Graduate Scholarships from Granting Agencies

View this 2024 webinar for more information on the granting agency award programs and to hear a selection committee member recount their experience.

Webinar 2024 video (in French only)

• The Importance of Choosing the Right Agency
• Program Information
• Application Advice
• Postdoctoral fellowships

Federal and provincial research granting agencies offer several scholarship programs to graduate and prospective graduate students seeking to further their training. The goal of these scholarships is to recognize academic excellence, encourage university research, and give recipients an opportunity to acquire workplace and research experience.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Agency

Since scholarships are awarded according to the student’s research field, it is important to choose the right agency. Making the wrong choice could result in your application being rejected.

Students wishing to pursue graduate studies in the natural sciences and technology can apply to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies sector. Humanities students can apply to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture sector. Applications from students in the health sciences should be addressed to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé sector.

Natural Sciences and Technology:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies sector

Social Sciences and Humanities:

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
• Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture sector

Health Sciences:

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé sector

Program Information

The role of the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office is to oversee, in conjunction with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the internal selection process for these scholarship competitions. Preselected applications are forwarded to granting agencies for the last step in the selection process.

Applications for granting agencies scholarships must be submitted during fall. For more information on these scholarships, consult the Granting Agency Program Chart.

Tips on putting together your application package

Video tutorials

There are video tutorials to help you fill out applications for scholarships from federal granting agencies.

Guide to applying for a scholarship for graduate studies or a postdoctoral fellowship

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies has created a guide to scholarship applications for graduate studies and postdoctoral fellowships. Inside you’ll find valuable tips for drafting your application and putting it all together.

Topics covered:

• The competitive process
• Selection criteria
• Choosing a referee
• Writing a research proposal
• Research potential and experience

Postdoctoral fellowships

Recent PhD graduates looking for a postdoctoral fellowship at Université Laval are invited to visit the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for more information on its postdoctoral fellow support policy.

List of the main agencies offering postdoctoral fellowships

Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH)

Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG)

Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies sector

Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture sector

Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé sector

Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC)

To find out about postdoctoral fellowships available in your field, visit granting agency websites or consult our Scholarship Directory.