Government of Ontario via participating Ontario universities · Provincial
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
About this award
Ontario's flagship graduate merit scholarship — $15,000/year for master's and doctoral students at participating Ontario universities. Open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, AND international students (separate institution-level quotas). Stackable with federal Tri-Agency awards.
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) is the Government of Ontario's flagship merit-based graduate scholarship programme, jointly funded by the province and participating Ontario universities. The standard award value is $15,000 for two academic terms (8 months) of study, paid in equal instalments, with the provincial contribution matched by the host institution. OGS is open to graduate students at participating Ontario universities — typically including the U15 institutions (UofT, McMaster, Western, Queen's, Waterloo, Ottawa) and the broader Ontario university system. Critically, unlike the federal Tri-Agency awards, OGS is open to international students at most institutions, though each university administers its own quota of OGS slots split between Canadian/PR and international applicants. OGS is stackable with federal Tri-Agency awards in many cases — a student can hold a CGRS-M and an OGS in the same year if the institution permits — but holding rules vary by institution and by the level of the federal award, so check with your Faculty of Graduate Studies. Both master's and doctoral students qualify. The competition is institution-administered: each university's School or Faculty of Graduate Studies runs the internal application + ranking + selection process, then submits final allocations to the province.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident or International — citizenship requirement
- Graduate — study level
- Resident of ON — provincial eligibility
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.
Draft and revise your essays~10 hours
Use the STAR framework. Be specific, show impact, proofread twice.
Submit by No deadline~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
OGS is institution-administered, so the application process and deadlines vary substantially across Ontario universities — check your specific university's OGS page (typically under the School/Faculty of Graduate Studies website) early in the fall semester.
The provincial framework deadline is later, but most universities have internal departmental deadlines weeks earlier.
International students should not assume they're ineligible — most Ontario universities reserve at least some OGS slots for international applicants, but the international competition is more selective due to lower quota.
Stack OGS with federal Tri-Agency awards (CGRS-M, CGRS-D) if eligibility allows — many students hold both.
Strong applications combine high GPA with detailed research statement + strong supervisor endorsement.