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Sigma Theta Tau International Doctoral Scholarship

Get up to $10,000 for your PhD in nursing — apply online starting each December.

Reviewed by G Paul · verified April 23, 2026

$10,000

Total value

Dec 1, 2026

Next deadline

Canadian Nurses Foundation

Administered by

What you will need

Online application submitted via cnf-fiic.ca/scholarships/
Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency
Proof of enrollment in a Canadian nursing program (RN, IEN, NP, LPN, or RPN)
Confirmation of PhD level study and current work on a dissertation

About this award

You can receive up to $10,000 for your doctoral studies. As a scholarship, this money is yours to keep and you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a nurse currently working on your PhD dissertation. Applications open each December for the following academic year and typically close in late January. No specific date is posted publicly for the current cycle, so you should check the Canadian Nurses Foundation (CNF — the national organization providing financial support to nurses) program page at cnf-fiic.ca/scholarships/ to confirm the exact deadline before you apply. You will hear back from the provider after the committee review, though the exact notification date isn't listed. The CNF awards committee chooses winners based on merit. They award over 135 scholarships per year across all their different funding tiers, but they do not publish the exact number of winners for this specific doctoral award. Ask the CNF how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. Ask the Canadian Nurses Foundation during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. Renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with the Canadian Nurses Foundation whether it's a one-time payment or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. You must be enrolled in a Canadian nursing program such as RN (Registered Nurse), IEN (Internationally Educated Nurse), NP (Nurse Practitioner), LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), or RPN (Registered Practical Nurse). Specifically for this award, you must be at the PhD level and working on your dissertation.

This is what the award's own page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm with the provider before you apply.

Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Open to graduate students
Studying nursing

How to apply

Read the award's own page
Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.
Submit your application
Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.

More details

Dissertation

Avoid describing your research in purely academic terms.

Instead, explain why your PhD work matters to the actual practice of nursing and patient care.

Clearly link your dissertation goals to a real-world improvement in healthcare.

Support

Avoid providing generic letters of reference.

Instead, secure letters from supervisors who can vouch for your specific progress on the dissertation and your potential to contribute to the nursing profession.

Strategy

Avoid treating this as a separate application from other CNF awards.

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