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University-Wide Awards

Award Overview

Purpose

The School of Graduate Studies offers between 15–20 awards annually through its University-Wide Awards (UWA) competition. Awards vary in terms of the specific eligibility criteria (merit, financial need, student citizenship, area of research etc.). Accordingly, applicants are encouraged to review the award-specific criteria outlined within each award description, to ensure they are eligible before submitting their application. See descriptions of each award below.

Eligibility

At minimum, all applicants must:

  • Be currently registered in a full-time U of T graduate degree program; and
  • Demonstrate one or both of the following as per the specific award criteria:
    • academic merit / excellence
    • financial need

Additionally, applicants must meet the award-specific eligibility criteria as described within each award description (see list below).

To be considered for the UWA competition, applications must be 1) complete, including required document uploads and reference submission, and 2) have a submitted status by the deadline.

Need Based Awards

Need based awards (grants or bursaries) are available to both domestic and international students who meet the specific award criteria and who demonstrate financial need in the current academic year.

  • Domestic students: must demonstrate financial need through a completed UTAPS / Need Navigator application. Once completed the financial need assessment will become available to the division and be used to determine eligibility for the UWA and other need-based award opportunities that might be available.
  • International students: must demonstrate financial need through a completed Financial Need Assessment as provided through the UWA application.

Academic Merit Awards

Several awards within the UWA competition require that applicants demonstrate academic excellence.

These awards are categorized as Academic Merit Awards.

Eligibility requires that:

  • Applicants with less than 2 years of graduate study must have achieved a minimum GPA of A- (80%) or equivalent in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent); or
  • Applicants with 2 years or more of graduate study must have achieved an overall cumulative GPA of A- (80%) or equivalent across all completed graduate-level courses.

The applicant’s academic record will be verified by their Registrar or Graduate Unit Administrator. If the graduate unit is unable to certify/validate a transcript, applicants may be asked to obtain and provide an original official transcript that was issued by the appropriate institution.

Academic Merit + Need Awards

These awards require that applicants demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need, in addition to any other requirements stated for the specific award.

Eligibility requires that applicants must:

  • Demonstrate academic merit (as described above);
  • Demonstrate financial need (as described above); and
  • Meet the award specific eligibility criteria, as outlined within the individual award.

OSOTF Awards (Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund)

Awards categorized as “OSOTF” require that students be an Ontario resident and demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need. Ontario residency requirements are established by OSAP. Refer to the OSOTF webpage to review eligibility criteria for these awards.

Application Process

  1. Refer to the list of UWA awards available below;
  2. Review the eligibility criteria for each award and the individual application requirements – each award will differ;
  3. Access MyAwardsHub (requires UTORid);
  4. Complete and submit the Profile (note: the Extracurricular Activities tab is not required for the purposes of a UWA application);
  5. Complete and submit the online University-Wide Awards Application. This will require the following;
    • Personal statement for each award;
    • Upload a CV and a Plan of Study;
    • Complete a financial need assessment if applying to awards requiring demonstration of financial need; and
    • Provide contact details for 1 academic reference.

Instructions

You may save your application as a draft (“Save for Later”) if you wish to revise your application.

  1. Personal Statement(s): The personal statement will describe: a) how you meet the unique award criteria, and b) why you should be considered for the award. Applicants are expected to review the award-specific criteria outlined in the below award descriptions. Provide a personal statement for each award you have selected (max 500 words each).
  2. Upload a Curriculum Vitae (CV), PDF.
  3. Upload a Plan of Study / Research Proposal PDF in non-technical language. Students who have prepared an OGS Plan of Study/ Research Proposal may use it for the UWA application (max 1 page).
  4. If applying to awards that require demonstration of financial need, complete a financial need assessment (as described above).
  5. Applicants must provide the contact details for one academic reference. An invitation will be sent to your referee only when you “Submit” your application. Please submit your application with adequate time for your referee to complete their reference by the application deadline (January 30th 2026, 23:59 ET).

Unfortunately, ineligible or incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Apply to the SGS University-Wide Awards (2025–2026) — Due January 30, 2026

Award Descriptions

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need (OSOTF)
  • Value & Duration: Up to $3,000 CAD; five recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Year of Study: First year of graduate studies
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic student with Ontario residency
  • Other: Identify as female
  • Donor(s): Estate of Agnes M. Ireland

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be a first year, full-time graduate student who identifies as female;
  • Be within one year of having completed an undergraduate honours degree in the Faculty of Arts & Science or Medicine or equivalent faculty at another institution prior to commencing their graduate program at the University of Toronto;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above);
  • Be eligible for OSOTF awards: See OSOTF webpage to confirm eligibility:
    • Demonstrate financial need; and
    • Ontario residency status

Several merit and need-based awards are available for students who self-identify as Black and / or Indigenous persons from Turtle Island/North America, e.g. First Nations (status or non-status), Inuk (Inuit), Métis, Alaska Native, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Native Mexican.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need
  • Value & Duration: Up to $5,000 CAD; five to ten recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s):
    • Edith M. McCuaig Estate (McCuaig-Throop Fund)
    • Friends, Colleagues and Former Students of Professor George Sidney Brett (George Sidney Brett Memorial Fund)
    • Estate of Sir Joseph Flavelle (Sir Joseph Flavelle Fellowships)
    • Estate of Eleanor Cate Allen (Eleanor Cate Allen Fellowship)
    • Estate of Donald M. Springer (Norman Stuart Robertson Fellowship)
    • Margaret and Nicholas Fodor (Margaret and Nicholas Fodor Fellowship)

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Self-identify as a Black and / or Indigenous person;
  • Demonstrate one or both of the following:
    • Demonstrate financial need;
    • Academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Financial Need
  • Value & Duration: Up to $6,000 CAD
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s): Estate of Joseph Bazylewicz

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen of Poland;
    • Students who have registered with the university under another citizenship (i.e. have dual citizenship) should include a proof of citizenship (e.g., passport)
  • Demonstrate financial need

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $2,000 CAD; one to three recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s): Estate of Mrs. Jeanne F. Goulding

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be pursuing research to benefit the environment in the fields of conservation, pollution control, and / or ecology;
  • Be in a Division 4 Program
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $5,000 CAD; one recipient annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s (Research Stream)
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s): Dr. Ranjit Kumar, founder and former Executive Director of the Foundation for International Training

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be conducting research related to the development of government, civil society, and / or the private sector in Africa, Asia, the Americas, or the Middle East;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $2,000 CAD; one to two recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: International
  • Donor(s): Mr. and Mrs. Kwok Sau Po

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen of Hong Kong or China;
    • Students who have registered with the university under another citizenship (i.e. have dual citizenship) should include a proof of citizenship (e.g., passport)
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need
  • Value & Duration: Up to $4,000 CAD; one to four recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s): Arthur and Susan Scace

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen of South Africa or the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales);
    • Students who have registered with the university under another citizenship (i.e. have dual citizenship) should include a proof of citizenship (e.g., passport)
  • Demonstrate academic merit; and
  • Demonstrate financial need

This fellowship is designed to honour outstanding PhD students who are conducting research that addresses issues crossing traditional faculty boundaries.

Established by Colleagues and Friends of Professor R. Paul Young, this fellowship recognizes Professor Young’s significant contributions during his seven-year term as Vice-President, Research and Innovation at the University of Toronto (2007 to 2014). During his appointment, Professor Young led a major University-wide planning effort that resulted in the University’s Excellence, Innovation, Leadership Strategic Research Plan. The success of this project is a testament to his passion for research and his ability to build consensus on complex challenges.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $3,000 CAD; one recipient annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral (Research Stream)
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Donor(s): Colleagues and Friends of Professor R. Paul Young

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be conducting research that addresses a problem which crosses traditional Faculty boundaries (e.g., Music and Medicine; Education and Exercise Sciences);
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Note: The reference letter should attest to the applicant’s academic excellence and describe how the applicant’s thesis addresses a problem that crosses traditional Faculty boundaries.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need (OSOTF)
  • Value & Duration: Up to $1,000 CAD; one recipient annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic student with Ontario residency
  • Donor(s): The Vedanta Society of Toronto

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Exemplify Vivekananda’s ideal of education:
    • Vivekananda (1863–1902), a philosopher and saint, said, “Education … is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life.” He did not consider people as educated just because they could pass some examinations and deliver good lectures. In his words, “the education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion–is it worth the name? …We must have life building, make-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.”​
  • Be eligible for OSOTF awards: See OSOTF webpage to confirm eligibility:
    • Demonstrate financial need and have Ontario residency status
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Note: Personal Statement written by the applicant should clearly addresses the relevance of their application with regard to Vivekananda’s ideal of education.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need (OSOTF)
  • Value & Duration: Up to $5,000 CAD; one to two recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s (Research Stream)
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic student with Ontario residency
  • Donor(s): The University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA)

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Demonstrate leadership related to, or made a significant contribution to graduate student life;
  • Be eligible for OSOTF awards: See OSOTF webpage to confirm eligibility:
    • Demonstrate financial need and have Ontario residency status;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above);

Note: Personal Statement should detail the applicant’s demonstrated leadership and contributions to graduate student life at the University of Toronto.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need (OSOTF)
  • Value & Duration: Up to $3,000 CAD; one recipient annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s (Research Stream)
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic student with Ontario residency
  • Donor(s): Canadian Council of Christians and Jews (CCCJ)

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be writing a research paper on one of the following two topics (preference is given to research relevant to the Canadian experience):
    • Exploration of issues related to cultural diversity identifying prejudice
    • Exploring its incidence and / or mode for its elimination
  • Be eligible for OSOTF awards: See OSOTF webpage to confirm eligibility:
    • Demonstrate financial need and have Ontario residency status;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Note: The donor organization requests for its library a copy of the award recipient’s final paper or thesis, which it may distribute through one of its publications.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $4,000 CAD; one to three recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Other: Program must be in the Physical Sciences (Division 3)
  • Donor(s): Various donors inspired by Professor Lachlan Gilchrist

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be registered in a graduate program within the Physical Sciences (Division 3);
  • Be conducting studies / research focused in the area of fundamental physics​;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need (OSOTF)
  • Value & Duration: Up to $4,500 CAD; one to ten recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral (Research Stream)
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic student with Ontario residency
  • Other: PhD in Health Sciences
  • Donor(s): The Connaught Committee

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be a registered full-time PhD student in the health sciences;
  • Be eligible for OSOTF awards: See OSOTF webpage to confirm eligibility:
    • Demonstrate financial need and have Ontario residency status
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit and Financial Need
  • Value & Duration: Up to $3,000 CAD; one recipient annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Other: Cancer studies / research in Biochemistry
  • Donor(s): Estate of Lorne F. Lambier, Q.C.

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be conducting studies / research engaged in cancer research;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above);
  • Demonstrate financial need

Note: Preference given to applicants studying in the field of biochemistry.

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: Up to $4,000 CAD; one to two recipients annually
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Other: Radioactivity studies / research in Division 3 or 4
  • Donor(s): Friends of Ara Mooradian

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be conducting studies / research specifically related to radioactivity;
  • Be registered in a graduate program in any discipline of Physical Sciences or Engineering (Division 3) or Life Sciences (Division 4);
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Award Details

  • Award Category: Academic Merit
  • Value & Duration: $1,000 CAD; up to four recipients for 2025–2026
  • Level of Study: Doctoral, Master’s
  • Required Legal Status: Domestic / International
  • Other: Research in public sector pensions
  • Donor(s): Various donors

Eligibility

At the time of application, applicants must:

  • Be an incoming or registered graduate student in any faculty;
  • Be conducting research related to public sector pensions;
  • Demonstrate academic merit (as above)

Results

Applicants will be contacted directly by SGS regarding the outcome in April 2026.

Award Holder Information

Payment

Payments will be processed through students’ ACORN account. Please review the How to Activate & Maintain Your Award web page for further information.

Deferrals / Leaves of Absence

Award holders should contact the Financial Aid and Advising Office about any potential changes to their registration status and/or program.

Contacts & Resources

Financial Aid & Advising Office
School of Graduate Studies

sgs.financial.assistance@utoronto.ca