For four years you have worked hard to get great grades. You kept your options open so you could get into your graduate school of choice. Your hard work has paid off, so don’t forget to apply for funding!
If you are interested in applying to our Master’s of Environmental Sustainability (MES) program, look into these external awards. It’s unbelievable how many A and A+ students come into our program and haven’t even submitted an application for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship! Taking the time to apply for funding allows you to complete your master’s program without worrying about a part-time job – it is well worth the effort!
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) encourage excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels.
OGS awards are merit-based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of academic study. A number of MES students have received this award over the years.
QEII-GSST awards are also a merit-based scholarship program and target graduate students in science and technology. Two of our MES students have applied and both were awarded this scholarship!
"I am honoured to have received the Queen Elizabeth II scholarship and I am grateful to my colleagues and MES program administrators for their support during the application. For those of you wondering if you should apply, I say, go for it! Persistence and hard work does pay off!"
Ayushi Shah
2019 QEII -GSST Award Recipient in the Master of Science in Environmental Sustainability program
Value and Duration:
Each OGS and QEII-GSST is valued at a maximum of $15,000 ($5,000 per term) and must be held for a minimum of two consecutive terms with a full-time student status. Awards can be taken up either in May 2020, September 2020 or January 2021. The awards are non-renewable.
Additional Details for the QEII-GSST
The Ontario government portion of the award to an individual student will be 2/3 of the value of the scholarship (i.e. a maximum of $10,000 annually, or $3,333 per term). You must ensure the funding for the remaining 1/3 of the scholarship (maximum $5,000 annually, or $1,667 per term) from funds secured through fundraising from the private sector raised specifically for the QEII-GSST program.
In your application file, you will have to include a letter from the business, organization or individual who will be providing one third of funds. The letter must clearly state the guaranteed funding they will provide, the duration of the funding and their email. A priority will be given to applications with a matching source whose normal activities include a significant share of R&D or R&D sponsoring. The University of Ottawa must invoice the organization and the funds cannot come from a grant administered by the University of Ottawa.
Deadline to apply:
December 1st
*If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 11:59pm (ET).
Eligibility:
In order to be considered for an OGS or QEII-GSST, applicants must meet the following criteria:
Citizenship
For OGS:
Be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person [under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] at the time of submitting the application.
Foreign students who are studying in Ontario under a temporary resident visa or student study permit, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) are eligible for the allotted OGS international student awards. Applicants who do not have a valid temporary resident visa or student study permit at the time of application will be required to provide proof of a valid one at the time of taking up the award.
For QEII-GSST
Be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person [under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] at the time of submitting the application. International students are not eligible for QEII-GSST awards.
Minimum Academic Average
Applicants having completed zero to twenty-four months of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline: must have achieved a minimum average of at least A-(8.0/10), in each of the last two years of completed studies (full-time equivalent).
Applicants entering the third year or beyond of graduate studies at the time of the application deadline: must have an overall average of at least A- (8.0/10) on all graduate courses completed, including graduate courses taken while completing an undergraduate degree or as a special student.
The award is available for students interested in our one-year Research Paper option and our two-year Thesis option.
Be careful though, OGS and QEII-GSST applications are not transferrable from one university to another, or even from one Faculty to another. Be sure to submit an application for the Master’s of Environmental Sustainability program at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment!
Your Chances:
Each Faculty / Institute gets an OGS / QEII-GSST quota, and based on the number of eligible applications from last year, your success rate at the Institute of the Environment is somewhere around 33% for OGS, and 80% for QEII-GSST. Those chances are way better than buying a lottery ticket, so be sure to apply!
The Canada Graduate scholarship Programs (CGS-M) is administered jointly by three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS M) Program is to help develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.
Value and Duration:
$17,500 for 12 months, non-renewable
Deadline to apply:
December 1st
*If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 11:59pm (ET).
Eligibility:
Canadian citizens and permanent residents with an admission average of 8.0 or more are eligible to apply. An eligible graduate program must have a significant research component; this award is therefore ideal for students interested in our two-year thesis option. Please refer to the website for additional restrictions on eligibility.
Your chances:
The University of Ottawa receives a CGS allocation. The application is reviewed and recommended by the department, then the faculty, and is then submitted to the University for review. This is a more competitive award, but one that is still well worth applying to!
Smart Prosperity Institute is a national research network and policy think tank based at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment. They deliver world-class research and work with public and private partners – all to advance practical policies and market solutions for a stronger, cleaner economy.
To apply, students should signal their interest in being considered for the award in their letter of intent, explain how their research interests align with SPI’s, and demonstrate how their experience would make them an ideal candidate.
Value and Duration:
$5,000 for one term, or $10,000 for two terms. Recipients of the Fellowship will provide research assistance during their studies to the Smart Prosperity Institute, located at the Institute of the Environment.
Deadline to apply:
December 1st for International Students; February 1st for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Eligibility:
Andrew Linton 2019 SPI Fellowship award recipient in the Master of Science in Environmental Sustainability program
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and International students with an admission average of 8.0 or more and a research interest that aligns with SPI (ex. the green economy, circular economy, market-based instruments for clean policy). The award is available for students interested in our one-year Research Paper option and our two-year Thesis option.
Your chances:
This award is only available to eligible students who apply to our Master’s of Environmental Sustainability program, and is reviewed by the Institute of the Environment’s Research Director. If you are a strong candidate (GPA 8.0+), and are interested in doing research on the green economy, please apply! Your chances are very good.
The Laura Bassi Scholarship was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The scholarships are open to every discipline.
Scholarship Value:
Master’s candidates: $750
Doctoral candidates: $2,500
Junior academics: $500
Deadline to apply:
Winter 2019 competition
Deadline: 25 November 2019
Results: 15 December 2019
Spring 2020 competition
Deadline: 25 March 2020
Results: 15 April 2020
Summer 2020 competition
Deadline: 25 July 2020
Results: 15 August 2020
Eligibility:
All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of their employment.
Good luck with your applications!!
Kaitlyn Innes
Assistant Director, Graduate Programs at the Institute of the Environment
