Ontario Scholarships : OGS and QEII

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 2026, September 2026 or January 2027. The awards are non-renewable.

Additional details for QEII-GSST

The Government of Ontario will fund two thirds of the award (i.e., a maximum of $10,000 per year or $3,333 per term); the remaining one third (i.e., a maximum of $5,000 per year or $1,667 per term) will be financed by the University of Ottawa.

The financial support offered by the University could be offered through internal endowment funds, private sector funds (contact through your thesis supervisor), or other external sources.

If you have a confirmed funding source from your faculty, an organization, or an individual, please provide the sponsorship confirmation letter or letter of interest with your application. The sponsorship letter must clearly indicate the guaranteed funding they will provide, the duration and the individual's email who is sponsoring you. You are not required to have a sponsorship to apply for this scholarship.

Students: November 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.

New this year

To optimize portal performance and avoid system overload, referees will have an additional 6 days beyond the student’s application deadline to submit their assessment reports. This measure will help distribute portal traffic and ensure a better experience for all users.

In order to be considered for an OGS or QEII-GSST, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. 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 a valid 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.

2. Minimum Academic Average

For OGS and QEII-GSST:

• 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 (25 months or more) 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.

Examples of one-year full-time equivalent:

• Undergraduate studies: enrolled full-time for two terms.
• Graduate studies: enrolled full-time for three consecutive terms.
• Undergraduate and graduate studies: two terms of part-time studies are equivalent to one term of full-time studies.

3. Enrollment Requirements

For OGS and QEII-GSST:

• Be enrolled full-time in, or expect to be enrolled full-time, in a graduate program during the academic year 2026-2027 (May 2026 to April 2027) at the University of Ottawa.
• Master’s program: applicants cannot have completed more than four (4) terms of their master’s program at the time that the award is disbursed.
• PhD program: applicants cannot have completed more than thirteen (13) terms of their PhD program at the time that the award is disbursed.

For QEII-GSST only:

• Be enrolled in a research master’s or doctoral program in science and technology disciplines, as per the following eligible disciplines:

Applied Sciences

• Aerospace (may include Aeronautical Engineering)
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering and Architecture (may include Landscape Architecture)
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Science (may include Engineering, Engineering Physics and Nuclear Engineering)
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mining, Metallurgy, and Materials Science (may include Metallurgical Engineering
• Systems and Industrial Engineering (may include Systems/Design Engineering and Operational Research)

Biological and Life Sciences

• Biochemistry and Biophysics (may include Medical Biophysics)
• Environmental Sciences (may include Agriculture, Ecology, Forestry, and Toxicology)
• General Biological Sciences (may include Biology, Botany, Entomology, Microbiology, Mycology, Plant and Animal Biology, and Zoology)
• Genetics, Cell, and Molecular Biology
• General Health Science (may include research-oriented programs in Epidemiology, Human Kinetics, Hygiene, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation disciplines such as Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Audiology, and Speech Pathology)
• Human Biology (may include Anatomy, Biomedical Sciences, Food Science, Immunology, Neuroscience, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology)
• Medical and Veterinary Sciences (may include research-oriented programs in Dentistry, Medical Sciences, Nursing, Optometry, and Pharmacy)

Physical Sciences

• Chemistry
• Computer Science (may include Information/Systems Science)
• Earth Sciences (may include Geology and Geophysics)
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Physics (may include Astronomy, Meteorology, and Space Science)

Master’s students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two (2) years and doctoral students for a maximum of four (4) years.

In addition, there is a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student awards not to be exceeded. Awards under the following programs will be counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
• the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEIIGSST)
• the Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC, includes Vanier)
• the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC, includes Vanier)
• the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR, includes Vanier)

Recipients may not concurrently hold an OGS, QEII-GSST award or a tri-council award, including:

• The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Program (SSHRC);
• The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Program (NSERC);
• The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

The OGS and QEII-GSST are not transferable between Ontario universities. It must be held at the university that awarded it. Students must apply for the OGS and QEII-GSST at the institution where they will be registered for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Applicants who do not know at the time of applying for an OGS or QEII-GSST which university they will be attending, will have to submit an OGS and QEII-GSST application to each Ontario University where they are seeking admission.

Each Ontario University now has its own specific deadlines, with its own application forms and application process. Applicants must respect the deadlines and processes of each university.

Candidates may have to submit more than one OGS or QEII-GSST application at the University of Ottawa if they are intending to apply for admissions to more than one program of studies. Each Faculty is given a quota and awards are not transferable between faculties. Some faculties may allocate their quota by program of studies and they will not allow an OGS transfer between their programs. Please confirm with the Graduate Office of the faculty to which you have applied or will be applying for admissions to confirm whether a second application is required.

OGS Scholarships for Indigenous Candidates

At the University of Ottawa, we are dedicated to empowering Indigenous graduate students. To honour this commitment, we proudly offer two exclusive OGS awards specifically for Indigenous students one at the master level and one at the PhD level. Within the OGS application, there is a designated section where eligible applicants can self-identify as Indigenous to be considered for these prestigious scholarships. Please note that applicants who identify on the application form will be required to confirm their indigenous citizenship/membership/enrolment via the uOttawa's procedure for Eligibility for Focused Admissions, Scholarships and Bursaries for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

Transcripts

You must include up-to-date transcripts of ALL undergraduate and graduate studies. 

• Up-to-date transcripts (PDF) are defined as transcripts 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).
• Unofficial copies (PDF) are acceptable. It is important to note that an unofficial copy is a copy issued by the university that does not bear the institutional seal or the registrar's signature. It is not a screenshot or a copy directly from your student account (copy and paste).
• If your transcript is in a language other than English or French, you must submit a certified translated version (PDF).
• One copy (PDF) of the legend (reverse of each transcript) must be included except for Canadian transcripts.
• If you took a course or courses in another university or if you participated in an exchange, you must submit the transcript (PDF) even if the marks appear on your home university (this does not apply to candidates admitted to a program at the University of Ottawa).
• If transcripts are not provided for ALL study listed in your OGS application, the selection committee(s) will have less information on which to base their assessment, which may put your application at a disadvantage or render it inadmissible.
• Scan and download all your transcripts into one single document using a PDF format. Please note that opening the envelope to scan the transcript will not render it unofficial for the OGS-QEII competition.
• Retain the paper copy of any uploaded transcripts, as you may be asked to provide it for verification purposes.

Each university is assigned an OGS and QEII-GSST allocations according to its share of eligible full-time domestic graduate enrollments.

The allocation breakdown of domestic and international OGS and QEII-GSST awards for 2026-2027 will be made available when institutional allocations are received from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).

The University of Ottawa allocations are as follows:

• Domestic allocation (Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents) OGS: TBC
• Domestic allocation (Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents) QEII-GSST: TBC
• International allocation OGS (students with visa or study permit): TBC

Please read carefully the OGS and QEII-GSST Combined Application Instructions before completing your combined application.

• The 2026 competition is now closed. The 2027 competition expected to open in the fall, please check back for updates.

Application Procedure

uOttawa students (past, present or with an active admission application at uOttawa): must apply through Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal, which can be accessed through uoZone.

External candidates (who do not have a uOttawa student number, uoAccess account, and no active admission application at uOttawa): must request an account creation to the Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal by emailing [email protected], with the following details:

• Subject line: “Access request to the Online Scholarships Portal (OGS)”
• Given Name and Surname
• Email address (it will be used for future correspondence and as the username login)
• Language preference (French or English)

Once the account is created, external candidates will receive an email inviting them to access their account and reset their password.

Competitions (Faculty)

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Telfer School of Management

Candidates

• Must apply to the competition of their proposed host faculty (where they would receive the scholarship).
• Click here to consult uOttawa’s Academic Units.
• May apply to more than one competition. If you plan to apply to more than one faculty, you must complete an application for each faculty (competition).
• May submit only one application per competition (faculty).

Application Contents

Please note that all documents to be uploaded to the portal must be in PDF format. This format ensures better readability and compatibility for all users. Please convert your files to PDF before uploading them.

• The OGS application form
• Resume (CV): This application will only accept a resume that was created through the Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal.
• Research/Program Statement and Contributions: provide your research/program statement in the space provided (max. 700 words).
• (Optional) Bibliography and Citations (max. 1250 words)
• Supporting Documentation
  • Transcripts: Upload complete transcripts of ALL postsecondary institutions you have frequented. Please ensure to include the back of the documents, should they contain legends. See information about transcripts in the Important to Note section.
  • Letter of Sponsorship or Letter of Interest of Sponsorship (QEII-GSST). Required only if you answered “Yes” to the question, “I have read the eligibility criteria for the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) and wish to have my candidacy considered for this scholarship.” Please note that students who have not secured sponsorship can still submit an application and must include a letter stating that they have not found a suitable sponsorship opportunity.
  • Documented proof of Indigenous identity, as per the requirements of the University of Ottawa academic regulation, Eligibility for Focused Admissions, Scholarships and Bursaries for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Required only if you answered "Yes" to the statement "Declaration of Status: I hereby state that I identify as an Indigenous student (…)".
• Notice of Collection, Applicant's Consent and Applicant's Declaration

Academic Assessment Report (OGS / QEII-GSST)

All applicants to the OGS-QEII competitions require two (2) academic assessment reports from two distinct referees. Academic assessment reports are submitted by the referee via the portal. Applicant must:

• Download the Academic assessment report (or the French version)
• Complete the “Student Information” section of the form, and save the file on your electronic device. Be sure to name your pre-filled document so that your sponsor can identify you.  Example: LastName_FirstName_OGSReport.pdf
• For each referee, enter your referee's name and e-mail address, and attach your saved file.
• Click “Send request”.

Please note that the language of the correspondence sent to the referee will be the same as your current language in your Online Scholarships interface. If you wish to change the language of correspondence, change the language of the portal (by clicking on FR/EN at the top right of the interface before clicking “Send request”).

The email will include a hyperlink for uploading the evaluation report.

Referees can also consult these guidelines for more information.   Important: The Academic Assessment form must be completed using Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro. Using other PDF viewers or editors may result in submission errors, including blank or incomplete forms in our portal. To ensure your form is properly filled out and fully visible to our review committee, please download and use the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) or Adobe Acrobat Pro before completing the form. This step is crucial for the successful submission of your application.

New this year

To optimize portal performance and avoid system overload, referees will have an additional 6 days beyond the student’s application deadline to submit their assessment reports. This measure will help distribute portal traffic and ensure a better experience for all users.  

The candidate is responsible for ensuring their application is complete and for following up with referees to ensure they submit their Academic Assessment Report by the deadline. 

The Financial Aid and Awards Service will notify you of the results by early May via e-mail. 

Accepting or declining the scholarship

Offers must be accepted or declined by completing the form you will receive with the offer and sending it back to the Financial Aid and Awards Service by e-mail at [email protected]. You will have 21 days to respond.

Please note that the OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships will only be offered when the University of Ottawa has received the funding confirmation from the Province of Ontario.