Student Deadline to Graduate Unit: March 15, 2024 at 5PM
Value/Duration: $5,000 per session for 2 or 3 consecutive sessions
Level of study: Master’s or Doctoral
Required Legal Status: International (valid study permit)
Results: May 2024

Purpose

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.

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) allocated 22 OGS awards to the University for International students this year. Accordingly, each graduate unit will receive a quota, ranging from 1-3 applications to be submitted to and adjudicated centrally by SGS.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Hold a valid study permit effective as of the graduate units’ OGS (international) application deadline; COVID-19 exception: Currently registered international graduate students who have not yet been able to obtain a study permit due to COVID-19 circumstances are eligible to apply. However, these applicants must have a valid study permit in order to hold the award;
  • Be registered or intend to register in an eligible program on a full-time basis in 2024-2025;
  • 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 support available for their current level of study (see SGS website under maximum support); 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 competed two years 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.
    • NEW: 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.

To be eligible to hold the OGS, 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 term, will be required to repay any funds received for the incomplete term;
  • 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; and
  • Cannot hold an OGS award in the same session (overlapping) or from the same award year as an Ontario Trillium Scholarship, Vanier CGS, or another OGS.

The eligibility criteria provided above are the minimum requirements only. Graduate units may impose additional criteria to apply, receive, or hold an OGS. Please carefully review the information outlined by your graduate unit, and inquire if necessary, regarding any additional requirements or conditions to those listed here.

Application Process

Applicants must submit an OGS application to their proposed graduate unit using the U of T OGS Online Application, accessible through the SGS OGS webpage.

Each graduate unit will have their own internal submission deadline to which applicants must adhere. Applicants should verify the graduate unit application deadline and review the U of T OGS Application Instructions prior to starting an OGS application.

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 International 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.

OGS applicants who wish to be considered for other awards that also use the OGS application for their selection process must select “Yes” on the OGS application form’s “Awards and Financial Aid” page to give permission to the proposed graduate unit and SGS to use your OGS application for other award competitions, if available.

Results

Graduate units will update their internal competition results on the OGS application system, viewable by applicants in late-April 2024. Official award offers from the SGS centralized competition will be sent out by SGS in late-May 2024.

Contacts & Resources

For more information, visit the SGS OGS webpage

Please direct questions regarding the OGS competition or nomination process to awards.dlsph@utoronto.ca

Questions regarding the administration of the award at SGS and technical support for the application may be directed to:

Debbie Chau, Graduate Awards Officer
Graduate Awards Office
School of Graduate Studies
debbie.chau@utoronto.ca