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Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's
Award Overview
Include eligible domestic master's students and applicants.
December 1, 2026
8:00 p.m. ET
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Master's (CGRS M) program recognizes and supports outstanding innovators, knowledge workers, creative thinkers and researchers. Administered by CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC, it supports and promotes research excellence across a wide variety of health, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities disciplines.
Official transcripts are required for all CGRS M applications submitted to Western University. For more information, see the Official Transcripts section below.
Application Process
Review the CGRS M Eligibility Criteria on the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master's program funding opportunity webpage.
- CGRS M applicants must have achieved a first-class average in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent). Western University considers a first-class average to be 80% or above.
How to Apply:
Select the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency
Review the Tri-Agency guidelines on Selecting the Appropriate Federal Granting Agency to determine whether your application should be submitted to CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC.
Review the CGRS M Funding Opportunity
Review the CGRS M Funding Opportunity for eligibility, program requirements, and application information before beginning your submission.
Review the CGRS M Application Instructions
The CGRS M award is harmonized and has one set of instructions for all three agencies. Review the CGRS M Application Instructions before beginning your application. Additionally, make sure to review the following:
Complete and Submit your CGRS M Application
Access and complete the CGRS M application in the Research Portal.
To submit your CGRS M application to Western, select The University of Western Ontario as one of the three institutions to which you submit your application in the Research Portal.
Additional Requirements and Competition Information:
Up-to-date official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies must be included in your CGRS M application, including transcripts for the fall term of the year of application, whether they contain grades or not.
Transcripts serve to confirm the number of months of graduate studies completed, calculate your average, and confirm your current registration. If your transcripts include transfer credits from another institution, the original transcript with the grades shown must be included, or your application may be deemed ineligible.
Up-to-date official transcripts are defined as transcripts issued by the Registrar's Office and dated or issued in the fall term of application (if currently registered) or after the last term completed (if not currently registered).
Review the CGRS M instructions for further information: Transcripts
Western's eTranscripts
If you use Western's eTranscript for your CGRS M application, you must share the eTranscript with yourself before you can access the PDF to be uploaded to your application. You must then do one of the following:
- download, print, and re-scan the transcript as a PDF, then upload to your application; or
- download and print to PDF, then upload to your application
Please review the Office of the Registrar's webpage on eTranscripts for further information.
2026 Fall Term Registration
If you are registered in a degree program for the 2026 fall term, your transcript must show 2026 Fall Graduate registration, even if this is the first term of your program. CONTINUOUS GRADUATE ENROLLMENT or the courses you're enrolled in must be listed under the 2026 Fall Graduate term.
For the December 1, 2026 competition, Western has been allocated the CGRS M awards below.
Applications open in the Research Portal
Application deadline
8:00 p.m. ETWestern adjudicates applications
SGPS posts results to the Research Portal
Support Available at Western
Attend this year's Scholarship Research Proposal Writing Session offered by Western's Writing Support Centre. Click the link below to register:
CGRS M Proposal Writing Foundations Webinar:
Participants will learn how to structure a compelling research proposal, tailor it to scholarship reviewers, and avoid common proposal-writing mistakes.
Western Contacts
Tri-Agency Support
Tri-Agency Contacts
Tri-Agency Tutorial Videos
The Tri-Agencies have put together tutorial videos for the CGRS M application. Please click here to access them.
The Tri-Agencies host annual info sessions for the CGRS M program. Review the currently scheduled info sessions below:
Dates TBD
Holding the Award at Western
CGRS M award recipients must both accept the award in their Research Portal account and activate the award at Western.
Activate Your Award for Payment
Initiate the payment process at Western through your Student Center account.
- Log in to your Student Center account.
- Select Student Financials from the main menu, then Financial Aid and Funding.
- Select Graduate External Scholarships and follow the activation steps.
The annual value of the CGRS M is divided into three equal instalments. Funds are applied to the award holder's Student Center account at the start of each term:
Each instalment is applied towards any tuition and fees owing on the account before being refunded to the award holder.
Award holders are responsible for continuing to meet the conditions of the CGRS M throughout the duration of the award. CGRS M award holders must:
Abide by the terms and conditions of the CGRS M as set out in the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder's Guide, in the CGRS M Funding Opportunity, and in the award documents sent by the awarding agency.