Modern Canadian research laboratory with white workbenches and scientific instruments.

Canada Check current round

Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D)

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship was wound down by the Tri-Agency in April 2025 and replaced with the harmonised Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D), worth CAD 40,000 per year for up to three years. The program is funded jointly by CIHR (health), NSERC (natural sciences and engineering) and SSHRC (social sciences and humanities). Sri Lankan students enrolled — or about to enrol — in a PhD at a Canadian university can be nominated for CGS-D through their host institution. The URL has been preserved so applicants searching for "Vanier" still land on the correct successor program.

The Vanier CGS programme has been folded into the renewed Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS-D). Applications now run annually through your host university’s internal deadline (usually October–November) — message us and we’ll confirm the live 2027 cycle dates for your programme.

Government of Canada (Tri-Agency)

Government-funded

emoji_events Award Overview

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Value

CAD 40,000 / yr

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Duration

Up to 3 Years (PhD)

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Awards Available

~1,000+ across CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC

info How this award actually works

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This is a separate, highly competitive application

Government awards like this one run their own selection round against applicants from across the world, and success rates are usually in the low single digits. Lanka Scholar does not administer it and cannot submit it for you. Treat it as a bonus on top of a funded study plan — never as the plan itself.

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Who awards it

Government of Canada (Tri-Agency) — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through a separate application round run by the funder, with its own forms, deadlines and shortlisting. You submit it yourself — it is not part of a university admission application.

payments

What it covers

CAD 40,000/yr for up to 3 years. Read the terms carefully: even fully-funded awards rarely cover every cost, and any shortfall is yours to fund.

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Where we come in

We help you judge whether this award is worth your time, and build a realistic admission plan that works whether or not you win it.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Academic Excellence

A first-class average (typically A or A-equivalent) in each of the last two years of full-time study at the undergraduate or graduate level.

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Nationality & Residency

Open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students enrolled in a PhD at a Canadian institution. Sri Lankan nationals qualify under the international stream.

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Research Stream

Your doctoral research must fall within one Tri-Agency mandate: CIHR (health), NSERC (natural sciences/engineering), or SSHRC (social sciences/humanities).

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Year of Study

Apply before completing 24 months of doctoral study (or 36 months if entering via a fast-track Master's-to-PhD pathway). Late-stage PhDs are not eligible.

account_tree Application Process

Secure a PhD admission offer first

You must first be accepted to (or already enrolled in) a Canadian PhD program. CGS-D is awarded by university nomination, not direct application to the federal government.

Apply through ResearchNet

Research proposal (1 page) aligned to CIHR / NSERC / SSHRC
Academic transcripts (Sri Lankan + any Canadian)
Two academic references
CV with publications, conference papers, leadership

Internal university deadline

Each Canadian graduate school sets its own internal CGS-D deadline (usually September/October) — earlier than the national submission window. Check with your host department immediately after acceptance.

Results in spring

Tri-Agency releases results around April of the application year; successful awardees start receiving payments from the following September.

Why CGS-D?

Canada's flagship federal doctoral scholarship, accepted at every U15 research university. The award is tenured by your host institution, so funding is portable across CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC mandates.

CAD 120k

Total Award (3 yrs)

3 Agencies

CIHR / NSERC / SSHRC

All Fields

Eligible Disciplines

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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