No. The fall 2024 competition was the last and there will be no further rounds. Sites still advertising a Vanier “2026 deadline” have simply not updated old pages. The award to apply for now is CGRS-D.
Canada · Programme closed
The Vanier Scholarship Has Ended — What Now?
Canada’s best-known PhD scholarship is no longer running. What happened, what replaced it, and what that actually means for a Bangladeshi doctoral candidate.
- 2024
- Final competition
- CGRS-D
- Replaced by
- CA$40k
- Successor, per year
- 15%
- Reserved for international
Overview
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) paid CA$50,000 a year for three years and was widely regarded as Canada’s most prestigious doctoral award. The fall 2024 competition was its last, with results released in April 2025. There has been no Vanier round since, and there will not be another.
Canada’s three research councils — CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC — folded Vanier and the old CGS-D into a single programme: the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D). The annual figure fell to CA$40,000, but one door opened wide for Bangladeshi candidates: international students are eligible for the first time.
What the scholarship covers
- The successor CGRS-D pays CA$40,000 a year for three years — CA$120,000 in total
- Up to 15% of each agency’s awards are reserved for international students
- One application across all three councils — no separate CGS-D and Vanier submissions
- Anyone already holding a Vanier award keeps their original funding and terms unchanged
Eligibility
- Be enrolled in, or applying to, a PhD programme at a Canadian university at the time of application
- Canadian, permanent resident or international — all three are now eligible
- Be within the agency’s limit on months already completed in the doctoral programme
- A strong research record and academic standing — selection remains highly competitive
How to apply
The step-by-step application process for the Vanier Scholarship.
01.Secure a supervisor
Locking in a PhD supervisor at a Canadian university is the first and largest step.
02.Find your university’s internal date
CGRS-D has no single national deadline — each institution sets its own, usually in September.
03.Research proposal and references
Assemble the proposal, transcripts and referee letters and submit them to your department.
04.Submit through the institution
The university shortlists and forwards to the agency; results usually follow in the spring.
Frequently asked questions
Nothing changes for you. Funding continues under your original offer letter and payment schedule for the full term. The closure applies only to new competitions.
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