Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)

About the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship II in Science and Technology

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology programs encourage excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Both programs are jointly funded by the Ontario government and participating institutions. The government contributes two-thirds of the value of the awards and the university provides the remaining one-third.

Students are considered for the OGS and QEII-GSST at Waterloo by using one application. Both scholarships are of equal prestige. The differences between the OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships are as follows:

• OGS – available for all disciplines of academic study; available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents and International students.
• QEII-GSST – available specifically for students in a research-based graduate program in one of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines; only available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent residents.

Value

Each OGS and QEII-GSST is valued at a maximum of $15,000 per year. The award is paid as $5,000 per term for either two or three terms.

Waterloo celebrates outstanding academic achievement of its graduate students by offering the President’s Graduate Scholarship (PGS) to students receiving an OGS or QEII-GSST.

Start date

Successful OGS and QEII-GSST recipients will begin their scholarship during 2024-2025. The allowable start terms are spring 2024, fall 2024 or winter 2025.

Duration

Awards are granted for up to one year in duration and are non-renewable. Applicants must apply annually in order to be considered.

Recipients can hold the scholarship for a minimum of two terms (receiving $10,000 total) or a maximum of three terms (receiving $15,000 total). Accepting an OGS/QEII-GSST for only one term is not permitted.

For full details regarding holding an OGS or QEII-GSST, please refer to our OGS/QEII-GSST Award Holder’s Guide.

Available awards

Important dates

At Waterloo, the OGS/QEII-GSST program is divided into two competitions based on citizenship (international and domestic). Applicants will be considered based on their citizenship status as of the application deadline.

International OGS Competition Deadlines

• February 1, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) – Deadline to submit transcript request webform
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline to submit OGS/QEII-GSST application to department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline for referees to email reference letters to the applicant’s department graduate co-ordinator.

Note: Due to the limited number of awards available, international students must be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered. All students must be registered full time at the time of holding the scholarship.

Domestic OGS/QEII-GSST Competition Deadlines

• February 1, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) – Deadline to submit transcript request webform
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline to submit OGS/QEII-GSST application to department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline for referees to email reference letters to the applicant’s department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline to apply for admission to a graduate program at Waterloo (if applicable)

Eligibility criteria

Citizenship

• International applicants must hold a valid study permit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
• Domestic applicants must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada)

Minimum Academic Requirements

• Applicants must have achieved a first-class average (minimum of A-/80%), in EACH of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
• Eligibility averages are calculated using grades from your most-recent academic history up to August 31, 2023, regardless of program or relevance to your current or proposed program. Waterloo is required to adhere to these parameters as dictated by Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU).

Program of Study

• OGS awards are open to applicants in all disciplines of academic study (research-based AND course-based* programs).
• QEII-GSST awards are restricted to applicants in research-based graduate programs in a STEM discipline only (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

*Note: Application packages from course-based students must demonstrate evidence of all criteria under which their application will be evaluated, including research ability.

Registration/Admission Status

• International applicants must:
  • be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered.
    • Due to the limited quota of awards available for international students, prospective graduate students are not eligible to apply.
• Domestic applicants must:
  • be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered; OR
  • apply for full-time graduate admission at Waterloo with a start term of either spring 2024, fall 2024 or winter 2025.

Note: all students must be registered full time at the time of holding the scholarship.

Time in Program

Selected recipients are normally within their program time limits but students over their term limits are still eligible to apply.

Maximum Support

Master’s students can receive an OGS or QEII-GSST for a maximum of two academic years and doctoral students for a maximum of four academic years.*

In addition, students cannot exceed a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded graduate awards. Awards under the following programs are counted toward this lifetime maximum:

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)*
• Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)*
• Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
• Tri-Agency Scholarships (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC, Vanier)

*For the purpose of OGS/QEII-GSST, one or two term awards will count as one full year towards the OGS/QEII-GSST program and lifetime maximums.

Concurrent Support

Eligible students are encouraged to apply for both a tri-agency graduate scholarship and OGS/QEII-GSST within the same competition year. If a student is successful in both competitions, they must be aware that these scholarships cannot be held concurrently. In these situations, successful students will normally accept the tri-agency scholarship due to the higher value and national-level prestige associated with it. Students who were successful in both competitions may be initially offered an OGS/QEII-GSST in “name” only* by Waterloo which they are welcome to list on their CV or resumé as a declined award.

*Students who would prefer to accept an OGS/QEII-GSST instead of an NSERC PGS or SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship with the goal of reapplying and being considered for a CGS D level tri-agency scholarship in the future should consult with the Co-ordinator, Graduate Financial Aid and Awards in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs before declining the tri-agency scholarship. Students retain the ability to accept their OGS/QEII-GSST should they wish.

• It is the student’s responsibility, in consultation with their department and graduate supervisor, to determine which scholarship is most advantageous for them to accept, given their circumstances and eligibility.
• Students are not permitted to partially hold one scholarship and then another in the same competition year.
• Students are not permitted to hold/overlap an OGS and QEII-GSST from two separate competition years.

Students are also required to check the eligibility of other awards they may be offered to see if an OGS/QEII-GSST can be held concurrently.

Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) Restrictions

Students who have previously applied for OSAP and have an OSAP restriction on their file are ineligible from receiving their scholarship until the restriction has been cleared. At the time of disbursement, if GSPA finds a restriction on the student’s file, the student will be advised of a deadline by which they must clear the restriction or forfeit their award.

Evaluation criteria

There are three areas of evaluation under which the application will be considered. Each department and Faculty will determine the weight placed on each of the following criteria within the ranges indicated:

1. Academic Excellence (30-50%*); as demonstrated by:
   • academic transcripts
   • list of competitive scholarships, awards and honours
2. Research Ability and Potential in Program of Study (30-50%*); as demonstrated by:
   • publications
   • conferences
   • presentations
   • originality, artistic performance and creations broadly defined (where relevant to field of study)
3. Communication and Leadership Abilities (10-20%*); as demonstrated by:
   • list of relevant volunteer, leadership and academic work experience.

*Individual faculty weights:

• Arts, Engineering: (1) 50%, (2) 30%, (3) 20%
• Health: (1) 50%, (2) 40%, (3) 10%
• Environment, Mathematics, Science: (1) 40%, (2) 40%, (3) 20%

Successful recipients

When reviewing those who were selected to receive an OGS or QEII-GSST over the last several competition years:

• Most had averages of 85% or above in each of their last two years of full-time academic study;
• Most had published journal articles, as well as refereed conference proceedings and posters or presentations; and
• Most have held previous Provincial (OGS/QEII-GSST) or Federal Tri-Council scholarships (approximately 50% of applicants).

Critical steps

The OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships are not portable (recipients cannot take their OGS/QEII-GSST to another institution). Applicants must submit separate applications at each institution where they wish to be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST. Therefore, applicants may need to submit multiple OGS/QEII-GSST applications to several institutions. Each institution has their own application processes and timelines.

1. Confirm eligibility

• It is the applicant’s responsibility to review the eligibility criteria as indicated above before beginning the application process. If you are unsure of your eligibility, contact your current/proposed department graduate co-ordinator.

2. Select your department

• Your OGS/QEII-GSST application should be submitted to the department at Waterloo where you are planning to hold the scholarship if you are successful.
  • If you will be enrolled in a graduate program at Waterloo by the application deadline and will commence the scholarship while enrolled in this department, submit your OGS/QEII-GSST application and reference letters there.
  • Domestic applicants only: If you are not already registered in a graduate program at Waterloo, submit your OGS/QEII-GSST application and reference letters to the department to which you are applying for admission. This is your “proposed department”.
    • If you are applying to multiple graduate departments at Waterloo, you must select one of those departments and submit your OGS/QEII-GSST application there. Applicants may only submit one OGS/QEII-GSST application, per annual competition at Waterloo. Awards are not portable across Faculties and may not be portable across departments within a Faculty.

3. Apply for admission (domestic applicants only)

• International applicants – This step is not applicable to international applicants due to the limited number of awards available. International students must be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered.
• Domestic applicants – Canadian/PR applicants who are not registered in a graduate program at Waterloo by the application deadline must apply for graduate program admission by February 1, 2024 in addition to submitting an OGS/QEII-GSST application.

4. Transcripts

• Waterloo and non-Waterloo post-secondary transcripts are required as part of a complete OGS/QEII-GSST application.
• Applicants must complete the OGS/QEII-GSST applicant transcript request form (webform) by February 1, 2024.
• By completing the OGS/QEII-GSST applicant transcript request form, GSPA will do the following for applicants free of charge:
  • Generate a copy of their official Waterloo transcript (if applicable).
  • Retrieve copies of official non-Waterloo transcripts which were declared and submitted as part of their Waterloo graduate admission application.Note: Transcript packages will not be sent to applicants directly. Instead, GSPA will send transcript packages directly to the graduate co-ordinator of the current/proposed department or school indicated by the student in the transcript request.
  • Domestic competition only:
    • If applicable, applicants should first apply for admission and claim their WatIAM so that they can enter their Waterloo ID into the webform.
    • Prospective students who are applying for graduate admission must ensure that their official transcripts from previous institutions are submitted as part of their graduate admission application by February 1. If a student has not yet uploaded their transcripts as part of their application for admission, GSPA will “hold” the transcript request until February 1. GSPA will process the transcript request once all transcripts are uploaded, provided this is completed by February 1.
  • In some cases, a specific transcript may not have been submitted as part of the applicant’s original admission application. If it is deemed to be required, GSPA will request the missing transcript by emailing the student.
  • If changes need to be made to a submitted transcript request (e.g., change department/school) applicants should email [email protected] with their name, student ID and requested changes.

5 . Select referees

Two academic references are required as part of a complete OGS/QEII-GSST application package. Referees must email their letter directly to the department graduate co-ordinator of the applicant’s current/proposed department.

Applicants must provide their referees with the following details:

• The email address where referees should submit their letter and the deadline date. (Referees must email their letter directly to the department graduate co-ordinator of the student’s desired department (see Step 2 – Select your department) by February 1, 2024.
• Reference letters should be signed and on letterhead (if available to the referee)
• Referees should incorporate the following into their letter:
  • Applicant’s full name
  • Referee’s full name, affiliated institution, department, and title (if applicable)
  • Description of what capacity they have known the applicant
  • Applicant’s strengths with regard to the OGS/QEII-GSST evaluation criteria (or tri-agency equivalent): academic excellence, research ability and potential, communication and leadership abilities

Tips for selecting referees:

• Applicants should select academic referees who know them well and are capable of making an informed assessment from an academic perspective. Applicants should ask their potential referees if they have the time and are able to provide a supporting reference letter that will speak to all aspects of the particular strengths of the application.
• Letters must be current; letters from previous competition years are not permitted.
• Examples of acceptable referees include: past or current supervisor, industrial supervisor, previous USRA supervisor
• Applicants should provide the referees with a package of information that will assist them with writing the appraisal. This package should contain:
  • current curriculum vitae
  • transcripts
  • a list of research contributions; applicants are encouraged to request referees to address the importance of their publications and contributions in the letters of appraisal (e.g., highlighting that a paper is published in a journal with a high impact factor; identifying that a paper has been widely cited; research that has received recognition outside of the academy; research that has applied outcomes that have positively influenced society, governance, industry or other sectors, etc.)
  • a copy of the research proposal/program of study, and
  • a list of community involvement or other extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership qualities

6. Application form

• Applicants are required to submit an OGS/QEII-GSST application in order to be considered for the scholarship.
• The application must be emailed to the department graduate co-ordinator of the student’s current/proposed department (see Step 2 – Select your department) by February 1, 2024.
• Domestic students will automatically be considered for both OGS and QEII-GSST, if eligible.
• Refer to the Helpful resources & forms section below for the application and application instructions, as well as other resources.

7. Components of a complete application

A complete OGS/QEII-GSST application is comprised of the following:

1. Transcript request webform
2. OGS/QEII-GSST Application + Appendix A (if applicable)
   1. Email material to the department graduate co-ordinator of the current/proposed department
3. Two academic reference letters (see Step 5 – Select referees)
   1. Referees must email their letter directly to the department graduate co-ordinator of the current/proposed department

Applicants who identify as Indigenous on the application form must complete the Indigenous verification process, if they have not already done so, prior to submitting their application to their department graduate co-ordinator.

Ranking and Result

International competition:

• Applicants complete and email their application to the current/proposed graduate department by February 1, 2024
• The department will review and rank applications.
• The Faculty will review ranked applications and select the top 3 candidates from their Faculty to be considered at a university-level adjudication.
• Institutional selection committee will review top 3 candidates from each Faculty and select 5 international OGS recipients as well as a ranked reversion list.

Domestic competition:

• Applicants complete and email their application to the current/proposed graduate department by February 1, 2024.
• In addition to being considered as part of the regular domestic competition, applications from those who identify as Indigenous on the application form will also be reviewed separately by an institutional selection committee. The committee will make final award selection.
• All remaining OGS/QEII-GSST selections will be made according to each Faculty specific adjudication process below:

Arts, Science:

• Departments submit ranked applicants to their Faculty for Faculty-wide assessment.
• Faculty-level committee reviews and makes award recommendations based on Faculty-set quota; GSPA verifies eligibility and makes award offers.

Engineering, Environment and Mathematics:

• Faculty distributes quotas to departments but reserves some for Faculty decision-making.
• Departments make award recommendations based on departmental-set quota; GSPA verifies eligibility and makes award offers.
• The remaining Faculty allocation is adjudicated separately by Faculty-level committee; GSPA verifies eligibility and makes award offers.

​​Health:

• Faculty distributes quotas to departments.
• Departments submit ranked applicants to their Faculty for review.
• Faculty-level committee reviews and makes award recommendations based on Department rankings; GSPA verifies eligibility and makes award offers.

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Timeline

Visit the OGS/QEII-GSST timeline page for further details on the steps of the OGS/QEII-GSST competition at Waterloo.

Helpful resources & forms

• 2024-2025 OGS/QEII-GSST application (Graduate studies forms website)
• 2024-2025 OGS/QEII-GSST application instructions* (PDF)
• OGS/QEII-GSST applicant transcript request form (webform) (Graduate studies forms website)
• OGS/QEII-GSST Award Holder’s Guide
• Sample successful research proposals – Note: Proposal requirements may have changed since these samples were posted; Always consult the current application instructions for writing a proposal (SharePoint – login in with WatIAM credentials is required)
• Writing and Communication Centre Resources – please review the list of resources, which includes tips on writing your research proposal
• To find out how your scholarship will be paid, visit the “Graduate awards payments” section on the Award eligibility, conditions and payments web page.

*If you require an accessible format of this document please contact us.