Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

Value and Duration

The OGS is valued at $10,000 or $15,000 for up to one year, paid at $5,000 per term for two (2) or three (3) consecutive terms, depending on the program. Recipients must hold the award for a minimum of two consecutive terms. No backdated leave of absence (LOA) requests will be considered.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) at the time of the application deadline; International students who are studying in Ontario with a study permit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) at the time of application are eligible to apply for the allotted OGS international student awards
• Applicants must have a 10.0 GPA (A-) in each of their last two years of full-time study
• Applicants must be enrolled full-time or intend to be enrolled full-time in a graduate program at Carleton University in the 2027-28 academic year. Students documented with the Paul Menton Centre with a permanent, persistent, or prolonged disability may study part-time
• Applicants who are in or will be going into an extension term in the graduate program for which they are requesting funding are not eligible to hold an OGS
• Applicants cannot be in default on any Canadian government-sponsored loan
• Applicants cannot hold an OGS award concurrently with a scholarship from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, QEII-GSST, another OGS, or any other award that overlaps within the same award year. In addition, students may not hold or receive payments from two OGS awards from consecutive competition years during the same academic term
• Applicants cannot exceed the following Maximum Support Limits:
  • Master’s students can receive an OGS award for a maximum of two (2) academic years
  • PhD students can receive an OGS award for a maximum of four (4) academic years
  • All students cannot exceed a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded graduate awards. This includes the following programs:
    • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR); Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS); Ontario Trillium Scholarship (OTS); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST); Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)
  • Both program maximums and lifetime maximum must be followed

Deadline

Applications open on August 26, 2026 and close on November 16, 2026 at 11:59 EST. Late applications will not be accepted. Both online and PDF applications share the same deadline. Ensure you allow enough time to submit your application prior to the deadline. The referee deadline is December 2, 2026 at 11:59 EST.

Application Process

• All students who have MC1 credentials and can access Carleton Central should be using the online application, available through Carleton Central. If you have applied to Carleton in the past but never attended, or you have graduated and are planning to come back and have MCI credentials, please log into Carleton Central and use the online form. You must complete the online application (found in Carleton Central under Awards and Financial Assistance, Graduate Online Application Forms) and upload the requested documents by the application deadline. If there are any issues uploading documents, please email graduate.awards@carleton.ca.
• All other external applicants should fill out the OGS application in PDF format, available below. Your complete OGS application package, including all forms and supporting documentation, must be submitted to the Graduate Administrator in the department you applied to at Carleton by the application deadline.
• *NEW* Request one Reference (academic reference is preferred): Reach out to potential referees well in advance. Once they have agreed, ensure their name and contact information are correctly entered in your application. Once your application is submitted online, your referee will be notified by email that you have listed them as a reference and they will be provided a link to complete their assessment. If completing the PDF format application, applicants must contact their referee and request they complete the Academic Assessment form, found below. The completed assessment must be submitted directly to the Graduate Administrator by the referee, preferably from an official institutional email address. All referees will have until December 2 to complete their assessments. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their referee assessment is submitted by the deadline.
• Get Transcripts: Transcripts are a mandatory requirement to demonstrate eligibility and are carefully reviewed by selection committees. Applications that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.
  • Requirement: Up-to-date official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate studies must be included in your application. This is a requirement for all applicants, including those who have applied previously.
    • Exception: currently registered Carleton University students may submit up-to-date unofficial Carleton University transcripts. More information on obtaining an unofficial Carleton University transcripts can be found here. All other external documentation must be submitted, including official transcripts. Academic audit documents are not acceptable.
  • Definition of “Up-to-date”: Applicants must provide official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies, including transcripts for the fall semester of the year of application, and those issued after the last term completed (if not currently registered). Eg. if you registered in Fall 2026, include a copy of your current transcript.
  • Definition of “Official”: Transcripts must be issued by the institution’s Registrar’s Office. Printouts from student accounts are not accepted. Some institutions offer official electronic transcripts that are sent directly from the Registrar’s Office, these are considered official. Please check with each institution (outside of Carleton University) to confirm availability and processing timelines, ensuring receipt and upload in advance of application deadline.
  • Transfer Credits: If transfer credits appear without grades, you must include the original transcript from the institution where the courses were taken (including exchange programs).
  • Translations: Transcripts not in English or French must be accompanied by a certified translation.
  • Submission Format:
    • Scan official paper transcripts into a single unprotected PDF (see Application Resources below).
    • You must include one copy of the legend (per transcript), including for Carleton University transcripts.
    • Opening and scanning a sealed transcript does not make it unofficial.
    • Ensure transcripts are complete, legible, and meet formatting requirements, especially if security features may affect readability.
  • Retention: Keep paper copies of all uploaded transcripts. You may be asked to provide them for verification.
• Citizenship Document (Required):
  • Domestic applicants: approved Canadian documents include; birth certificate, passport, permanent residency card, etc. (include all sides, key parts/information of document)
  • International applicants: please upload your Canadian study permit
• Submit Your Completed Application: Applicants with MC1 credentials should submit their complete application online prior to the application deadline. Applicants without MC1 credentials that are submitting a PDF application must submit their complete application including official transcripts to the Graduate Administrator in the department they intend to apply to at Carleton University prior to the application deadline.
  
  It is your responsibility to ensure your application is complete and accurate by reviewing the final version before submission.

Application Forms for the 2027-28 PDF Application

*Only to be used if applicant does not have MC1 credentials*

Please download and save a blank copy before completing these forms. PDF applications should be submitted to the Graduate Administrator in the Department you intend to apply to at Carleton. A complete OGS package must include all required forms and transcripts. Optional forms can also be included, if applicable.

Transcripts (Required): refer to Application Process ‘Get Transcripts’ section above

Citizenship Document (Required): refer to Application Process ‘Citizenship Document’ section above

• OGS Application Form (Required)
• Application Checklist (Required)
• Research/Program Statement (Required)
• Academic Assessment Form (Required) – one referee assessment is required (academic reference is preferred). This must be submitted directly to the Departmental Graduate Administrator from the referee, preferably using an institutional email address. Refer to Application Process ‘Request one Reference’ section above.
• Awards Page (Optional/If Applicable)
• Publications Page (Optional/If Applicable)

Application Resources

• Carleton University OGS Application Tips & FAQs
• Successful Research/Program Statement Example 1
• Successful Research/Program Statement Example 2
• Foxit PDF Editor is available to Carleton U. students to combine transcripts together into one package.

Decisions

Applicants will be notified of the results of the competition in April each year.

If successful, award recipients must provide their decision to accept or decline their award. Students who applied through Carleton Central should accept through there as well. If you submitted a PDF application, you will need to print out the OGS Notice of Decision Form 2026-2027 and submit it to Graduate Studies, 512 Tory Building or email it to graduate.awards@carleton.ca.

Note: If you are awaiting a decision on a SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR award and have been selected for an OGS, please accept your OGS offer in the meantime. If you later receive a successful result from one of these external awards, you may decline the OGS at that time to accept the SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR award.

Still Need Help?

If you cannot find answers to your questions, please contact us at graduate.awards@carleton.ca.