The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Since 1975, the OGS program has been providing merit-based scholarships to Ontario’s best graduate students in all disciplines of academic study. The scholarship program at U of T is jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto. The Province allocates OGS awards to universities specifying the number of awards that each may offer to their students annually.
Table of Content
Summary
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Benefits
The value of the OGS is $5,000 per session. Thus, awardees may receive $10,000 for two consecutive sessions or $15,000 for three consecutive sessions. In all instances, the awarding graduate unit will contribute to one-third the cost of the total award received by the students.
Requirements
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- Be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) by the student deadline as determined by each graduate unit; International students who are studying or plan to study at the University of Toronto under a temporary resident visa (student study permit) are eligible for a set number of OGS awards (valid study permits must be effective as of the graduate units’ OGS international application deadline);
- Be registered or intend to register in an eligible program on a full-time basis in 2026-2027;
- An eligible program is defined as a full-time program of study of two or three terms at the University of Toronto leading to a graduate degree. A full-time student is one who is in at least 60% of a full course load (40% for students with a permanent disability) or as defined by their institution. Program eligibility is determined individually by each graduate unit. Students should carefully review the information outlined by the graduate unit they intend to be registered in, to determine if their program is eligible for the graduate unit’s OGS competition.
- Have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of government-funded support or maximum OGS/QEII support available ?for their current level of study (see Maximum Support below); and
- ?Have achieved at least A- (or equivalent) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent); or if the student has completed two years or more of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must only demonstrate an overall average of at least A- (or equivalent) on all graduate courses completed.
- At the graduate unit’s discretion, exceptions may be made for highly meritorious applicants who are below the required GPA minimum. Examples of cases in which a unit may consider granting an exception include (but are not limited to): applicants with documented medical issues or family care responsibilities, applicants who have pursued alternative career paths, or mature students with professional experience. Contact your proposed graduate unit(s) to confirm their use of this eligibility criterion.
Note: If marks used for calculating an applicant’s grade point average (GPA) are not available (e.g., courses were graded on a pass-fail basis), then the next most recent available undergraduate or graduate marks should be used to determine eligibility.
Eligibility to Hold an OGS Award
To hold an OGS award, recipients:
- Must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student at U of T in an eligible program at the graduate unit from which the OGS was awarded;
- Who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, complete degree requirements prior to the end of their award, or fail to complete the full session will be required to repay the funds received for the incomplete session;
- ??Must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Applicants who have defaulted on a Canada or Ontario Student Loan, or have failed to make satisfactory repayment on a loan overpayment, are ineligible to receive the award. Those with an OSAP restriction may still apply for the OGS. However, if awarded, they must have the restriction cleared within 30 days of notification in order to accept and hold the award;
- ? ?May accept research assistantships, part-time teaching positions, or other paid employment that does not affect their status as a full-time graduate student and is commensurate with the graduate unit policies. Typically, students holding full-time paid employment are not eligible to receive an OGS from the University of Toronto;
- Cannot hold an OGS award in the same session (overlapping) or in the same award year as a scholarship from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, QEII-GSST, or another OGS; and
- Enrolled in a postgraduate MD training program and simultaneously registered in a full-time doctoral graduate program may hold other awards that, together with the OGS or QEII-GSST award, do not exceed the current level of funding for clinical training provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health.
The eligibility criteria provided here are the minimum requirements only. Graduate units may impose additional criteria to apply, receive, or hold an OGS. Please inquire with your graduate unit regarding any additional requirements or conditions to those listed here.
Selection Process
The following are criteria previously used by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities panel members to adjudicate OGS awards and updated by the SGS Awards Committee. Applicants, supervisors, and graduate units/departments are encouraged to consider these criteria when developing their applications, selecting domestic recipients, and nominating international applications to SGS. Please note that graduate units may use the same or similar criteria as outlined below, but applicants must check with the graduate unit to confirm any variations:
| Mandatory Requirement |
Suggested Evaluation Criteria |
Weight |
| Relevant experience and achievements obtained within and beyond academia |
- Transcripts;
- Other academic accomplishments;
- Prior scholarships and awards – may be used to confirm assessment based on other aspects of the file. However, students should not be penalized for not having received other awards;
- Publications and presentations;
- Research and/or creative productivity;
- Academic training and relevant work experience (co-op included);
- Academic, professional, and extracurricular activities as well as collaborations with supervisors, colleagues, peers, students and members of the community, such as:
- teaching, mentoring, supervising and/or coaching
- managing projects
- participating in science and/or research promotion
- community outreach, volunteer work and/or civic engagement
- chairing committees and/or organizing conferences and meetings
- participating in departmental or institutional organizations, associations, societies and/or clubs;
|
Up to 40% |
| Plan of Study |
- Plan of Study (motivation, creativity, communication skills, feasibility, merit and significance)
- This can be a course-based statement of intent or research-based research proposal
- Connection/synergy with their program of study or research/project
- For research proposals, this includes the focus and feasibility of the research question(s) and objective(s); the clarity of the proposed methodology; and the significance and expected contributions to research
|
Up to 30% |
| Academic Assessment Reports |
- Ability to complete projects within an appropriate time period
- Contribution to research and development (where applicable)
- Critical thinking, application of skills and knowledge, judgment, originality, initiative, autonomy, enthusiasm
- Ability to communicate clearly and logically in written and oral formats
- Academic, professional and extracurricular interactions and collaborations with supervisors, colleagues, and peers (e.g., teaching, mentoring, supervising, project managing, chairing committees, organizing,conferences/meetings, elected positions, etc.)
|
Application Deadline
April 1, 2026How To Apply
- Applicants must submit an OGS application to their proposed graduate unit using the U of T School of Graduate Studies centralized online OGS application. Each graduate unit will have their own internal submission deadline to which applicants must adhere. Prior to and while applying, applicants should refer to the OGS Application Instructions.
- Once the entire application has been completed and submitted online, it will be made available to the proposed graduate unit for review and consideration.
- Important note for prospective students: OGS awards are not transferrable between universities or between graduate units at U of T. Accordingly, students must submit an OGS application to each graduate unit for which they are seeking admission at U of T and to each Ontario institution if applying to multiple universities (each institution will have its own unique OGS application and process).
- Important note for visa students: Applicants holding a valid study permit by the graduate unit’s OGS international application deadline are eligible to apply following the same application process and internal deadlines set by their current or proposed graduate unit. Graduate units will select and forward a limited number of applications to the School of Graduate Studies to compete in a centralized adjudication.
For more details, visit University of Toronto Scholarship webpage
