The University of Toronto Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Canada
Value & Duration
The value of the OGS is $5,000 per session. Thus, awardees may receive $10,000 for two consecutive sessions or $15,000 for three consecutive sessions. In all instances, the awarding graduate unit will contribute to one-third the cost of the total award received by the students.
Each scholarship is tenable for one year (i.e., two consecutive or three academic sessions). The value and duration of each OGS award will be determined by the awarding graduate unit and detailed in the offer letter.
Purpose
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Since 1975, the OGS program has been providing merit-based scholarships to Ontario’s best graduate students in all disciplines of academic study. The scholarship program at U of T is jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto. The Province allocates OGS awards to universities specifying the number of awards that each may offer to their students annually.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) by the student deadline as determined by each graduate unit; International students who are studying or plan to study at the University of Toronto under a temporary resident visa (student study permit) are eligible for a set number of OGS awards (valid study permits must be effective as of the graduate units’ OGS international application deadline);
- COVID-19 exception: Currently registered international graduate students who have not yet been able to obtain a study permit due to COVID-19 circumstances are eligible to apply. However, these applicants must have a valid study permit in order to hold the award;
- Be registered or intend to register in an eligible program on a full-time basis in 2023-2024;
- An eligible program is defined as a full-time program of study of two or three terms at the University of Toronto leading to a graduate degree. A full-time student is one who is in at least 60% of a full course load (40% for students with a permanent disability) or as defined by their institution. Program eligibility is determined individually by each graduate unit. Students should carefully review the information outlined by the graduate unit they intend to be registered in, to determine if their program is eligible for the graduate unit’s OGS competition.
- Have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of government-funded support or maximum OGS/QEII support available for their current level of study (see Maximum Support below); and
- Have achieved at least A- (or equivalent) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent); or if the student has completed two years or more of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must only demonstrate an overall average of at least A- (or equivalent) on all graduate courses completed.
Note: If marks used for calculating an applicant’s grade point average (GPA) are not available (e.g., courses were graded on a pass-fail basis), then the next most recent available undergraduate or graduate marks should be used to determine eligibility.
Eligibility to Hold an OGS Award
To hold an OGS award, recipients:
- Must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student at U of T in an eligible program at the graduate unit from which the OGS was awarded;
- Who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, complete degree requirements prior to the end of their award, or fail to complete the full session will be required to repay the funds received for the incomplete session;
- Must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Applicants who have defaulted on a Canada or Ontario Student Loan, or have failed to make satisfactory repayment on a loan overpayment, are ineligible to receive the award. Those with an OSAP restriction may still apply for the OGS. However, if awarded, they must have the restriction cleared within 30 days of notification in order to accept and hold the award;
- May accept research assistantships, part-time teaching positions, or other paid employment that does not affect their status as a full-time graduate student and is commensurate with the graduate unit policies. Typically, students holding full-time paid employment are not eligible to receive an OGS from the University of Toronto; and
- Cannot hold an OGS award in the same session (overlapping) or in the same award year as a scholarship from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, QEII-GSST, or another OGS.
The eligibility criteria provided here are the minimum requirements only. Graduate units may impose additional criteria to apply, receive, or hold an OGS. Please inquire with your graduate unit regarding any additional requirements or conditions to those listed here.
Maximum Support
Students are limited in the number of years that they may hold an OGS.
Master’s students may receive a maximum of two years of OGS/QEII-GSST awards. Doctoral students may receive a maximum of four years of OGS/QEII awards. Both are subject to a lifetime maximum of six years per student.
In addition, OGS guidelines restrict students to a lifetime maximum of six years of government-funded awards and prohibit students from holding an OGS and another government-funded award concurrently.
Awards under the following programs are included in these restrictions:
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
- Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) (formerly OGSST)
- Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)
Application Process
Applicants must submit an OGS application to their proposed graduate unit using the U of T School of Graduate Studies centralized online OGS application. Each graduate unit will have their own internal submission deadline to which applicants must adhere. Prior to applying, applicants should review the OGS Application Instructions.
Once the entire application has been completed and submitted online, it will be made available to the proposed graduate unit for review and consideration.
Important note for prospective students: OGS awards are not transferrable between universities or between graduate units at U of T. Accordingly, students must submit an OGS application to each graduate unit for which they are seeking admission at U of T and to each Ontario institution if applying to multiple universities (each institution will have its own unique OGS application and process).
Important note for visa students: Applicants holding a valid study permit by the graduate unit’s OGS international application deadline are eligible to apply following the same application process and internal deadlines set by their current or proposed graduate unit. Graduate units will select and forward a limited number of applications to the School of Graduate Studies to compete in a centralized adjudication.
Application Requirements (All Components are Online)
OGS application form
Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions (unofficial and student-issued transcripts are permitted; e.g., ACORN screenshots).
Previous awards/publications/conference/research experience.
Plan of study (Maximum 2 pages: 1 page for Plan of Study, 1 page for references/citations).
Two academic references (referees will be required to submit online).
Additional Info
Fall 2022 SGS Information Session for Students
To access the video, enter your utoronto email address when prompted to sign-in, then login using UTORid credentials.
Fall 2022 OGS Info Session: OGS Info Session Slides / Video recording of live OGS session
Indigenous Scholars Award
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) has permitted universities to offer a minimum of two (2) OGS awards exclusively to Indigenous graduate students with the aim to recognize excellence and promote equitable access and participation in the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program by Indigenous applicants.
Graduate students who are Indigenous to Canada (recognized in the Constitution Act, 1982 as a person who identifies with First nations (Status/Non-Status), Métis, or Inuit) and have indicated this status on their OGS application will be eligible to be considered for one of at least three (3) Ontario Graduate Scholarship Indigenous Scholar Awards and potentially other Indigenous awards offered by the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto.
Contacts & Resources
Please direct questions regarding the OGS competition or nomination process to your graduate unit. Questions regarding the administration of the award at SGS and technical support for the application may be directed to:
Debbie Chau, Graduate Awards Officer
Graduate Awards Office
School of Graduate Studies
ogs@utoronto.ca