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NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) and Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS)

($17,500 & $17,300 per annum)

Are you planning to pursue a graduate degree in the natural sciences or engineering? If so, consider applying for the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program: Master's Award worth $17,500. Applicants are also considered for the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) worth $17,300.

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) and NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS) provide financial support to high-caliber scholars who are engaged in master's or doctoral programs in the natural sciences or engineering. The CGS will be offered to the top-ranked applicants at each level (master’s and doctoral) and the next tier of meritorious applicants will be offered an NSERC PGS. This support allows these scholars to fully concentrate on their studies and seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields. NSERC encourages interested and qualified Aboriginal students to apply. NSERC PGS Program

 

VIU Internal Application Deadline

Which Students are Eligible for Scholarship Support?

How to Apply

Resources

Review Procedures & Selection Process

Questions or Concerns

VIU Internal Application Deadline

Students are to submit their applications electronically through NSERC's On-line System by TBD*. See How to Apply for further instructions regarding the application process.

*This deadline applies to you if:

  • You are currently registered in a degree program at VIU (or were registered at during the year of application);
  • You are on an approved leave of absence from VIU;
  • You are not currently registered at a university and you graduated from a degree program at VIU during the year of application (January to December 2011);

All other applicants are to apply directly to NSERC by October 15, 2011.

Which Students are Eligible for Scholarship Support?

To be considered eligible for support, as of the application deadline date, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
  • hold, or expect to hold (at the time you take up the award), a degree in science or engineering from a university whose standing is recognized by NSERC (if you have a degree in a field other than science or engineering, NSERC may accept your application at its discretion);
  • intend to pursue, in the following year, full-time graduate studies and research at the master's or doctoral level in an eligible program (see Eligibility Criteria) in one of the areas of the natural sciences and engineering supported by NSERC; and
  • have obtained a first-class average (a grade of "A-" GPA 3.67) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).

Note: You may submit only one application per year to one granting agency (NSERC or the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [CIHR] or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [SSHRC]).

To review eligibility of proposed application for NSERC PGS go to: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/BellandPostgrad-BelletSuperieures_eng.asp .

How to Apply

To apply follow the instructions below:

  1. Read through the NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships and NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships web page.
  2. For additional assistance see the available Resources below in the next section.
  3. Print and read the the Application for a Postgraduate Scholarship - instructions for completing FORM 201.
  4. To start your application login to NSERC's On-line System. If you have not already used the On-line System you must register as a new user and read the instructions.
  5. Once you are in the system you will start at the eConsole. Under Forms Management select Forms-Students, then select Form 201. Read through each section on the left navigation and fill in the appropriate fields (Refer to the Form 201 Instructions for assistance ).
    • Important Information to know When Completing the On-line Application:
      • Application Profile: under "Which of the following applies to your current status?"; If you selected c) or d), choose Vancouver Island University from the University List and Department.
      • Personal Profile: Ensure that you provide NSERC with an active e-mail account. Do not use your VIU e-mail account as this will be de-activated once you have graduated.
      • Awards: Be sure to list all competitive scholarships and awards based on your academic or research excellence and/or leadership or communication abilities.
      • Location of Tenure: It is highly recommended that you list 3 proposed institutions and supervisors.
      • S & F Information: "If you answered yes to the previous question, do you still want to be considered for an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship and an André Hamer Postgraduate Prize, both of which are tenable only in Canada?" Indicate YES. If you choose no, then you will only be considered for the Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS) worth $17,300 as apposed to the Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) worth $17,500. If you choose to take your scholarship overseas and you were awarded a CGS then NSERC would downgrade your award to a PGS based on their regulations. Plus, it is more meritorious to indicate on your CV that you were awarded a CGS and turned it down to for a PGS to complete your graduate studies at a foreign university.
      • Proposed Research: When uploading your research proposal check your margins and font size, all attached documents should follow the NSERC On-Line Presentation and Attachment Standards. If your proposal is outside of the specified margins your application will not be legible by NSERC and therefore, could be discarded from the national competition. These standards also apply to the Contributions page and the Special Circumstances page.
      • Transcripts University: The university designate is Kathryn Jepson. Kathryn will obtain an electronic copy of your VIU transcript and upload this to on-line system. If you have transcripts from other universities, official transcripts should be obtained and handed in to Kathryn Jepson at the Research Office, building 305 room 446 by 4:00 p.m. on November 3, 2011.
      • Reports on the Applicant: It is your responsibility to seek out 2 references. The reports must be completed by persons capable of making informed assessment.
        • One report should be from a person very familiar with your research and other abilities, e.g., current academic research supervisor or industrial supervisor (in the case of co-op students); previous academic research, industrial or USRA supervisor.
        • The second report should be from a person sufficiently familiar with your research and other abilities to provide a meaningful commentary.
        • The Report on the Applicant cannot be completed by a proposed supervisor unless that person is, or has been, your supervisor.
        • Here is an excellent resource from Carleton University for you to read before you ask a referee to write a report for you: http://www.dehne.carleton.ca/teaching/advice-for-writing-nserc-scholarship-applications/advice.pdf. This document outlines some preliminary advice so that you may 'fine tune' your application before you send it to your referees. You could also provide this document to your referees to use as a guide when writing their reports.
  6. Applicants are encouraged to seek out advice from faculty members in the preparation of their application (e.g. It is advisable to seek editorial help and direction when preparing the outline of your proposed research and justification of place of tenure). It is also advisable to contact potential graduate supervisors before submitting your application as this will aid in the justification of tenure. Again, faculty mentors can be of great help in suggesting potential supervisors and institutions in which to conduct your graduate work.
  7. When you are satisfied that your application is complete go back to the MY Portfolio page, select Verify then Submit.

Resources


Review Procedures & Selection Process

Your application will be reviewed by VIU's NSERC Awards Selection Committee. If your application is chosen to compete in the national competition then you will be notified via e-mail by Kathryn Jepson. The Committee might make suggested revisions to improve your application; If applicable, you will have a short period of time to make these revisions before your application is forwarded to NSERC by November 25, 2011.

For instructions on how your application will be reviewed see the Review Procedures and Selection Criteria sections on the NSERC PGS program web page.

If your application is forwarded to NSERC, recipients selected to receive a scholarship will be notified by NSERC in mid March.

Questions or Concerns

For additional help or advice, please contact Kathryn Jepson, Research Awards Facilitator.