LFS Undergraduate Blog

The Fall 2015 Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGSM) application is available on the Tri-Agency portal
(http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/cgsm-bescm_eng.asp )

The deadline across Canada for applications is 5pm Pacific Standard Time, 1 December, 2015. After this time, the research portal will close, and there will be no opportunity to re-open the application. This is the deadline for all application materials, including reference letters. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that their references are submitted on time.

Please note that when identifying UBC as your institution, the official name is “The University of British Columbia”.

For any LFS Master’s level student who plans to apply for CGSM or Affiliated Fellowships – please check your eligibility before submitting an application.  The GPA required is a 1^st class standing in EACH of the last 2 years of full time study. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lia Dragan (Graduate Programs Office, LFS) at lfs.gradapp@ubc.ca.

If you plan on submitting a CGSM or an Affiliated Fellowship application, please let me know by Friday, November 27th at the latest so that I can prepare your transcripts in advance.  It is your responsibility to ensure any required transcript is received by the LFS Graduate Office by December 1^st.

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
• 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 at a Canadian institution with a CGS M allocation. Note: Applicants who are not currently enrolled in their intended graduate program must submit an application for admission by the deadline for their intended graduate program or by March 15, whichever comes first;
• have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application, between zero and 12 months of full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in:

• the master’s program for which you are requesting funding; or
• the direct-entry doctoral program for which you are requesting funding; or
• the combined master’s-doctoral program for which you are requesting funding; or
• a master’s program that was or will be fast-tracked to a doctoral program, and you are requesting funding for the first 12 months of this doctoral program; and

• not have previously held a CGS M;
• have achieved a first-class average in EACH of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent); and
• submit a maximum of one scholarship application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC (the Research Portal will allow the application to be submitted to up to five institutions – refer to Application Procedures).

Applicants are not eligible to receive or accept a CGS M offer from an institution where they are not currently enrolled in, nor have applied for admission to, an eligible program of study.

Common Questions and Answers:

Q – Do I have to upload all of my undergraduate transcripts?
A – Yes, all post-secondary transcripts must be included, even if no degree was obtained or sought at a particular university (e.g. transfer or exchange credits).

Q – Can I upload a web transcript?
A – No. All uploaded transcripts must be official (originally issued by the registrar).

Q – What if I do not have a first-class average as determined by my current/previous institution(s) in each of my last two years of full-time study?
A – Your graduate program may consider forwarding your application to the university-level competition as an exceptional case, but this award opportunity is highly competitive, and they must be able to put forward a strong justification for why you should be considered despite not meeting the first-class average criterion.

Instructions for completing a CGSM application (including transcript requirements) are available online
(http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ResearchPortal-PortailDeRecherche/Instructions-Instructions/CGS_M-BESC_M_eng.asp ).