completion of your degree(s). Specify the dates of the interruption or delay. Maximum half page.

A Note About Special Circumstances:

The Special Circumstances part of the application is an opportunity to describe any health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities, or other circumstances that have impacted academic performance or productivity. Students are encouraged to briefly explain any delays in the completion of studies or disseminating research results. Students with special circumstances must still meet the minimum 'A-' (80%) grade requirement.

Section B

1. Outline of Proposed Research: Provided a detailed description of your proposed research project, using clear and plain language. Avoid jargon. Exceeding the page limits will result in ineligibility.
   • Master's Applicants: Maximum one page.
   • Doctoral Applicants: Maximum two pages.
   • Bibliography: One page for Master's applicants; up to five additional pages for Doctoral applicants.
      
2. Contributions to Research: Include publications, reports, posters, bibliographies, conference presentations, and indicate where publications resulted from work done in the process of completing your undergraduate degree, master's degree, or while working on doctoral studies, or from other relevant work experience. Maximum one page.
    
3. Interpersonal/Communication/Leadership Abilities: Describe the activities (professional and relevant extracurricular) in which you are involved that demonstrate your communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Examples of these include oral presentations, mentoring, teaching, project management, chairing committees, organizing events, supervisory experience, and elected positions held. The Vanier Scholarship Selection Guide provides further clarification if needed. Maximum one page.

Additional Supporting Documents

1. Transcripts: The applicant is required to submit copies of final transcripts for all institutions attended, including transcript legends. Applicants who have attended and/or attend Trent University must upload copies of their Trent transcript. 

   Failure to upload all required transcripts will result in your application being deemed ineligible. Therefore your application will not be reviewed by the Selection Review Committee.

2. Reference letters: Two academic referees are required to support your application for the OGS/QEII-GSST. Assessment Reports will only be accepted by email. Your referees must send these from their institutional email address to gradscholarshipreference@trentu.ca by the posted deadline. Maximum two pages. Subject line for email: Last Name, First Name, OGS Reference Trent.
   
   Academic Assessment Report Form

Assessment Selection Criteria

The evaluation of OGS/OGSST doctoral applications is based on the same criteria outlined for Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral program.

The evaluation of OGS/OGSST master's applications is based on the same criteria outlined for Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's program.

Presentation Standards

For clarification on presentation standards, students are encouraged to follow the Tri Council guidelines.

Applicants will be notified during the Spring term of the competition results. No appeals will be accepted for OGS/QEII-GSST decisions.