The Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) is designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies in science and technology. The program is jointly supported by funds provided by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (‘ministry’) and funds provided by the University of Guelph. The ministry contributes two-thirds of the value of the award and the university provides one-third.
Applicant Eligibility
To be able to be considered for an OGS/QEII-GSST at Trent, an applicant must:
- Be a current graduate student, or have submitted an application for admission to a Trent University graduate program.
- Be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Protected Person [under subsection 95 (2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act (Canada)] as of the OGS/QEII application deadline.
- If an OGS/QEII-GSST applicant is an international student they must hold a valid study permit as of the OGS/QEII-GSST award start date so that they can be considered for OGS awards that the MTCU has allowed Trent University to provide to international students. Trent has two (2) OGS awards allocated for international students.
- If an OGS/QEII-GSST applicant is Indigenous to Canada they may be considered for OGS awards that institutions are encouraged to allocate to qualified Indigenous graduate students. For the purposes of the scholarship MTCU has outlined that an Indigenous person is a person who self-identifies as First Nations (Status/Non-Status), Métis, or Inuit.
Read Canada Graduate Scholarships
Time in Program Eligibility
An OGS/QEII-GSST applicant must have enough eligibility time left in his/her graduate program current or proposed graduate program, to be able to hold the OGS/QEII Scholarship if successful.
Master level applicants may receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years and they cannot have exceeded 24 months of graduate study during the duration of the award.
Doctoral level applicants may receive the scholarship for a maximum of four years, and cannot exceed 48 months of full time doctoral studies during the duration of the award.
Also, a OGS/QEII-GSST applicant:
- Must not have exceeded the lifetime maximum of two (2) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the master’s level, nor exceeded the lifetime maximum of four (4) OGS/QEII-GSST awards held at the doctoral level.
- Must not have exceeded the lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded student award support from the following programs/agencies:
- Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)
- Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
- Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)
- Recipients may not concurrently hold a second government funded scholarship
OSAP Restrictions
Recipients cannot receive the award if they are restricted from further scholarships at the time of disbursement. Before paying the OGS/QEII award to the recipient, the School of Graduate Studies must confirm that the nominee is not on the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) restricted list. The regulations of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development require that students who are on OSAP’s restricted list will NOT receive the funding until they are removed from the restricted list. There is no appeal on this decision. The School of Graduate Studies will provide a three week period to clear any OSAP restrictions prior to revoking an offer of an award.
Academic Eligibility
If the student is entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of application deadline: must have achieved a first-class average (A-), in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
If the student is entering the third year of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must have an overall average of at least A-, or the equivalent, on all graduate courses completed.
Award holders must remain enrolled as a full-time student in an eligible program. Recipients who withdraw, transfer to part-time studies, or fail to complete the term are required to repay the award for incomplete terms. A withdrawal in a subsequent term will not require repayment of the award for any completed terms. A recipient who graduates during a term in which they hold an award is permitted to keep the award for that term.
Recipients cannot be enrolled in a qualifying or make-up year, or be on a paid educational leave or sabbatical to receive an OGS/QEII-GSST.
The University Selection Committee may require applicants to meet more rigorous academic requirements as they deem appropriate.
Eligibility to Hold a QEII-GSST
To hold a QEII-GSST:
- Have applied to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) competition and have met all OGS and QEII eligibility requirements.
- Recipients must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Guelph in a QEII eligible program.
Application Procedures
Students must apply using the OGS/QEII Application form on the myTrent portal.
Part 1 of the application includes Applicant Information and Referee information.
Part 2 of the application includes Required Documents (Section A+B):
Section A
- Academic Background: List all schools attended and completed degree program(s) including institution, and month/year degree was awarded or is expected. Maximum one page.
- Academic, Research and other relevant work experience: Please include institution or organization, period of employment and your position. Maximum one page.
- Awards and Prizes: Please provide name, source, year awarded, duration and value of awards and prizes received. Start with most recent and include up to a maximum of 10 items on one page.
- Special circumstances: If appropriate describe any interruptions or delays to the completion of your degree(s). Specify the dates of the delay or interruption. (¼ page maximum)
Section B
- Outline of Proposed Research: Provide a detailed description of your proposed research project and be as specific as possible using clear, plain language and avoid jargon. NOTE: Master level applicants- one page maximum. Doctoral level applicants- two pages maximum. Bibliography – allowable up to an additional five pages.
- Contributions to Research: Include publications, reports, posters, bibliographies, conference presentations and indicate where publications resulted from work done in the process of completing your undergraduate, master’s degree, or while working on doctoral studies or from other relevant work experience. Maximum one page.
- Interpersonal/Communication/Leadership Abilities: Describe the activities (professional and relevant extracurricular) in which you are involved that demonstrate your communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Examples of these include oral presentations, mentoring, teaching, project management, chairing committees, organizing events, supervisory experience, and elected positions held. Maximum one page.
Transcripts: The School of Graduate Studies will produce unofficial Trent University transcripts only. The applicant will be required to provide scanned copies of official and final transcripts for any other institution attended, which include the back page with a legend from each institution.
Reference Letters: Two (2) academic referees are required to support your application for the OGS / QEII-GSST. Academic Assessment Reports will only be accepted by email sent directly from your academic referee’s institutional email address to graduatefinance@trentu.ca. Each report should be a maximum of two pages.
The subject line of the email will include: Reference for Applicant: Last Name, First Name, OGS Trent.
Read also Ontario Trillium Scholarship
Special Circumstances: An opportunity is provided within the application to describe any special circumstances, such as health problems, family responsibilities, disabilities, or other circumstances, that has had an impact on performance or productivity. Students are encourages to briely explain any delays in the completion of studies or in disseminating research results. Students with special circumstances must still meet the minum ‘A-‘ grade (80%).
Presentation Standards:
- Clearly indicate adjudication stream within header:
- Masters Science/Social Sciences
- Masters Humanities/Social Sciences
- Doctoral Humanities
- Doctoral Sciences
- Provide the required information in Section A & B using the specified headings and follow the order indicated.
- Application permits only one attachment and the order is Section A, Section B, and transcripts.
- Make sure your name appears at the top right-hand corner of each page.
- Text should be single spaced, Times New Roman, minimum 12pt or any other comparable serif font.
- Condensed type is not acceptable. Set margins at a minimum of 2 cm all around.
- If you have supporting documents written in a language other than English or French, you must provide a translation of the document in English or French.
- ***All documents must be combined into one PDF file. Multiple files will not be accepted.
Incomplete applications and those that do not meet presentation standards above will be deemed incomplete.
Value and Duration
- $15,000 for one year ($5,000 per term for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms)
Additional information:
- Funded with $10,000 by the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and $5,000 by the University through private donations.
- An award may not be held for only one-term.
- Award installments are paid by term to a recipient’s student account.
- A T4A will be issued for each calendar year that the scholarship is held.
Students awarded an OGS/QEII-GSST may hold part-time employment of an average of 10 hours per week to a maximum of 520 hours per year and normally that is in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). As per the offer of admission, award holders may have funding reduced that is provided through supervisor support (RFA) or the School of Graduate Studies (RF).
Results & Appeals
Applicants will be notified during the spring term of the results of the competition. There will be no appeals accepted for OGS/QEII-GSST decisions.
Contacts & Resources
If you have questions about the QEII-GSST, please contact the Graduate Awards Officers by email grschol@uoguelph.ca.
