Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 2027: How Master’s and PhD Students Can Win a Scholarship in Ontario Canada

If you are planning a master’s or PhD in Ontario, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship is one of the first awards you should understand. It is not a mysterious “hidden” fund. It is a long-running provincial merit scholarship, offered since 1975, and it still puts $10,000 or $15,000 into the hands of strong graduate students every year.

The catch is simple: there is no single provincial portal that hands you the money. You apply through the university where you will study. Deadlines differ. Quotas differ. International awards are limited. That is why many excellent students miss it.

This guide explains what the Ontario Graduate Scholarship is, who can get it, how much it pays, where you can hold it, and how to build a competitive application.

Scholarship Summary

Host Country: Canada
Host University: Participating Ontario universities, including the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, Queen’s University, University of Ottawa, Western University, York University, Carleton University, University of Guelph, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), Ontario Tech University, and others listed by the province.
Scholarship Type: MSC Scholarships/PhD Scholarships
Eligible Countries: Canada (citizens, permanent residents, and protected persons). International students of any nationality who hold a valid Canadian study permit may apply for a limited number of international OGS awards at participating universities.
Scholarship Benefits: Partial tuition fee, Up to $15,000, etc.

Overview of Ontario Graduate Scholarship

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) is a merit-based award for full-time master’s and doctoral students at participating publicly assisted universities in Ontario. It is open across disciplines: humanities, social sciences, STEM, health, business, fine arts, and professional graduate programs, subject to each university’s rules.

The Province of Ontario pays two-thirds of each award. The university that offers it pays the remaining one-third. That partnership is why the scholarship is tied to a specific campus. An OGS won at one university is not transferable to another. If you apply to several graduate programs, you must submit a separate OGS application to each school.

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OGS is often considered alongside the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST). QEII-GSST is a related Ontario award aimed at research-based STEM students and is usually administered through the same campus competition.

How Much Is the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Worth?

OGS is paid by term, not as one lump sum in every case.

$5,000 per term
$10,000 for two consecutive study terms
$15,000 for three consecutive study terms

Each award is issued for a minimum of one academic year (two or three consecutive terms) and, in provincial terms, may cover up to two years (up to six consecutive terms), subject to university practice and lifetime limits. Many campuses treat a given competition year as a one-year award that you must reapply for if you want another year.

Lifetime maximums

Master’s students: up to 2 academic years of OGS
Doctoral students: up to 4 academic years of OGS
All students: lifetime maximum of 6 academic years of government-funded graduate awards

That lifetime cap usually includes OGS together with awards such as CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC / Canada Graduate Research Scholarships, QEII-GSST, Vanier, and older programs such as the Ontario Trillium Scholarship. You generally cannot hold OGS at the same time as another major government graduate award.

OGS is best understood as a substantial living stipend or funding top-up. It does not automatically mean “full tuition plus living costs.” At some universities, especially in funded PhD packages, OGS is folded into the existing funding guarantee, sometimes with a modest top-up. At others, it is paid as a stand-alone $10,000–$15,000 award.

Who Is Eligible for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship?

OGS is competitive. Meeting the minimums only gets you into the pool.

Core eligibility

You typically must:

Be entering or registered in a master’s or doctoral program (not an undergraduate degree)
Be enrolled, or planning to enrol, full-time for at least two terms (about 21 to 52 weeks) in the award year
Attend a participating Ontario university
Meet the university’s first-class average requirement, commonly A- / about 80% in each of the last two completed years of full-time-equivalent study
Be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Students who have defaulted on a Canada or Ontario student loan are usually ineligible until the issue is resolved. Students who have never applied for OSAP are generally considered in good standing.

Graduate units can add stricter rules. Some programs restrict OGS to research-based degrees. Others allow course-based master’s students. Some limit international applicants to students already registered on campus.

Canadian and international students

Domestic applicants are:

Canadian citizens
Permanent residents of Canada
Protected persons under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

International students may apply if they hold a valid study permit. The number of international OGS awards is small and quota-based. At some universities, incoming international applicants cannot apply at all; only students already registered (or on an approved leave) are considered. Always read the campus page before you invest time in an international application.

Which Ontario Universities Offer OGS?

The provincial list of participating schools includes:

Brock University
Carleton University
University of Guelph
Lakehead University
Laurentian University
McMaster University
Nipissing University
OCAD University
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Ontario Tech University)
University of Ottawa
Queen’s University
Ryerson University / Toronto Metropolitan University
University of Toronto
Trent University
University of Waterloo
Western University
Wilfrid Laurier University
University of Windsor
York University

Note that some official pages still use older names. Ryerson is now Toronto Metropolitan University. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology operates as Ontario Tech University. Confirm the current graduate awards page for the campus you want.

Useful university pages:

OGS Application Deadline: Why There Is No Single Date

This is the point that trips people up.

There is no one Ontario-wide OGS deadline. Applications are usually posted in October. After that, each university, and sometimes each department, sets its own closing date. Recent cycles have included deadlines in November, December, January, February, March, April, and even May, depending on the campus and whether you are a domestic or international applicant.

Examples from recent competitions (always verify the current year):

Nipissing University: mid-January
University of Waterloo: intent-to-apply in mid-January, full application around early February
University of Toronto: department-set dates, often winter or early spring
Carleton University: mid-November in a recent cycle
Ontario Tech University: December 1 in a recent cycle

If you are applying to more than one Ontario university, build a deadline spreadsheet. An OGS submitted to Toronto will not follow you to Waterloo.

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How to Apply for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship

1. Choose the university first

OGS follows admission. You apply where you will study, using that school’s form or portal.

2. Collect the standard file

Most applications ask for:

Academic transcripts
A plan of study or research statement
Two academic references
A list of awards, publications, presentations, and research experience
Proof of citizenship or study permit status
Program and term details for the award year

3. Write a plan of study that a committee can score

Committees typically weigh academic excellence, research potential, and references. A strong statement does three things quickly:

States the question or problem
Explains method and feasibility
Shows why the work matters and why that university is the right place to do it

Vague “I am passionate about research” language wastes the most valuable page in the file.

4. Brief your referees early

Reference letters often carry around 30% of the score at some institutions. Give referees your draft statement, CV, transcript highlights, and deadline. A late letter can sink an otherwise complete application.

5. Watch the restrictions

Do not apply if you have already used your master’s, doctoral, or lifetime government-award maximum. Do not plan to stack OGS on top of a Vanier or a federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship for the same period.

How Competitive Is OGS?

It is competitive because the academic bar is high and the quotas are finite. Universities receive a provincial allocation and then run internal rankings. International awards are especially scarce.

That should not discourage a strong applicant. It should change the strategy. Treat OGS like a research-grant application, not a generic scholarship form. Grades get you past the first filter. The statement, evidence of research or professional impact, and references decide the ranking.

Tips That Improve an OGS Application

Start in early fall, even if the portal opens later.
Confirm whether your program is eligible (research-based vs course-based).
Recalculate your average the way the university does, not the way your home institution reports GPA.
If you are international, confirm whether incoming students can apply or only current registrants.
Apply to every Ontario university where you have a realistic admission offer. The award does not travel.
Keep OSAP or student-loan issues resolved before funds would be released.
Reapply in later years if you remain eligible. One unsuccessful year is common.

OGS Compared With Other Canadian Graduate Funding

OGS sits in the middle of the Canadian funding landscape. Federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarships and Vanier awards are larger and more centralized. University teaching and research assistantships are often the backbone of a funding package. OGS is the provincial merit layer that can raise a stipend, reduce loan pressure, or strengthen a CV.

For many students, the winning combination is admission funding plus OGS plus, in later years, a federal award, never held at the same time as OGS.

Final Checklist Before You Submit

You are applying for a master’s or PhD, not an undergraduate program
You meet the A- / first-class standard used by that university
Your study-permit or citizenship documents are current
Your statement fits the page limit and cites key sources
Both referees know the exact deadline
You submitted a separate application to each Ontario university
You are inside the lifetime government-award cap

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship will not fund every graduate student in the province. It will fund students who treat the application as seriously as the research they claim they want to do. If that is you, open the graduate awards page at your target university, put the deadline in your calendar, and start the statement while your referees still have time to write a letter that sounds like it came from someone who actually knows your work.

For the official rules, begin with the Government of Ontario OGS page and the graduate studies website of each university on your list.

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