University of Waterloo 2024 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) for International Students: (Deadline 1 February 2024)

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) programs encourage excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Both programs are jointly funded by the Ontario government and participating institutions. The government contributes two-thirds of the value of the awards and the university provides the remaining one-third.

Students are considered for the OGS and QEII-GSST at Waterloo by using one application. Both scholarships are of equal prestige. The differences between the OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships are as follows:

• OGS – available for all disciplines of academic study; available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents and International students.
• QEII-GSST – available specifically for students in a research-based graduate program in one of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines; only available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent residents.

About University of Waterloo

Waterloo goes beyond the classroom, to a place where experience is the teacher. Beyond problems to solutions that address social, technical and economic needs. Beyond the laboratory, to the research that propels industries, organizations and society. Waterloo is at the forefront of innovation and is home to transformational research and inspired learning. Located in the heart of Canada’s technology hub, we are growing a network of global partnerships that will shape the future by working beyond disciplines and building bridges with industry, institutions and communities.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

• Type Postgraduate
• Organisation University of Waterloo
• Country to study Canada
• School to study University of Waterloo
• Course to studyNot specified
• State of Origin
• Gender Men and Women
• Application Deadline 1 February 2024

Aim and Benefits of Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

Each OGS and QEII-GSST is valued at a maximum of $15,000 per year. The award is paid as $5,000 per term for either two or three terms.

Waterloo celebrates outstanding academic achievement of its graduate students by offering the President’s Graduate Scholarship (PGS) to students receiving an OGS or QEII-GSST.

Requirements for Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Qualification

Citizenship

• International applicants must hold a valid study permit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
• Domestic applicants must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada)

Minimum Academic Requirements

• Applicants must have achieved a first-class average (minimum of A-/80%), in EACH of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Eligibility averages are calculated using grades from your most-recent academic history up to August 31, 2023, regardless of program or relevance to your current or proposed program. Waterloo is required to adhere to these parameters as dictated by Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU).

Program Of Study

• OGS awards are open to applicants in all disciplines of academic study (research-based AND course-based* programs).
• QEII-GSST awards are restricted to applicants in research-based graduate programs in a STEM discipline only (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

*Note: Application packages from course-based students must demonstrate evidence of all criteria under which their application will be evaluated, including research ability.

Registration/Admission Status

• International applicants must:
  • be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered.
    • Due to the limited quota of awards available for international students, prospective graduate students are not eligible to apply.
• Domesticapplicants must:
  • be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered; OR
  • apply for full-time graduate admission at Waterloo with a start term of either spring 2024, fall 2024 or winter 2025.

Note: all students must be registered full time at the time of holding the scholarship.

Time In Program

Selected recipients are normally within their program time limits but students over their term limits are still eligible to apply.

Maximum Support

Master’s students can receive an OGS or QEII-GSST for a maximum of two academic years and doctoral students for a maximum of four academic years.*

In addition, students cannot exceed a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded graduate awards. Awards under the following programs are counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)*
• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)*
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Tri-Agency Scholarships (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, Vanier)

*For the purpose of OGS/QEII-GSST, one or two term awards will count as one full year towards the OGS/QEII-GSST program and lifetime maximums. 

Interview date, Process and Venue for Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

Evaluation Criteria

There are three areas of evaluation under which the application will be considered. Each department and Faculty will determine the weight placed on each of the following criteria within the ranges indicated:

1. Academic Excellence (30-50%*); as demonstrated by:
   • academic transcripts
   • list of competitive scholarships, awards and honours
2. Research Ability and Potential in Program of Study (30-50%*); as demonstrated by:
   • publications
   • conferences
   • presentations
   • originality, artistic performance and creations broadly defined (where relevant to field of study)
3. Communication and Leadership Abilities (10-20%*); as demonstrated by:
   • list of relevant volunteer, leadership and academic work experience.

*Individual faculty weights:

• Arts, Engineering: (1) 50%, (2) 30%, (3) 20%
• Health: (1) 50%, (2) 40%, (3) 10%
• Environment, Mathematics, Science: (1) 40%, (2) 40%, (3) 20%

Application Deadline

1 February, 2024

How to Apply

The OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships are not portable (recipients cannot take their OGS/QEII-GSST to another institution). Applicants must submit separate applications at each institution where they wish to be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST. Therefore, applicants may need to submit multiple OGS/QEII-GSST applications to several institutions. Each institution has their own application processes and timelines.

For more details, visit OFFICIAL LINK & APPLY