Government of Canada — Tri-Agency (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC)
$27,000 for 12 months of master's research, up from $17,500. Apply through NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC by research field. Quebec students are eligible.
Published by G Paul · last checked September 26, 2026
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's (CGRS-M) is the federal Tri-Agency's master's-level research funding programme — the new name (post-2024 Budget) for what was previously the Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CGS-M). The award provides $27,000 for 12 months of full-time master's research, a substantial increase from the pre-2024 amount of $17,500. Administration runs across the three federal granting councils: CIHR funds master's research in health, NSERC funds research in natural sciences and engineering, and SSHRC funds research in humanities, social sciences, arts, and letters. Your application goes to the council aligned with your research area. The CGRS-M is highly competitive and is typically a stepping-stone to the CGRS-D doctoral funding for students continuing past the master's. Quebec students are fully eligible — research scholarships are excluded from the Quebec opt-out of federal student financial assistance — and many Quebec master's applicants apply to BOTH the CGRS-M and the parallel FRQ master's award (B1) in the same cycle, with holding rules forbidding both at once if successful.
You qualify for CGRS-M if you (1) are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, (2) are enrolled in or about to begin a master's program at a Canadian degree-granting institution recognized by your Tri-Agency council, (3) have a strong undergraduate academic record (typically a first-class average in your final two years), and (4) have a research project that fits within CIHR, NSERC, or SSHRC's mandate. Direct-entry doctoral students who haven't completed a master's may also be eligible at the master's level if they're early in their doctoral program — check the specific eligibility table for the active cycle.
This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.
Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.
Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.
Use the Apply on the official site button on this page: it opens the official application page in a new tab.
Applications close on December 1, 2026. Submit a day or two early: application sites get busy at the end.
No. You need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
FundMyCourse.ca · checked Sep 26, 2026
fundmycourse.ca/scholarships/cgrs-m-canada-graduate-research-scholarship-master-s-nserc-cihr-sshrc