Graduate Scholarships

· Students who wish to be considered for the Dalhousie 1-Year Master’s and NSGS-M awards must complete the Faculty of Health Master’s scholarship application form above.

· Use the application form to determine what materials you will need to submit, including letters, based on whether or not you applied to the most recent federal CGRS-M competition.

· The Faculty’s Master’s scholarship application involves the following major components, identical to those required in the CGRS-M competition:

1.      Proposal title and lay summary

2.      Sex and or gender-based considerations response

3.      Outline of Proposed Research

4.      Transcripts

5.      Canadian Common CV (CGRS-Masters version)

6.      Two Reference Assessments (“letters”)

7.      Special Circumstances (optional)

· Master’s students applying to the CGRS-M competition are required to continue applying through the federal CGRS-M program and associated application portal to be considered for that specific scholarship (annual deadline: December 1). Students who do not submit through this federal platform cannot be considered for a CGRS-M award. Tips on preparing a competitive CGRS-M application are available here [PDF].

· Students who wish to be considered for the DRES, Killam-D, and NSGS-D awards must complete the Faculty of Health doctoral scholarship application form above.

· Use the application form to determine what materials you will need to submit, including letters, based on whether or not you applied to the most recent federal CGRS-D competition.

· The Faculty’s doctoral scholarship application involves the following major components, identical to those required in the CGRS-D competition (by agency):

CIHR:

1.      Proposal title and lay summary

2.      Sex and or gender-based analysis response

3.      Research Project Summary

4.      Training Expectations

5.      Transcripts

6.      CIHR Academic CCV

7.      Two Sponsor/Reference Letters (“letters”)

8.      Special Circumstances (optional)

9.      Publication list (optional)

SSHRC:

1.      Proposal title and lay summary

2.      Diversity considerations response

3.      Research Proposal

4.      Bibliography and Citations (optional)

5.      Research Contributions, Relevant Experience, and Activities

6.      Transcripts

7.      SSHRC Online CV

8.      Two Letters of Appraisal (“letters”)

9.      Allowed Inclusions (optional)

NSERC:

1.      Proposal title and lay summary

2.      Equity, diversity, and inclusion response

3.      Outline of Proposed Research

4.      Bibliography (optional)

5.      Contributions and Statements (and Technology Transfer Letter, if applicable)

6.      Applicant information (Academic Background; Academic, Research, or Other Relevant Work Experiences; Scholarships and Other Awards Offered; Theses Completed or In Progress)

7.      Summary of Most Recent Thesis

8.      Transcripts

9.      Two Reference (“letters”)

10.  Special Circumstances (optional)

· Current doctoral students as well as prospective doctoral students who have applied to a program in the Faculty of Health may contact their program’s administrator to receive a tips document on preparing a competitive CGRS-D application.

Best Practices and Limiting Unconscious Biases

The following represents a compilation of best-practice instructions provided by the Tri-Agencies to letter writers in the context of the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship program:

· Be accurate, fair, clear and balanced.

· Attempt to make use of all available space in the provided text box.

· Avoid being unduly personal.

· Support your points by providing specific examples of accomplishments where possible.

· Use superlative descriptors (e.g., excellent, outstanding) judiciously and support them with evidence.

· Include only information that is relevant to the selection criteria.

· Do not include links that refer to external sources.

· Avoid sharing personal information about the applicant, for example information related to ethnicity, age, hobbies, marital status, religion, disability status, financial need, etc. Such information may be helpful only in explaining academic delays or interruptions and should be addressed with caution.

· Avoid sharing personal information about any others that is not public information.

· The use of inclusive language is encouraged (e.g. “the applicant” or “they” instead of gendered pronouns such as “he/she”). This separates your assessment of the applicant from perceptions, presumptions or unconscious bias related to their race, ethnicity, nationality and/or gender.

· Letters should be free from words or sentences that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped or discriminatory language of particular people or groups, or their institution.

Letter Content – Masters Scholarships

Application instructions as well as selection criteria used in the Faculty of Health Master’s scholarship competition mirror those used in the federal CGRS-M program. For the purposes of the Faculty of Health Masters scholarship competition, “reference assessments” are referred to simply as “letters”. Please review the CGRS-M program’s selection criteria to ensure that your letter for the Faculty of Health scholarship competition highlights content and indicators that are most relevant.

Your letter will be collected via a form with three fillable text boxes (2,400 characters including spaces per box) and percentage rating selections, corresponding with the three selection criteria (Academic Excellence; Research Potential; Personal Characteristics and Interpersonal Skills).

Letter Content – Doctoral Scholarships

Application instructions as well as selection criteria used in the Faculty of Health doctoral scholarship competition mirror those used in the federal CGRS-D program. While the federal Tri-

Agencies (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) use harmonized evaluation criteria for the CGRS-D program, the language used by each respective agency in their CGRS-D application instructions varies slightly, as does the material required in student applications. For the purposes of the Faculty of Health doctoral scholarship competition, “letters of reference” (NSERC), “sponsor assessments” (CIHR), and “letters of appraisal” (SSHRC) are referred to simply as “letters”. Please review the CGRS-D program’s selection criteria to ensure that your letter for the Faculty of Health scholarship competition highlights content and indicators that are most relevant.

Your letter will be collected via a form with a fillable text box (3,700 characters including spaces). It is suggested that you formulate your submission in two sections to address the two equally weighted selection criteria (Research Potential; Relevant Experience and Achievements Obtained Within and Beyond Academia).

Frequently Asked Questions

All applicants

1. I am enrolled in or have applied to a program at Dalhousie but not in the Faculty of Health, can I apply to the Faculty’s competition?

Answer: No, only students who are currently enrolled in or have applied to join a Faculty of Health Masters and doctoral thesis-based or thesis-stream program are eligible to apply to this competition.

2. Do I need to request official transcripts from Dalhousie for the Faculty’s scholarship competition if I am current/recent Dal student?

Answer: No, you may use a copy of your DalOnline Academic Record. You are required to provide official transcripts from all other institutions in your academic history. If you are a current Dal Masters or doctoral student, contact to your program’s administrator to request copies of transcripts submitted for your admissions application to Dalhousie. If for any reason these copies of record cannot be provided, you will need to request official transcripts from your prior institutions for your Faculty scholarship application.

3. Will my application be sent to any external reviewers?

Answer: No, all application materials are reviewed within the Faculty of Health and do not involve any external review.

Master’s scholarships applicants

4. Do I need to submit an application through the federal CGRS-M portal to be considered for a CGRS-M award in the Faculty of Health?

Answer: Yes, if you do not submit through the federal portal then you cannot be considered for a CGRS-M award at Dalhousie, in the Faculty of Health or in any other Faculty.

5. I applied to the CGRS-M competition through the federal application portal and listed Dalhousie as my proposed host organisation, do I still need to submit anything to the Faculty of Health to be considered for other scholarships?

Answer: Yes, to be considered for all other Masters scholarships in the Faculty (NSGS-M, Dalhousie 1-Year Masters) you will need to submit a very brief form indicating the alignment of your research with Nova Scotia priorities. You will not need to resubmit your CGRS-M applications materials, or reference letters.

6. I did not apply to the CGRS-M competition/I did not name Dalhousie as a proposed host organisation on my CGRS-M application, can I still apply for the Faculty of Health’s competition for other scholarships?

Answer: Yes, to be considered for all other Masters scholarships in the Faculty (NSGS-M, Dalhousie 1-Year Masters) you must submit a Faculty scholarship application and will be

requires to secure two (2) reference letters. Your application materials will be identical to those required in a CGRS-M application and will be submitted via a fillable form.

7. I am currently enrolled as a thesis-based Master’s student in the Faculty of Health, am I eligible to apply for the NSGS-M?

Answer: No, the NSGS-M is an entrance scholarship. You must not have started your Master’s degree by Dec 31st of the competition year.

Doctoral scholarships applicants

8. Do I apply to this competition to be considered for a CGRS-D award?

Answer: No, this competition does not administer CGRS-D awards, however, this competition’s application guidelines and adjudication criteria for doctoral scholarships closely mirror those of the CGRS-D program. To be considered for a CGRS-D award you must apply through the federal program and its associated application portal (annual deadline: approx. October 15).

9. I did not apply to the CGRS-D competition, am I still eligible to apply to the Faculty’s scholarship competition?

Answer: Applying to the CGRS-D competition is not a prerequisite of the Faculty’s scholarship competition. Consult eligibility information on the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ doctoral scholarships webpages to determine if you are eligible to be considered for the Killam-D, DRES, or NSGS-D. Students who are in their 4th year of doctoral studies are generally not eligible for any scholarships administered through the Faculty’s competition.

10. I am already enrolled as a PhD student in the Faculty of Health, am I eligible to apply for the NSGS-D or the DRES?

Answer: No, both scholarships are entrance scholarships. For the NSGS-D, you must not have started your doctoral degree before Dec 31st of the competition year. For the DRES, your program start date must be between January 2026-January 2027 to be eligible.

11. The CGRS-D program’s eligibility was recently expanded to allow students to allow doctoral students to apply in their 3rd year of study, so has the eligibility for the NSGS-D, Killam-D, or DRES scholarships also been changed?

Answer: No, these Faculty scholarships have different eligibility requirements. Consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ doctoral scholarships webpages to determine your eligibility for the NSGS-D, Killam-D, and DRES.

12. I applied to the CGRS-D competition through Dalhousie, will I need to resubmit my CGRS-D materials to the Faculty to be considered for Faculty scholarships (e.g., Killam-D, DRES, NSGS-D)?

Answer: No, you will not need to resubmit materials, nor will your reference letter writer, because Dalhousie already has access to your submitted application. You will however need to complete a brief application form to provide details on the alignment of your

research with Nova Scotia priorities, to be considered for NSGS-D scholarships in the Faculty of Health. If you do not submit this alignment information, you cannot be considered for those scholarships.

13. I applied to the CGRS-D competition through another institution, will I need to resubmit my CGRS-D materials to the Faculty to be considered for Faculty scholarships (e.g., Killam-D, DRES, NSGS-D)?

Answer: Yes, because Dalhousie does not have access to your submitted CGRS-D application or its supporting reference letters. The Faculty scholarship application form that you complete will require you to submit your CGRS-D application materials as attachments, following the exact guidelines of the CGRS-D program. Your reference letter writers (2) will also need to submit their letters to the Faculty, via a submission form.

14. I applied to the CGRS-D competition directly to the funding agency, will I need to resubmit my CGRS-D materials to the Faculty to be considered for Faculty scholarships (e.g., Killam-D, DRES, NSGS-D)?

Answer: Yes, see response immediately above.

15. Does the Faculty’s competition also include the African Nova Scotian Graduate Scholarship or Indigenous Graduate Scholarship?

Answer: No, these scholarships are handled through a competition run by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS). See the FGS doctoral scholarship webpages for more information, including eligibility and applicable deadlines.