University of Toronto, Ontario Graduate Scholarship 2023/2024

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 2023/2024

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) is a study financial aid for Doctoral and Masters students. This scholarship program has two main sponsors: the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto. Each year, 3,000 scholarships are awarded. However, this is a merit-based scholarship, therefore your academic standing plays a huge role in your chances of being awarded. The OGS scholarship is given to universities with a definite number each of them is allowed to offer to their scholars each year. Therefore, the number of OGS quotas each faculty is given is dependent on the total eligible applications from the previous year. Students from all disciplines of academic study always strive to be a recipient because there are limited slots.

How much is the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) scholarship worth?

This is not a fully funded scholarship. The scholarship recipients are awarded $5,000 for each session. In other words, the student will receive $10,000, while $15,000 will be given for three consecutive sessions. Overall, for any number of sessions awarded, the graduate unit granting the award is mandated to cover one-third of the total award amount for the students.

Any scholarship awarded is for one year which means two consecutive or three academic sessions. The amount and specific duration of the scholarship depends on the detail in the offer letter and the graduate unit.

Eligibility Requirements for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

Here are the requirements for the applicants:

Every applicant must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person according to subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada). International students who intend to go to school at the University of Toronto also qualify for the OGS. These are students who have a student study permit. However, all international students should confirm the scholarship award they qualify for. Please note, the study permit of the international students must be valid and effective by the time of the application deadline.
Applicants must be registered or intend to register as a full-time student in one of the eligible programs in 2023-2024. What do each of these terms mean? An eligible program refers to any full-time program that has two or three terms at the University of Toronto. However, only the graduate unit can determine an eligible program. Therefore, before you apply for any program, research the intended faculty to ascertain if they are eligible and have been given a quote to participate in the Ontario Graduate Scholarship competition.
The student must still be eligible to receive government-funded support or maximum OGS/QEII for their current level of study. If you have been a recipient of any government-funded support, do research to be sure that you have not exceeded the lifetime maximum support allocated to each student.
Remember, this is a merit-based scholarship, so your academic and/or extracurricular achievements are a very important determinant of your eligibility. You must have scored a minimum of A- or its equivalent in both completed years of study, which is equivalent to full-time. However, if at the time of application, you have completed at least two years or more of your studies, then your overall average should be at least an A- for all the courses completed.

Eligibility Requirements to Hold an OGS Award

The journey doesn’t end in being awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship; the recipient has to fulfill certain requirements to hold the award. These requirements are:

The student must be registered and enrolled in one of the eligible programs at the University of Toronto as a full-time student.
Any student who did not complete the mandated full session before their award ended must repay the amount they have received for the incomplete session. The reason for the incomplete award session may be withdrawal, transferring from full-time to part-time, or completing their degree requirements.
Every scholarship recipient must have a good record with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). This is having a record that shows a good credit score. Any student who has defaulted on their loan payment in any way cannot receive this award. However, studies that have OSAP restrictions can still apply for the scholarship but if they are awarded, they must ensure the restriction is cleared in 30 days.
Any extracurricular activities or commitments such as research assistantships, paid employment, or part-time teaching positions, must not affect your full-time status as a student. So, all these must be part-time.
If you have a current scholarship from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, QEII-GSST, or another OGS, you cannot be a beneficiary of the OGS award in the same session.

The Scholarship Application Process

The process of applying for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship is quite straightforward. First is to read and review the application instructions for proper guidance and to familiarize yourself with the rules. This way, you would not be disqualified. All applicants are required to submit their application to their proposed faculty or graduate unit through the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies centralized online OGS application. Ensure you research the internal submission deadline of your intended graduate unit so you will not be late. After the submission of your application, the graduate unit you applied to will review it and decide if you will be awarded or not.

Every applicant is required to have an OGS application form, transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, and previous awards/publications/conference/research experience. You must also have a detailed plan of study which must not exceed 2 pages. 1 page will be for the Plan of Study, while 1 page is for references/citations). Also, you need to provide two academic references.

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