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Eligibility requirements:

• Must be in a graduate program with a significant research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert-reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completion of the program.
  • Master’s programs that are based only on course work are typically not eligible since they do not include a significant research component, as described above.
  • The U of A takes the above definition as a base for the review of applications through the university.
  • U of A course based programs: the work completed in the course-based program must be considered equivalent to a major research project and is appropriate for students who intend to proceed to doctoral studies.
• Must be a Canadian citizen or 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 date.
• Must be enrolled in, have applied for or will apply for full-time admission* to an eligible graduate program at the master’s or doctoral level
  • Refer to Application Procedures and Deadlines for the U of A process and internal deadline to apply for admission for your intended program of study at the U of A
  • Prospective students are to note that an award offer does not guarantee admission to the program in which you originally applied to. GPS does not assist with the process of securing admission to a graduate program.
• Must have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application
  • either between 0 and 12 months of full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in the program for which you are requesting funding,** which may be one of the following:
                    - a master’s program
                    - a doctoral program that you are entering directly from a bachelor’s program without having ever been enrolled in any graduate programs (direct-entry)
                    - a combined master’s-doctoral program
                    - a master’s program that will transition to an eligible doctoral program, either before or after award activation, with no master’s degree conferred (fast-track)
                    - a master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before the end of the award, allowing the award to continue into an eligible doctoral program
  • or between 4 and 12 months of full-time study (or full-time equivalent) in an eligible master’s program for which the degree requirements will be completed before activation of the award, allowing it to be activated during the first 12 months of the subsequent doctoral program for which you are requesting funding
• Must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher (first class average at the U of A) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent)
  • Note: first class average is not a cumulative GPA of the last two years; the GPA is calculated on each of the most recent year completed, and the second last year completed.
• Not have held or be currently holding a Master's level scholarship from NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC
• Not have held or be currently holding an Indigenous Scholars Award and Supplement
• Submit a maximum of one scholarship (master’s or doctoral) or fellowship application per academic year to either NSERC, CIHR or SSHRC
  • Note: Should more than one application be submitted, the eligible application submitted first chronologically will be retained

*Refer to the  for details regarding part-time admission.
**All studies credited toward the eligible program will be counted, whether or not they were completed at the degree-granting institution.
**UofA Spring/summer terms (course and thesis-based graduate programs) are normally counted as full-time  

Subject matter eligibility (research area): The onus is on the applicant to carefully select the agency that best aligns with their research subject matter to ensure their application will be reviewed by experts in disciplines closest to their field(s) of study. Refer to of the CGRS M .

For complete eligibility consult the .

Award Services if further clarification regarding the eligibility requirements is required. Note that Awards Services will not pre-calculate GPA's or review transcripts to confirm eligibility.

Applications submitted this Fall 2025 term are for awards to start May or September 2026, or January 2027 (2026 CGRS M competition year). Applicants may apply for up to three Canadian post-secondary institutions through the CGRS M , which is the Tri-Agency's electronic system for creating, managing and submitting applications for funding. Submitted applications are reviewed by the institution at which they propose to hold their award. Applicants may select only institutions where:

• either you are currently enrolled full time in an eligible program of study and intend to pursue your studies
• or you will apply for full-time admission to an eligible program of study by the internal deadline set by the institution(s) indicated in your application
  • prospective U of A graduate students must apply for graduate admission by February 9th, 2026 to be considered for the CGRS M competition at the U of A. Refer to the Application Deadline and Submission section below.

GPS will access prospective and current U of A student applications from the Portal, following the Tri-Agency application deadline of December 1, 2025. Winners may receive offers from multiple institutions, but may accept only one CGRS M offer; this award is NOT transferable.

1) Review the complete 2026 CGRS M Memo to Departments & Applications, the complete CGRS M Program details, requirements, deadlines and CGRS M Program Resources:

• Prospective U of A graduate students are to note the application for admission deadline stated below.
• Where special circumstances exist that affected students' research, professional career, record of academic or research achievement, or completion of degrees, students are to address such in the Special Circumstances section of the application where prompted.

2) Start the CGRS M Online Application:
Students are to complete a full online application in the by following CGRS M’s . It is the student's responsibility to read all instructions and be familiar with the application process before applying.

• GPS does not have access to the Research Portal prior to the Tri-Agency deadline of December 1, and cannot assist students with application materials. After complete applications have been submitted online to the Research Portal by the deadline, they cannot be revised/adjusted.
• Students who are currently registered at the U of A must select the U of A as one of the proposed host institutions. For applicants also applying to other institutions other than the U of A, it is imperative you check in with the other institutions directly regarding their application process and transcript regulations/policies, and follow such rules carefully.
• Following the Tri-Agency application deadline of December 1, 2025, GPS will access all applications from the Research Portal that have identified the U of A as the proposed institution.
• Students are not required to submit applications to their departments or to their proposed department of study.

References: students should consider requesting letters of recommendation (CGRS M's ) as early as possible in order to meet the application submission deadline of December 1, 2025. It is highly recommended students give their referees a deadline at least 2 weeks prior to any application deadline in order to avoid possible delays/changes. Students are responsible for ensuring their references have completed and successfully submitted the Reference Assessment Forms via the CGRS M Research Portal by the deadline.

Transcripts: it is the student’s responsibility to obtain and upload copies of official up-to-date transcripts to the Research Portal for up to three Canadian post-secondary institutions to view. It is the students’ responsibility to follow Tri-Council's for transcript requirement guidelines (ex. definition of up-to-date; ALL postsecondary coursework undertaken, etc). Transcripts serve to confirm the number of months of graduate studies completed, determine first-class average and confirm current registration. These instructions are imperative and extremely important, as non-compliance with transcript-related guidelines is the primary reason for the rejection of applications.

• GPS will not provide copies of transcripts from student records held at the U of A (includes transcripts from other Canadian/international post- secondary institutions, U of A transcripts, and transcripts included in former, recent, or in progress admission/award applications), nor can GPS upload transcripts to the Research Portal on students’ behalf.  
• Transcripts deemed incomplete, missing, illegible, or unofficial may result in the application being removed from the competition.
• Other than U of A transcripts (produced from Beartracks), self-produced transcripts or marksheets from other institutions’ self-served student systems are considered unofficial and will not be considered.
• Opening and scanning an official paper transcript, or providing a copy of an official e-Transcript will not render the transcript unofficial.
  
  Applicants are to note the following:
  • Transcript Legend: one copy of the legend (reverse page of the transcript, or the last page of an e-transcript) must be included (with the exception of unofficial UofA transcripts printed from BearTracks). Only one copy of the legend is required.
  • E-Transcripts Document Cover Page: the institutional cover page must be included (in addition to the transcript legend as the last page) as this retains authenticity.
  • To combine e-Transcripts with other transcripts, open it in a browser and print it to pdf (not download and save); applicants should be able to get the unsecured PDF in order to combine with other documents. The security setting will be removed if combined with other transcripts and this is acceptable for uploading purposes to the agency portal
    
    
• It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that their transcripts are complete and legible once uploaded. In all cases, the applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete by reviewing the final version of the online application. Review the requirements for each a) U of A Transcripts and b) Other Institutions sections.

The following transcripts are required:

1. U of A Transcripts (where applicable): An up to date U¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ transcript for all study at this university. Registered and newly admitted students MUST show current Fall 2025 full time registration (courses/thesis in progress).
   - An unofficial U of A transcript (must be produced from Beartracks) will be accepted by GPS for applicants applying at the U of A ONLY), or copies of official (paper or e-Transcripts issued through MyCreds™) may be provided. For applicants also applying to other institutions other than the U of A, it is imperative that you check in with other institutions directly regarding their transcript regulations/policies and follow such rules carefully.
   - Where transfer credit/exchanges are associated at the U of A, official transcripts of those institutions attended MUST also be included (see Other Institution Transcripts for requirements).
   
   
2. Other Institution Transcripts: Official, up-to-date transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies undertaken. Transcripts associated with transfer credit MUST be included.
   - all foreign transcripts
   - all transfer credit transcripts (even if they were transferred to the U of A)
   - all transcripts of incomplete work/non-degree study/qualifying years, etc.

3) Application Deadline - December 1st, 2025 before 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)/8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time): Deadline for students to submit their completed application and CCV through the .

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application well ahead of the deadline. As the deadline approaches, delays may occur due to high traffic on the Research Portal; this may prevent the timely submission of student’s applications, and they should plan accordingly.
• The Research Portal will not permit the submission of incomplete or late applications. GPS cannot assist with issues students may encounter with the external Research Portal.
• No changes or updates can be made to an application once it has been submitted, either before or after the deadline. Only personal contact information may be updated through your Research Portal account.

4) Application Review - December 1 – February 9, 2026: GPS accesses U of A applications from the Research Portal, and completes its initial preliminary review to verify eligibility and completeness.

• Prospective students must apply for admission to a UofA graduate program by their proposed department program deadline, or by February 9th, 2026, whichever comes first, in order to be considered for a CGRS M at the U of A. Note: this is for May 1, 2026, July 1, 2026, September 1, 2026, and January 2027 admission intakes.
  
• Prospective students only need to submit an application for admission; complete admission decisions are not required for the CGRS M competition, and thus are included in the full nomination review.
• Departments may contact promising CGRS M applicants who have not applied for admission and encourage them to apply

5) Application for Admission Deadline - February 9, 2026: If not yet admitted to a U of A graduate program, prospective students must apply for admission no later than February 9th in order to be considered for the CGRS M at the U of A.

• Prospective students who haven’t applied for admission by this date will have their applications removed from the competition.
• Prospective students are to note that an award offer does not guarantee admission to the program in which you originally applied to. GPS does not assist with the process of securing admission to a graduate program.

6) U of A Adjudication - Mid-February 2026 – end of March 2026: the GPS Graduate Scholarship Committee (GSC) reviews and adjudicates eligible applications.

7) Final Results - April 1st, 2026: Applicants are notified of results in the online Research Portal. Note: GPS is unable to release any assessment of a student application generated during the adjudication process (rankings, comments, etc), as these assessments are intended for internal adjudication decision-making purposes only. GSC members will not generate feedback for applicants during the adjudication.

Departmental nomination is not required for the CGRS M competition, however departments should inform their prospective students of their internal application for admission deadline. Prospective and current students are not required to submit their CGRS M application to their department or to their proposed department of study.

Departments are requested to review the 2026 CGRS M Memo to Departments & Applicants.

Note: GPS is unable to release any assessment of a student application generated during the adjudication process (rankings, comments, etc), as these assessments are intended for internal adjudication decision-making purposes only. Graduate Scholarship Committee members will not generate feedback for applicants during the adjudication.

Applications will be reviewed in two stages: first by GPS for eligibility and completeness; then by the Graduate Scholarship Committee (GSC) for selection of winners. The merit review of CGRS M applications will be carried out by the GSC based on the Tri-Agency’s CGRS M program . Any change of status, including the official notice for winners will come via the .

Each university has a set allocation for each granting agency. The allocation is the total number of scholarships that the university is allowed to offer in the annual competition. The ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥'s 2026-27 allocations are as follows:

• CIHR: 41
• NSERC: 54
• SSHRC: 53

Winners will receive notification on April 1st, which is the earliest date on which institutions are permitted to offer the award. Winners may receive offers from multiple institutions, but may accept only one CGRS M offer; the award is not transferable.

See Application Procedures for complete details on the application submission requirements.

December 1, 2025 before 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)/8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time): Deadline for students to submit their completed application and CCV through the Research Portal. No changes or updates can be made to an application once it has been submitted, either before or after the deadline. Only personal contact information may be updated through the Research Portal account.

February 9, 2026: If not yet admitted to a graduate program, prospective students must apply for admission no later than February 9th in order to be considered for the CGRS M at the U of A. 

Mid-February 2026 – end of March 2026: GPS Graduate Scholarship Committee reviews and adjudicates eligible applications.

April 1, 2026: Applicants are notified of results on the online Research Portal. Winners may receive offers from multiple institutions, but may accept only one CGRS M offer; the award is not transferable.

Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement: Active CGRS M holders who wish to undertake research outside of Canada for a defined period of time may consider applying for this supplement.

The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative will provide financial support to meritorious Indigenous students who have applied to the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship—Master’s program (CGRS M).

 This initiative offers research training awards and supplements to master’s and doctoral students in the social sciences and humanities whose work is related to one or more of the MINDS Policy Challenges and/or Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged. Students are to refer to SSHRC's website for eligibility and application details. Offers will be made to award holders from SSHRC. Depending on the offer, payments may be made in the same manner as the award: via GPS.

For information on related opportunities, refer to the .