Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) · Institutional
Laurier Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
About this award
Laurier Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships is offered by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Wilfrid Laurier University used to list the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) as a federal doctoral funding option for social sciences and humanities researchers, but the Vanier CGS has been discontinued under Budget 2024 as part of the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) reform, and the program has been replaced at the doctoral level by the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CGRS-D). The CGRS-D is administered jointly by CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC and is valued at $40,000 per year for up to 36 months of doctoral study, for a maximum of $120,000 over three years. This replaces the Vanier CGS's previous $50,000 per year for three years at the doctoral level and harmonizes the top tier of federal graduate funding across the three federal research agencies. Wilfrid Laurier doctoral students in social sciences and humanities programs are still eligible for the CGRS-D through SSHRC, the federal research agency responsible for their discipline, and Laurier's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies supports applicants with internal preparation rounds before the national deadline. Any students who hold legacy Vanier CGS awards continue to receive their funding under the original terms until their award term ends, and any institutional pages still referencing Vanier CGS as an active program should be read as historical. Quebec residents and students at Laurier on study permits remain eligible for the CGRS-D because it is a federal research award administered by the tri-agencies and is not part of the Canada Student Financial Assistance program, so Quebec's CSFAA opt-out does not apply.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident — citizenship requirement
- Graduate — study level
- Resident of ON — provincial eligibility
- Studying social sciences, humanities — 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.
Submit by No deadline~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
the Vanier CGS page now redirects to the CGRS-D page, so apply for CGRS-D through the SSHRC research portal rather than trying to file a Vanier CGS application, because Vanier no longer accepts new applications.
Laurier's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies runs an internal preparation round for CGRS-D applicants typically in August or September before the national October deadline, so contact the Faculty early in the summer rather than waiting for the national call.
the CGRS-D is decided primarily on research quality and supervisor fit, so build the proposal around a specific research question that requires your supervisor's expertise and Laurier's research infrastructure, not a generic PhD pitch.
the replacement CGRS-D is valued at $40,000 per year for up to 36 months — lower than the legacy Vanier maximum, but it remains one of the strongest doctoral awards in Canada and a genuine full funding package.