Ontario Graduate Scholarships and QEII Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology

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The Ontario government, in partnership with Ontario's publicly assisted universities,  encourages excellence in graduate studies at the Master's and doctoral levels through the awarding of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).

  • OGS awards are merit-based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of graduate study.
  • QEII-GSST awards are merit-based scholarships available to domestic students in graduate study undertaking research in science and technology fields.

Successful applicants will win the following award:

  • $15,000 for one year (three consecutive terms)

The one-year award will start September 1, May 1, or January 1 based on the award holder's program start date.

Eligibility

To be able to access the online application and be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST at Western, an applicant must be:

  • a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, a Protected Person [under subsection 95 (2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)], or an International student who holds a valid study permit.
  • a current graduate student in (or an applicant to) an approved* Western graduate program.

*Please contact your graduate program directly to confirm if they offer OGS/QEII-GSST awards to their students.

As a Canadian citizen or permanant resident of Canada, you are required by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) to provide your Social Insurance Number (SIN) before you can access the OGS/QEII-GSST application.  Provide your SIN through your secure Student Center account:

  1. Log into the Student Center (student.uwo.ca).
  2. Click on the "Demographic Data" link in the "Personal Information" section.
  3. Click "Edit" within the "National Identification Number" section.
  4. Follow the instructions to enter your SIN.

The OGS/QEII-GSST applicant must have enough eligibility time left in his/her current graduate program or proposed graduate program to be able to hold the scholarship if successful. The determination is assessed for the current competition as of January 1.

OGS/QEII-GSST applicants seeking Doctoral Support for:

  • A four year (12 term) doctoral program must be in term nine or less as of January 1.
  • A direct-entry (15 term) or a Master's to doctoral transfer (15 term) doctoral program must be in term 12 or less as of January 1.

OGS/QEII-GSST applicants seeking Master's Support for:

  • A two-year (6 term) Master's program must be in term three or less as of January 1.
  • A five-term Master's program must be in term two or less as of January 1.
  • A three-term or four-term Master's program will not have completed any time in the program as of January 1.

Also, a OGS/QEII-GSST applicant:

  • Must not have exceeded the lifetime maximum of two (2) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the Master's level, nor exceeded the lifetime maximum of four (4) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the doctoral level.
  • Must not have exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student award support from the following programs/agencies:
    • Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
    • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

All decisions regarding academic eligibility are made by the adjudicating graduate program.

Guide to Completing Your Application

 
Your guide to completing Western's OGS/QEII-GSST application

Please ensure that you fulfill all of the conditions of eligibility above before applying.  All information should be relevant to your university academic career. 

Timeline

  • December 7, 2022 – Western’s online 2023-2024 OGS/QEII-GSST application opens.
  • February 1, 2023 – Final submission deadline. Application closes at 4:00 p.m. (EST).
  • May 1, 2023 – Announcement of 2023-2024 OGS/QEII-GSST results.

Support

  • Contact Erin Daley, Scholarship Coordinator by EMAIL.

Award Allocations for 2023-2024

Western's allocations for the 2023-2024 OGS/QEII-GSST competition are as follows:

    • 288 OGS awards to support domestic students
      • 8 OGS to support international students
      • 2 OGS to support Indigenous to Canada - First Nations, Métis, Inuit Students
    • 55 QEII-GSST to support domestic students in science and technology research in the Faculties of Engineering, Science and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Holding the Award at Western

Activate (or Decline) Award

  • Activate (or decline, if required) your scholarship for payment at Western by following these steps:
    • Log into your Student Center.
    • Select ‘Self Service’ from the main menu, then 'Campus Finances'.
    • Select ‘My External Scholarships’ and follow the activate/decline steps.

Method of Payment

  • At Western University, the annual value of an OGS/QEII-GSST is $15,000 which is divided into three equal installments of $5,000 each term. Funds are awarded to the student’s Student Center account at the start of every term (September, January and May). 
  • Student must remain registered full time for the entire term to receive funds.

Terms and Conditions

Value, Duration and Payment of the Scholarship

  • $5,000 per term for a maximum of three consecutive terms. The Ontario Government (MCU) provides two-thirds of the total value of the award ($3,333.33 per term) and the remaining one-third ($1,666.67 per term) is provided through private donations to Western.
  • An award may not be held for only one term.
  • A T4A will be issued for each calendar year that the scholarship is held.
  • Awards must be activated with a May 1, or September 1 start date of the year of award.  A January 1, start date is an option if it aligns with the award holder's program start date. 

Conditions for Acceptance and Continuance of the Scholarship

An OGS/QEII-GSST recipient:

  • Must be registered full time, as defined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) and MCU regulations, in a graduate degree program for the duration of the scholarship.
  • Must hold a valid Study Permit if they are an international student.
  • Can hold an OGS/QEII-GSST in either or both of the first two years (up to term six only) of a Master’s program, and in any of the first four years (up to term 12 only) of a regular doctoral program.
  • Has not exceeded the maximum of two (2) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the Master’s level, has not exceeded the maximum of four (4) OGS/QEIIGSST awards held at the doctoral level, and has not exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) OGS/QEIIGSST awards held.
  • Cannot hold an OGS/QEII-GSST and an award from any of the following programs concurrently:
    • Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).
    • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC.)
  • Has not exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student award support from the following programs:
    • Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS).
    • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
  • Must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
  • With an OSAP restriction cannot receive OGS/QEII-GSST funding until the restriction is cleared with the Ministry. At the time of disbursement of OGS/QEII-GSST funds, if SGPS finds a restriction on an award holder's OSAP file, you will be contacted by SGPS and advised of a deadline by which the restriction must be cleared. If the restriction cannot be cleared by the required deadline, the OGS/QEII-GSST award will be discontinued.
  • Understands that graduate programs reserve the right to adjust the amount of internal scholarships and awards provided or pledged to students who are recipients of OGS/QEII-GSST awards.
  • Understands that all final decisions regarding eligibility, duration, and conditions of the award are made by SGPS.
  • Agrees that SGPS may provide award-related information from the recipient’s original application to other relevant units on campus.
  • May be requested to write a letter of thanks to the donor who contributed to the award.
  • Agrees that Western University may publicize his/her award, specifically by name, degree, graduate program, and research title, where applicable, in Western and London media for the duration of the award.

Deferment or Interruption of the Scholarship

  • A request for an interruption of an OGS/QEII-GSST award must be accompanied by an approved leave of absence request to SGPS. An approved leave, will result in suspension of payment of the award for the full term. Payment will resume upon the student’s return to full time status. An award recipient may be granted a leave of absence, not to exceed, on any one occasion, more than 12 consecutive months.
  • An OGS/QEII-GSST award may not be deferred.  Awards must be activated with a May 1 or September 1 start date of the year of the award.  A January 1 start date is an option if it aligns with the award holder's program start date.

Completion/Withdrawal from the Graduate Program

  • If an OGS/QEII-GSST award holder withdraws from their graduate program, the award will be discontinued.  You may not receive OGS/QEII-GSST funds for a partial term.
  • If an OGS/QEII-GSST award holder completes their program, the award will be pro-rated to the end of the term in which the award holder completes.