Fonds de recherche du Québec — Société et culture (FRQSC) · Provincial
FRQSC Master's Research Scholarship (Bourse de maîtrise en recherche B1)
About this award
$20,000/year (up to 2 years, $40,000 total) Quebec-only master's research scholarship for humanities, social sciences, arts, and letters. The provincial parallel to the federal SSHRC CGS-M — most Quebec students apply to both in the same cycle and pick the higher-value award.
The FRQSC Master's Research Scholarship (B1) is the flagship provincial master's funding for Quebec students in humanities, social sciences, arts, and letters. Administered by the Fonds de recherche du Québec — Société et culture, one of the three sectoral funds within the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ). The award provides $20,000 per year for up to 2 years (maximum $40,000 total, 6 semesters of funding). Unlike federal Tri-Agency awards, FRQ scholarships are Quebec-restricted: only Quebec-domiciled trainees pursuing a research master's at a recognized Quebec university are eligible. The Quebec opt-out of the federal Canada Student Financial Assistance program does NOT apply to research scholarships — Quebec students remain fully eligible for the parallel federal SSHRC CGS-M and typically apply to both competitions in the same cycle. Holding rules apply: a student cannot hold a CGS-M and an FRQSC B1 in the same year. If you win both, you choose. Most students take the higher-value or longer-duration award and decline the other.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident — citizenship requirement
- Graduate — study level
- Resident of QC — provincial eligibility
- Studying humanities, social-sciences, arts, letters — field of study
How to apply
Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour
Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.
Request your official transcript1–2 weeks
Order through your school registrar — allow 1–2 weeks.
Collect reference letters2 weeks
Give your referees at least two weeks' notice and share your résumé.
Submit by Oct 1, 2026~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
Apply to both FRQSC B1 and federal SSHRC CGS-M in the same cycle — the application materials overlap heavily, and you want to maximize your chances.
Holding rules forbid both at once, but the application stage is open.
Coordinate with your supervisor very early — FRQ requires supervisor endorsement and the supervisor's endorsement letter is part of how the committee evaluates the research project.
Quebec graduate students often discuss with the Faculty of Graduate Studies (Bureau des études supérieures) which to accept if both come through; the conversation is about award value, duration, prestige, and whether stacking with internal university funding favours one or the other.
If your research is interdisciplinary and you're unsure whether it belongs in FRQSC or FRQS or FRQNT, FRQ has a sector-fit advisory process — submit a query to the relevant program officer before drafting the full application.