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Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels. It is a merit-based scholarship and awards are available to students in all disciplines of academic study. Students must refer to the OGS website for complete details regarding eligibility and application submission.

An Ontario Graduate Scholarship is awarded for one academic year, which may consist of two or three consecutive terms. One-term awards are not granted. The value of the OGS is $5,000 per term. Thus, students may receive $10,000 for two consecutive terms or $15,000 for three consecutive terms.

Fall 2011 -- Faculty scholarship information sessions

Students who are successful in the OGS competition and stay at Waterloo will receive the President's Graduate Scholarship valued at up to $10,000/year.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Plan to be enrolled full-time in a graduate program at an Ontario university
• Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person’s or an international student studying on a study permit
• A- (80%) average over the last two years of study if less than two years of graduate work OR the cumulative graduate average, if more than two years
• Students can receive up to 2 OGS awards at the master’s level (the scholarship can be awarded for one or both of the first two academic years, but not after the second year) and up to 4 awards at the doctoral level (the scholarship can be awarded in any of the first five academic years but not after the fifth year)
• one cannot hold a scholarship from NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR or an OGSST at the same time as OGS
• Have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of four years of government-funded awards including OGS, and awards from CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC.

For complete eligibility, interested applicants must review the official OGS web site.

New for 2012-13 Competition:

1. How to Apply – Applicants can no longer apply directly to the Ministry


a) All students must apply to the current department of the university they are attending.

or

b) If a student has graduated or completed his/her program at an Ontario university in the past year (November 16, 2010 to November 16, 2011) the student should apply to the previous university that he/she most recently attended or graduated from.

or

c) If a student has graduated from a university outside of Ontario or if a student graduated from an Ontario university more than a year ago, the student should apply to the university that he/she plans to attend.

2. Application Deadline -interested applicants have until midnight on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 to complete an OGS application. After this date, the application will no longer be available (all printing of online applications must be done prior to this date as well). Important: each department will set their own deadline which will be before this final deadline.

3. Proof of Citizenship - all Permanent Residents, Protected Persons or Visa Students must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation at time of application. Canadian citizens are not required to provide supporting documentation.


Permanent Resident – either a copy of the PR card (front & back) or a copy of the Record of Landing
Protected Person – Protected Person Status Document
Temporary Resident Visa – copy of the student study permit

You must have obtained the above status no later than the OGS application deadline date, October 19th, 2011 and the proof must be valid (not expired) in order to be considered for an OGS award.

4. Application Checklist - replaces the Student Checklist & Institution Checklist (if completing the application online, the top part of the form will be pre-filled and will appear when printed). This checklist is mandatory.

5. Change Request Forms - there are 2 distinct forms now depending on the change being requested. These are now available on the website.

a) Change Request Form - Personal Information
b) Change Request Form - Studies and Awards

6. Optional Items- List of Publications and Presentations (they are to be listed separately from the Academic Accomplishments).

Items That Have Been Removed:

Application Process

The 2012-2013 OGS application is now available on line. Applicants should apply online, although a hardcopy paper application is available. Students who do not have a Social Insurance Number must complete a paper application. Please note: that although students can complete the application online, they are still required to print a completed hardcopy in order to submit it to their department.

The following steps are the most critical in the OGS application process. Students are encouraged to begin these steps immediately.

1. Check with their Department Regarding the Deadline

Each department will have its own internal deadline by which they must receive applications from students registered in their department.

2. Requesting Transcripts

All undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required as part of the OGS applications, unless you just began studies at the University of Waterloo this term, as these courses will only show IP and are not required for OGS. Transcripts received as part of an international exchange must be submitted with the OGS Application Package.

More details regarding transcripts may be found at the GSO Transcripts for Scholarship Competitions website.

3. Reference Letters (Academic Assessment Reports must be sent directly to your department scholarship coordinator.)

Students are required to have two Academic Assessment Reports (pdf) as part of their OGS application package. (Referees should use the second page of Academic Assessment Report; however they can submit their own letter, original copy on letterhead and signed by them). These letters must be original if coming from referees in North America. OGS will only accept scanned and faxed copies of reports from referees outside of North America, however they must print their name, department and university under their signature and adhere to all other format requirements. It is recommended that the referees be faculty members who have had sufficient opportunity to assess the applicant’s abilities. Department coordinators must ensure that the reference letter does not make mention of other competitions in error.

Application Submission from Departments

Departments are responsible for reviewing and editing the applications for completeness and making a file folder for each applicant.

Key items to note:

Resources

Below you will find a 2012-13 OGS application in correct page order, with key hints to help you while completing an application. Please read the information contained in the yellow sticky notes, as these are meant to assist you in submitting a good application.

*information last updated January 23, 2012.

return to Tri-Council website

For further information regarding this program, please contact your Department Scholarship Coordinator. Also, questions can be directed to Elena Tabong at the Graduate Studies Office.