Liberty Okechukwu
Are you looking for a fellowship program in Canada for international students? You’ve found it. Canada is home to 21 of the world’s top 500 universities. In 2022, there were 591,605 study permit holders in Canada. If studying abroad is your plan, Canada should be at the top of your list.
What makes Canada stand out is the presence of diverse cultures and lifestyles. Canada is also one of the safest destinations for pursuing education.
Get Up to $100,000 Student Loan for Your Master in US or Canada – See if you are eligible
Before we get to the list of scholarships in Canada, let’s take a look at what you need to know to apply to study in Canada.
Read Also: Getting A Scholarship Or Fellowship: All You Need To Know
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Have you ever wanted to take your research or career to a new level and travel internationally for an extended period of time? Consider applying for an international fellowship in Canada. From three months to a year or more, and for students, researchers, or young professionals, the scholarships are intended to enrich their experience, understanding, and perspective of the world. And it is worth applying, especially if you have a truly international idea or want to take your academic career to everyone.
First, although a scholarship can be a fantastic opportunity, don’t apply for it just because it sounds fun or if you’re looking for something to take up your time. My friends who have sought scholarships without clear objectives have often felt apathetic when it came time to launch their projects.
Instead, do it because you know you will enjoy the opportunity, get something out of it, and work on it, which will allow you to promote your interests or improve professionally. To make sure it’s the right one, ask yourself: What will this experience offer me? What do I hope to learn and achieve? How will it affect my career when I return?
Many scholarships are based on your academic history but do not stress about that hard class of organic chemistry or that difficult semester of the second year. The selection committees are not interested in your grade point average (GPA); they are looking for you to confirm that you are responsible, have a good performance, and have reached a certain level. They are also often more interested in full candidates than in those with perfect qualifications.
If you are still worried, know that scholarships tend to publish your eligibility requirements well before the application deadline. While some require outstanding scores, others are much more flexible. For example, the Rhodes, Gates, and Truman scholarships are for those who excel in academic research and graduate work, while the Fulbright is for those who wish to enter the field (and Fulbright English Teaching Assists are for those who want to teach). You should be able to find something that fits well.
Your statement, essay responses, and portfolio allow you to show who you are and why you fit perfectly in this community, so think hard. Don’t be afraid to take risks, and don’t stick to a canned response of the kind you think the selection committee wants to read.
Think about what distinguishes you from the other candidates. Do you have experience with new companies that you want to build while learning about microfinance in India? Or maybe you are interested in public health and want to work in a clinic in the field. Let your request reflect who you are. Also, ask your mentors, advisors, and friends to give you their opinions. You will probably see common themes, and that is what you should play in your application.
One of the most important parts of your application is your project proposal. You must include the selection committee in your plan and explain how it will make it relevant to the real world.
Be realistic about your goals. How would you do your project? What would you consider a successful outcome? Also, understand the time constraints on the ground. Within the time frame of the scholarship, how much can you achieve? What contacts do you have in the area? What experience have you had doing similar jobs in the past?
Your goal is to show that you can do a great job if you are awarded this scholarship, and it will be helpful if you can show that you have already done the necessary background research and that you have the skills to do this.
Great recommendations are essential for its application. Make sure your recommendations are from people who have known you for at least a year and who can attest to who you are and what your strengths and successes are. I cannot tell you how many students I have been teaching for two weeks have asked me to write recommendations. I am always obliged to reject them since I cannot say anything meaningful about their work.
Furthermore, I recommend sitting down with your recommender to have a coffee to review why you want this scholarship and the strengths and abilities you would bring to the paper. And do this well in advance. It is very likely that their advisers will be flattered to be asked and will be able to share good advice, but they will need time to write a thoughtful recommendation.
During the scholarship interview, you can usually tell who received formal training and who did not. Those who have it are excellent at adhering to an approved script, but they are often ineffective in explaining why the community cares about them.
The lesson here is to be true to yourself and honest about what you want to achieve. If you only try to be the person you think the judges want you to be, they will see it well. Even if you don’t have all the “right” answers, if you can convey your passion for your project, you have a good chance of winning a space.
That said, there is no secret recipe to winning a scholarship. One of my former scholarship advisors suggests that it comes down to a combination of some factors: meeting what the committee is looking for (and how it fits with your goals), the soundness of your application, and, honestly, a bit of luck.
So don’t get caught trying to be perfect or fit into an imagined mold. Clearly define your goals, put your heart into the application, and you may be carrying out the project of your dreams.
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to brand Canada as a global center of excellence in research and higher learning. VCS supports students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies.
Application Deadline: 1st November
Value and Duration of Scholarship: $50,000 annually for three years.
Number of Scholarships: They give up to 167 scholarships annually.
Each year, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation rewards outstanding doctoral candidates who are enrolled or about to be enrolled in a social sciences and humanities program and who are doing research in areas related to the four themes of the foundation. This award, the most prestigious of its type in Canada, has continuously attracted the very best scholars in the social sciences and humanities, individuals with a passion for public engagement and who are likely to become leading national and international figures.
Application Deadline: Each participating university has a different deadline within the fall period for the submission of students’ applications.
Number of Scholarships: Several
Value of the Program:
Duration: For the period of the program
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation encourages research, reflection, and action in four areas important to Canadians: human rights and dignity, responsible citizenship, Canada’s role in the world, and people and their natural environment. The Foundation works through four programs: it grants doctoral scholarships, awards fellowships to distinguished academics, appoints mentors, and holds public conferences.
Application Deadline: 4th December
Number of Awardees: 5
Value of Fellowship:
The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country’s economic, social, and research-based growth. Fellowships are distributed equally among the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Application Deadline: 20th September
Number of awards: 70 fellowships are awarded annually
Value of Program: $70,000 per year (taxable)
Duration of Program: 2 years (non-renewable)
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) award recipients will undertake a one-year paid program of research on the topic they have submitted and will receive hands-on experience in research management, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective.
Application Deadline: 6th September
Eligibility: Open to Canadians, permanent residents of Canada, and citizens of developing countries pursuing a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university OR who have completed a master’s or a doctoral degree at a recognized university. Eligibility criteria differ for each location (see link below).
Number of Awards: 13
Value of the Program:
Duration of Program: 12 months
Since 1975, Ontario, in partnership with Ontario’s publicly-assisted universities, has encouraged excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels through the awarding of Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). OGS awards are merit–based scholarships available to students in all disciplines of academic study. Note that the Province of Ontario and Ontario universities jointly fund the OGS program. Additionally, the Province of Ontario contributes two-thirds of the value of the award and the university provides one-third.
Application Deadlines: 1st December (Masters), 17th October (Doctoral)
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of Award: $15,000 per year for a one-year maximum
Mitacs Elevate is a postdoctoral fellowship with a customized research management training component. Fellows address complex challenges through:
Elevate fellows progress through the program in a cohort, giving them cross-disciplinary networking and peer-learning opportunities they might not have otherwise in their careers.
Application Deadline: January 24
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of the Award:
Duration of Program: 2 years
Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC. The primary purpose is to support advanced education and research at five Canadian universities and the Canada Council for the Arts. The UBC Killam Doctoral Scholarships are provided annually by the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies.
Application Deadline: September 18
Number of Awardees: Approximately 15-20 awards
Value of the Program: $30,000 per annum and a $2,000 allowance for research-related travel during the 24 months of the scholarship.
Duration of Scholarship: Two years
The Faculty of Graduate Studies offers scholarships to recognize and reward the excellence of international graduate students pursuing Master’s or Ph.D. degrees at the University of Manitoba.
Application Deadline: 1st March
Value of the Program: Scholarships will first be applied against tuition fees.
Mitacs Elevate is a postdoctoral fellowship with a customized research management training component. Fellows address complex challenges through:
Elevate fellows progress through the program in a cohort, giving them cross-disciplinary networking and peer-learning opportunities they might not have otherwise in their careers.
Application Deadline: January 24
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of the Award:
Duration of Program: 2 years
The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Recruitment Scholarships attract the best and brightest students to the University of Alberta. The purpose of this scholarship is to recruit superior students at the doctoral level who have the potential to contribute to the University of Alberta’s community and research.
Application Deadline: 1st November for 1st January start date
Number of Awardees: Each department is assigned an allocation. Note that individual graduate departments are responsible for selecting nominees based on eligibility criteria and allocations.
Value of the Program: Scholarships will be offered in increments of $5,000.
Duration of Scholarship: The department may decide how many increments of $5,000 to offer a student.
The University of British Columbia, Canada is pleased to partner with The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program to provide comprehensive scholarships to students from Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the program provides access to education for academically talented, yet economically marginalized young people. More than 77 students from Africa will receive comprehensive undergraduate scholarships to live and learn at the University of British Columbia thanks to a $25 million grant from the MasterCard Foundation.
Application Deadline: 15th November
Number of Scholarships: 77 students over the next 10 years
Value of the Program: Selected students will receive a scholarship equivalent to the costs related to attaining a degree, including travel, tuition, textbooks, housing, food, and living expenses. You will also receive financial, academic, social, and post-graduation support which will enable you to build experiences and competencies critical for academic success.
Duration of Scholarship: Full period of study
The Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government Laboratories (VF) Program provides promising emerging scientists and engineers with the opportunity to work with research groups or leaders in Canadian government laboratories and research institutions. Additionally, fellowships are awarded for one year with the possibility of renewal for a second and third year, at the discretion of the government department concerned.
Application Deadline: January 9
Number of Awardees: The number of awards varies according to the budgets of participating departments and agencies.
Value of Award: $53,077 per year
Duration of Program: one year, renewable for up to two more years
The Association of Commonwealth Universities invites applications for a 6-month fellowship to be taken at the University of Manitoba, Canada. The fellowship can be used for either a collaborative academic research visit or a collaborative fact-finding visit.
Application Deadline: 6th May
Eligibility: Applicants must be professional or academic staff of, or a nominee of, an ACU member university in a country other than Canada (external nominees should be working in industry, commerce, or public service in a Commonwealth country).
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of Award: Up to £5000 and intended to cover: international economy return airfare and other travel costs, medical insurance and visa fees, board and lodging fees, and research costs
Duration of Program: The tenure of the fellowship must be for less than six months.
The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) program will ensure UBC’s best Ph.D., DMA, and MDPhD students are provided with financial support for up to four years of their Doctoral studies. Additionally, this program allows UBC to continue to attract and support outstanding domestic and international Doctoral students and provide those students with stable, base-level funding for their Doctoral studies and research.
Application Deadline: There is no application deadline
Number of Awardees: Not specified
Value of the Program: $18,200 per year plus tuition for up to four years of their doctoral studies.
The UBC Faculty of Forestry’s Future Forests Fellowship aims to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies.
Application Deadline: November 24
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of Award: CAD 70,000 annually for up to four years. Note that the fellowship is intended to cover all expenses incurred in the preparation and conduct of research.
Duration of Program: 4 years
The Arts & Science Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed to provide outstanding recent doctoral students with advanced training in their field of study. These fellowships are not discipline-specific but instead can be held in any department or research unit across the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto. Note that applicants must secure the sponsorship of a supervisor, or supervisors, from the professoriate within the Faculty of Arts and Science.
Application Deadline: 6th December
Number of Awardees: Not specified
Value of the Program: These fellowships pay a stipend of $45,000 per year
Duration of Scholarship: Maximum of two years
Microsoft Research is on the lookout for exceptional students in computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics, as well as interdisciplinary studies, to apply for the two-year Ph.D. fellowship program. The Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship Program has supported 122 fellows since the program was established in 2008, many of whom have gone on to work within the Microsoft Research organization. Others have gone on to perform pioneering research elsewhere within the technology industry or accept faculty appointments at leading universities.
Application Deadline: October 16th Awardees: A maximum of three applicants per eligible department and per eligible university will be accepted. A total of nine applications per university will be allowed.
Value of Fellowship:
Duration of Fellowship: 2 years
The fellowships are to support international students showing outstanding leadership in humanitarian and development work in their home country. Graduate Global Leadership Fellowships thus open the way to world-class graduate education for emerging scholars from countries with developing educational systems.
Application Deadline: 6th April
Number of Awardees: 2
Value and Duration of Fellowship: $18,200 per year plus four-year tuition.
The Open Society Disability Rights Scholarship Program provides awards for master’s degree study to disability rights advocates, lawyers, and educators to develop new legislation, jurisprudence, policy, research, and scholarship to harness the innovations and opportunities offered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Application Deadline: 1st December,
Eligible African Countries: Ghana, Mozambique, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
Value of the Program: The fellowship provides:
Duration of Scholarship: 1 year
Do you want to study abroad? Note that obtaining a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in this field helps to improve your chances in the labor market. Studying abroad is no joke for international students due to the cost. However, you can achieve your dreams without breaking the bank by applying for student loans, which you can pay for as long as 10 years.
MPower Finance and Prodigy Finance are some of the best student loan providers for international students. They also do not require a cosigner or collateral before an application. At EdXtra Associates, we can help you with your loan application process. We also provide educational consulting services for international students to help make their journey easier and faster. You can reach out to us, as we’d love to guide you through this journey.
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We interviewed Multi-Scholarship Award winners and put everything we learned into this book.