Complete guide to Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

We often write in our blog about the different options you have to study abroad and, as we want to give you all the possible alternatives, we could not miss a complete guide about the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for PhD students.

Do you dream of taking your PhD in another country? If you want to turn your life around and secure your future while discovering another culture and way of life, then the prestigious Vanier scholarships from the Canadian government may be for you. Shall we find out?

What are the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships?

Imagine winning one of the world's most prestigious scholarships and completing your doctorate in one of the countries with the best quality of life in the world. Sounds good, doesn't it? Not only does Canada have a good quality of life, but its cities are quite safe, it has an excellent education system and incredible natural landscapes. In addition, job offers for qualified personnel are considerably more numerous than in other countries.

This seems to be one of the reasons why the Government of Canada founded the Vanier Scholarships in 2008: its aim is to attract highly qualified students to the country, and thus get them to settle in there in order to become a world centre of excellence in higher education and research. It seems that there are problems in the country in filling positions of all kinds, especially those requiring a certain level of qualification, as there is a high demand and a low offer of workers of this type.

The Vanier PhD scholarships have a number of characteristics that make them some of the most sought-after, as they count with:

• A duration of 3 years (non-extendable).
• A value of approximately $50,000 per year.
• A number of 166 scholarships per year.

Interesting, isn't it? Do you want to know if you are eligible for one of these scholarships in the country of the Mounties? Read on!

Who can apply for a Vanier scholarship?

If you already picture yourself at one of Canada's top universities, pursuing your PhD while exploring the country, we don't blame you! These scholarships are highly coveted by both Canadian and international students.

If you want to find out if you could be eligible for one of these grants, you should know that Vanier scholarships are open to those who meet the following criteria:

• Be a Canadian citizen, a resident of Canada or an international student.
• Pursuing a PhD in one of the following research areas: natural and health sciences, engineering, social sciences or humanities.

Elegibility and conditions to apply for the Vanier Canada Scholarships

As you can imagine, there are a number of requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for these grants. The general requirements for applying for Vanier scholarships are as follows:

• Be nominated by a single Canadian university with a Vanier CGS quota (a maximum number of nominations that the institution reserves for this programme).
• Be nominated for the student's first doctoral degree or combined programme (MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD).
• Have obtained a first-class average (as determined by the institution) in each of the last two years of full-time study or equivalent. It is recommended to check the definition of first-class with the institution itself.
• Not hold or have held a doctoral scholarship from any of the following institutions to undertake or complete a doctoral programme: CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.

In addition, as one of the most recognised academic scholarships, not only nationally but also internationally, students wishing to apply for Vanier scholarships must be able to demonstrate academic excellence in a number of areas.

The selection criteria taken into account when awarding the prizes fall into three areas:

• Academic Excellence.
• Research Potential (both the student and their proposal).
• Leadership (both the candidate's potential and demonstrated capabilities).

You can consult all the requirements and eligibility criteria to apply for these scholarships on the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships website.

How to apply for Vanier Scholarships

There are two ways to apply for a Vanier scholarship:

1. The student can either inform the faculty of the selected university that he/she wants to apply for Vanier scholarships.
2. Or the institution initiates the process by contacting the selected student.

Step-by-step application process for Vanier Scholarships

1. The student can start by researching Canadian universities or institutions to find the programme in which they would like to complete their PhD, as well as the supervisors of the proposed research.
2. The student can then check the Vanier CGS quotas on the scholarship website to ensure that the university of interest has a quota of nominations for the programme that year.
3. The student prepares the application and submits it through ResearchNet.
4. The university conducts the internal selection process and communicates its nominated candidates to the Vanier-Banting Secretariat.
5. The Vanier-Banting Secretariat submits these nominations to the TAP (Tri-Agency Programs Steering Committee, which finally approves the applications.
6. The results of the scholarship are communicated to the nominated candidates.

Important dates and deadlines for Vanier Scholarships

Although the dates of the Vanier scholarships may vary, last year they followed this calendar:

• July-November: search for a university that nominates the candidate, preparation of application documents and submission.
• November: deadline for the institution to request nominations for the scholarships.
• November-March: review of applications.
• April: notification of results.
• May-January of the following year: payment of scholarships.

Don't miss out and stay tuned for the next call for Vanier 2022 scholarships! Check all the dates once the call for applications opens on the scholarship website.

Need to give your language skills a boost?

We all know that in order to apply for scholarships abroad you need to have a certain language command to meet the requirements. If this isn't the case yet, but you're dying to go abroad as soon as possible, why not take a look at our language courses abroad? Not only will you improve your level, but you'll have an amazing experience!

And if you're planning to go abroad afterwards but need a boost to your language level from home, you can also check out our full range of online language courses. Whatever your level, you'll improve in a matter of weeks and achieve the proficiency you''ve always wanted, guaranteed!

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