Ontario Graduate Scholarships and QEII Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology

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The Ontario government, in partnership with Ontario's publicly assisted universities, encourages excellence in graduate studies at the Master's and Doctoral levels through the awarding of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).

OGS/QEII-GSST awards are merit-based scholarships available to students at Western in research-based graduate programs. Western receives an annual allocation of:

  • approximately 280 OGS, including 8 international OGS, and 2 Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) OGS.
  • approximately 55 QEII-GSST.

OGS/QEII-GSST is a one-year, $15,000 award (over three consecutive terms), that starts September 1, May 1, or January 1.

The Tri-Agency scholarship application is the means by which graduate students will be considered for the OGS/QEII-GSST. The results of the Tri-Agency scholarship competitions in April determine the OGS/QEII-GSST offers. To be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST at Western, a domestic student must apply, and be eligible to apply for, the appropriate Tri-Agency scholarship.

Tri-Agency Scholarship Application Timelines:

  • Master's Competition: September 1- December 1
  • Doctoral Competition: August 1 - October 1

Eligibility

To be eligible to hold an OGS/QEII-GSST at Western, an individual must:

  • Be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, a Protected Person [under subsection 95 (2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)], or an International student who holds a valid study permit.
  • Be a current graduate student in (or an applicant to) an approved* Western graduate program.
  • Have a minimum of three terms remaining in their funding-eligible period as of the award start date.
  • Have a Social Insurance Number in Student Center.**
  • Have cleared any OSAP restriction, placed on their account by the Student Financial Assistance Branch and/or the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, before taking up the OGS/QEII-GSST.
*Please visit our Degree Explorer. On the left sidebar, under "Degree Program Type", check "Research".  This will generate a list of approved graduate programs.  If your program is not listed here, you are not eligible for an OGS/QEII-GSST.
**To provide your Social Insurance Number in Student Center:
1. Log into Student Center with your Western user ID and password,
2. Select Profile and then Personal Details
3. Under National Identification Number, choose Add National ID
4. Add your SIN in the National ID field and select Save

HOW TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AN OGS/QEII-GSST

Domestic Students

To be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST at Western, an individual must apply, and be eligible to apply for, the appropriate Tri-Agency scholarship.

SGPS has allocated several OGS/QEII-GSST to each Faculty. Individuals in the three categories below may be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST in a process designed by their Faculty Office.

If you are a student who believes you fall into one of the three categories below, please contact your graduate program directly. Deadlines for consideration are set by your graduate program.

  • Admission applicants.
  • Western students who are beyond their ‘time in program’ eligibility window for their respective Tri-Agency competition yet will still be eligible to hold an OGS/QEII-GSST.
  • Western students whose Tri-Agency scholarships are expiring in the 2025 calendar year yet will still be eligible to hold an OGS/QEII-GSST.

Awarding of the OGS/QEII-GSST scholarships will follow the announcement of the results of the Tri-Agency scholarship competitions in April.

International Students

Western has an allocation of 8 OGS to offer to international students.

Faculties may each nominate up to two international students in research-based graduate program (master’s and/or doctoral) annually. Nomination packages must be submitted by the Faculty to SGPS by the February deadline where they will be competitively ranked by a university committee. After the Tri-Agency competition results are released in April, any remaining International OGS will be offered to the ranked nominees.

If you are an international student who wishes to be considered for an international OGS, please contact your graduate program directly. Deadlines for consideration are set by your graduate program.

The nomination package, defined by SGPS, must include, and only include, in a single PDF:

  • Nomination letter from the Graduate Chair (max. 1 page).
  • Research proposal (max. 2 pages).
  • Special Circumstances (max. 1 page).
  • CV (max. 5 pages).

Indigenous Students

Western has an allocation of 2 OGS to offer to Indigenous students.

Tri-Agency scholarship applicants who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) will be considered for the Indigenous OGS in a process defined by SGPS that respects the confidentiality of the self-identification process.

SUPPORT

  • Contact Erin Daley, Scholarship Coordinator by EMAIL.

Holding the Award at Western

Activate (or Decline) Award

  • Activate (or decline, if required) your scholarship for payment at Western by following these steps:
    • Log into your Student Center.
    • Select ‘Self Service’ from the main menu, then 'Campus Finances'.
    • Select ‘My External Scholarships’ and follow the activate/decline steps.

Method of Payment

  • At Western University, the annual value of an OGS/QEII-GSST is $15,000 which is divided into three equal installments of $5,000 each term. Funds are awarded to the student’s Student Center account at the start of every term (September, January and May). 
  • Student must remain registered full time for the entire term to receive funds.

Terms and Conditions

Value, Duration and Payment of the Scholarship

  • $5,000 per term for a maximum of three consecutive terms. The Ontario Government (MCU) provides two-thirds of the total value of the award ($3,333.33 per term) and the remaining one-third ($1,666.67 per term) is provided through private donations to Western.
  • An award may not be held for only one term.
  • A T4A will be issued for each calendar year that the scholarship is held.
  • Awards must be activated with a May 1, or September 1 start date of the year of award.  A January 1, start date is an option if it aligns with the award holder's program start date. 

Conditions for Acceptance and Continuance of the Scholarship

An OGS/QEII-GSST recipient:

  • Must be registered full time, as defined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) and MCU regulations, in a graduate degree program for the duration of the scholarship.
  • Must hold a valid Study Permit if they are an international student.
  • Can hold an OGS/QEII-GSST in either or both of the first two years (up to term six only) of a Master’s program, and in any of the first four years (up to term 12 only) of a regular doctoral program.
  • Has not exceeded the maximum of two (2) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the Master’s level, has not exceeded the maximum of four (4) OGS/QEIIGSST awards held at the doctoral level, and has not exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) OGS/QEIIGSST awards held.
  • Cannot hold an OGS/QEII-GSST and an award from any of the following programs concurrently:
    • Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).
    • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC.)
  • Has not exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student award support from the following programs:
    • Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).
    • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
  • Must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
  • With an OSAP restriction cannot receive OGS/QEII-GSST funding until the restriction is cleared with the Ministry. At the time of disbursement of OGS/QEII-GSST funds, if SGPS finds a restriction on an award holder's OSAP file, you will be contacted by SGPS and advised of a deadline by which the restriction must be cleared. If the restriction cannot be cleared by the required deadline, the OGS/QEII-GSST award will be discontinued.
  • Understands that graduate programs reserve the right to adjust the amount of internal scholarships and awards provided or pledged to students who are recipients of OGS/QEII-GSST awards.
  • Understands that all final decisions regarding eligibility, duration, and conditions of the award are made by SGPS.
  • Agrees that SGPS may provide award-related information from the recipient’s original application to other relevant units on campus.
  • May be requested to write a letter of thanks to the donor who contributed to the award.
  • Agrees that Western University may publicize his/her award, specifically by name, degree, graduate program, and research title, where applicable, in Western and London media for the duration of the award.

Deferment or Interruption of the Scholarship

  • A request for an interruption of an OGS/QEII-GSST award must be accompanied by an approved leave of absence request to SGPS. An approved leave, will result in suspension of payment of the award for the full term. Payment will resume upon the student’s return to full time status. An award recipient may be granted a leave of absence, not to exceed, on any one occasion, more than 12 consecutive months.
  • An OGS/QEII-GSST award may not be deferred.  Awards must be activated with a May 1 or September 1 start date of the year of the award.  A January 1 start date is an option if it aligns with the award holder's program start date.

Completion/Withdrawal from the Graduate Program

  • If an OGS/QEII-GSST award holder withdraws from their graduate program, the award will be discontinued.  You may not receive OGS/QEII-GSST funds for a partial term.
  • If an OGS/QEII-GSST award holder completes their program, the award will be pro-rated to the end of the term in which the award holder completes.