Funding Award Competitions & Instructions

(details regarding specific funding award application instructions are noted below)

The School offers competitive funding packages for all graduate students including Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships via supervisors, and internal funding awards through a competitive process.  Opportunities are also available through external funding agencies. There is a lifetime maximum for holding external funding awards which reads:

Lifetime Maximum

You must not have exceeded the lifetime maximum of 4 years of government-funded student awards.  Awards received under the following programs are counted toward this lifetime maximum:

  • OGS - Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program
  • SSHRC - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
  • NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineerning Research Council
  • CIHR - Canadian Institute of Health Research

In addition, you must not have exceeded the maximum number of awards for your level of study.  You may receive up to two (2) OGS awards for a program at a master's level.  The scholarship may be awarded for one or both of the first two full-time academic years of study, but not after the second year.  You may receive up to four (4) OGS awards for a program at the doctoral level.  The scholarship may be awarded in any of the first five years of full-time study but not after the fifth year.

Funding Eligibility - Grades

The minimum eligibility average for applicants for OGS and tri-council awards is the equivalent of one of either:   A-  /  80%  /  3.7 GPA

The calculation varies by award type and may variously include all grades from the last 2 years of study or up to 20 of the most recent grades noted on your transcript.  If you are unsure of your overall average, and you are a current Queen's student, send an email to the SKHS Graduate Assistant at:  aam2@queensu.ca and request that your current average be calculated for funding application purposes - please include your Queen's ID #.  If you are a student external to Queen's, you may either request that your university run your grade average for you, or send an unofficial transcript to the SKHS Graduate Assistant via email at:  aam2@queensu.ca for calculation to verify your eligibility.

Information and instructions for applying to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the three Tri-Council Agencies is available below.

OGS - IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THE 2013 COMPETITION - NEW METHOD

Commencing the 2013 OGS competition, all submission methods and deadlines HAVE BEEN CHANGED.  The previous method of applying and submitting by mid-October will NOT apply for the 2013 competition.   If you are a 4th yr undergrad intending to apply to OGS and want to be on our DISTRIBUTION LIST TO RECEIVE OGS UPDATES as they occur email Angie at:  aam2@queensu.ca and make this request. 

Students must now submit all applications for OGS funding to EACH OF THE UNITS and UNIVERSITIES to which they apply for admission in the case of new graduate students.  That means if you apply to 3 universities you must prepare 3 OGS applications.  Each of those applications may have different deadlines and processes.  Please refer to each university's specific instructions on their website to ensure you do not miss their deadline - verify this through those unit websites as appropriate.  We recommend you begin reviewing submission deadlines immediately to maximize your access in each location.

1. OGS Submission Deadline to SKHS:  01 March 2013 at midnight

The Queen’s University Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) application is now available.  Full details of the processes, and a link to the online OGS application and instructions, can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website here:  

- CLICK HERE for the STEP-by-STEP OGS APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS to assist you in submitting your 2013-14 OGS Application using the online process.

and here:  http://www.queensu.ca/sgs/forstudents/funding/ogs.html. Only domestic applicants (Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada) are eligible.

- OGS for New Graduate Students - ie students who will be applying for graduate studies with SKHS commencing Sept 2013 at either the master's or the doctoral level, will TICK THE NEW OGS BOX on the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.  If you have already prepared your online application the School of Graduate Studies has now sent you an email with instructions available via the link above on where to go to submit your online OGS application. 

- OGS for Continuing Graduate Students - ie students who are currently SKHS graduate students who will be entering their second year of master's studies or their second, third or fourth year of doctoral studies.  Full details of the processes, and a link to the online OGS application and instructions, can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website here:  

- CLICK HERE for the STEP-by-STEP OGS APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS to assist you in submitting your 2013-14 OGS Application using the online process.

and here:  http://www.queensu.ca/sgs/forstudents/funding/ogs.html. Only domestic applicants (Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada) are eligible.

- OGS for 5th Year SKHS Graduate Students - ie current SKHS doctoral students entering their 5th year of study commencing Sept 2013 will be eligible to apply for OGS.  You MUST consult with your SKHS supervisor prior to submitting an application to ensure you meet the rigourous criteria for a competitive application.

All SKHS OGS application documents will be submitted electronically online by the applicant and accessible by the SKHS Graduate Assistant. 

- CLICK HERE for the STEP-by-STEP OGS APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS to assist you in submitting your 2013-14 OGS Application using the online process.

NSERC

  1. NSERC 2013 Application Instructions and Online Form [PDF]
  2. Deadline for submission of your online application and transcripts to SGS, Gordon 425:  Thurs 25 Oct 2012

SSHRC - Doctoral

  1. SSHRC Doctoral Application Instructions for Students [PDF]
  2. Deadline for submission of your printed, signed application form to the SKHS Graduate Assistant in KHS 206 is:  Mon 12 Nov 2012

CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's

  1. CIHR Masters Application Instructions for Students [PDF]
  2. Deadline for submission of your online application and transcripts to SGS, Gordon 425:  Fri 04 Jan 2013

Joseph-Armand Bombardier - Master's

  1. Joseph-Armand Bombardier Application Instructions to Students [PDF]
  2. Deadline for submission of your printed, signed application form to the SKHS Graduate Assistant in KHS 206 is:  Mon 12 Nov 2012

Vanier CGS Scholarships - Doctoral

  1. Vanier CGS Doctoral online application form, via ResearchNet
  2. Vanier CGS Doctoral application instructions available online
  3. Vanier CGS Doctoral application Memo of Information/Instructions to SKHS Grad Students
  4. Deadline for submission of your online form, transcripts and reference letters:  11 October 2012

Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships 2013

  1. Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships 2013 application instructions
  2. Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships 2013 online application form
  3. Deadline for submission of your application, transcripts and reference letters:  15 November 2012

Doctoral Field Travel  Grant 2013

  1. Doctoral Field Travel Grant 2013 application instructions PDF version
  2. Doctoral Field Travel Grant 2013 application instructions Word fillable version
  3. Deadline for submission of your application:  25 January 2013

 

Tips document for referees writing reference letters for ALL funding award competitions is available here:  Referees' Tips To Writing Reference Letters.

This letter has useful information to guide students in preparing their referees to write strong letters.