Doctoral program (SSHRC) / SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship at Concordia University 2025

The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral (CGS D) program is a federal program of scholarships awarded through national competitions by the granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The program aims to promote continued excellence in Canadian research by rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions. By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the CGS D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirments
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineOctober 1, 2025
• Value$40,000
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorConcordia University
• City to studyQuebec
• School to studyConcordia University
• Eligible CountryCanada

Benefits

$40,000 per year for up to 36 months

Requirements

At Concordia, you must be registered in the PsyD program. In addition, you must meet the following general eligibility requirements:

• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the application deadline
• have completed no more than 24 months of full-time study in your doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if previously enrolled in a graduate program (for CGS-D)
• have completed no more than 36 months of full-time study in your doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application if enrolled directly from a bachelor’s to a PhD program and not previously enrolled in a graduate program (for CGS-D)
• For the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships, students must have completed no more than 48 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application.
• submit a maximum of one scholarship (master’s or doctoral) or fellowship application per year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. Nominations to the Vanier CGS program and applications to the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program do not count toward this limit (other exceptions may apply to CIHR internships).;
• not have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC.

Number of months: Eligibility for CGS D is based on the number of months of full-time study toward the degree for which you are requesting funding by December 31 of the calendar year of application. Two terms of part-time study count as one term of full-time study.

Note: You may be eligible to apply to the CGS M program for your first year of doctoral funding. Applying for a CGS M, if you are eligible, will maximize your potential period of funding. If you are going directly from an undergraduate degree to the PsyD program (i.e. you do not hold a Master’s degree), you can apply for a CGS M in your first year of studies, and a CGS D in your second year. You are responsible for choosing the type of award for which you apply.

Subject Eligibility: Students should be aware that research related to Psychology can fall to more than one agency. You must meet SSHRC eligibility subject matter in order to apply to Concordia’s competition. Students should review the General Guidelines for Eligibility of Subject Matter at SSHRC & Guidelines for the Eligibility of Applications in Psychology, prior to submitting their application.

Interview Dates and Process

Eligible applications will first be reviewed at the institutional level (Concordia University of Edmonton). Recommended applications will then be forwarded to SSHRC for the national competition by November 21.

The evaluation of CGS D applications is based on the following criteria:

• 50% for research ability or potential
• 50% relevant experiences and achievements obtained within and beyond academia

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Students must apply either through a Canadian institution that has a quota for your selected agency or directly to the appropriate agency depending on your registration status in the calendar year of application.  Failure to submit an application through the correct channel will result in your application being rejected.  Please refer to the flowchart Where Should I Submit My Application?  or contact [email protected].

Concordia University of Edmonton has a quota for the SSHRC CGS D, therefore, Concordia PsyD students applying for a SSHRC CGS D can only apply through CUE’s competition. You must submit your application through the SSHRC online system by Concordia’s internal deadline of October 1st.

Indigenous Applicants: Institutions may recommend applications from self-identified Indigenous applicants to the doctoral awards competition beyond their application quota. Indigenous applicants must agree to their personal information being used for this purpose by making the appropriate selection in the application form.

Note: Indigenous SSHRC applicants are encouraged to complete the “Allowable Inclusion“ section of their application form to describe special circumstances that may have had an impact on their academic or career paths (e.g. cultural or community responsibilities, and/or challenging socio-economic contexts).

For more details, visit Concordia University Scholarship webpage