Education7 min read

Government Scholarships in Canada for International Students 2026/2027

Find current federal and provincial scholarship routes, understand international eligibility and avoid closed or mislabelled programs.

Canada Government ScholarshipsEduCanada ScholarshipsGraduate Awards

🍁 GuideCAN Quick Answer

Updated: 7 min readOfficial sources verified

There is no single Canada government scholarship automatically open to every international degree applicant. EduCanada lists programs by citizenship and profile; many are short-term exchanges submitted by a Canadian institution. Graduate agency and provincial awards have separate status, enrolment and nomination rules.

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Verified government-funded routes
ProgramCurrent amount or formatImportant eligibility point
EduCanada international programsVaries; often short-term study or research exchangesCountry lists and host-institution application rules vary
CGRS Doctoral$40,000/year for 36 monthsInternational applicants must already be registered in an eligible Canadian doctorate
CGRS Master’s$27,000 for 12 monthsRestricted to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons
Ontario Graduate Scholarship$5,000 per term, up to $15,000 in an academic yearApply through the participating institution; institution rules apply
Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship$11,000–$15,000International students enrolled in Alberta may be selected by their institution

Start with EduCanada, then verify the competition

Use EduCanada’s official search with your citizenship, profile and country. Read whether students apply directly or whether a Canadian institution submits nominations. Some featured programs are exchanges rather than scholarships for completing an entire Canadian degree, so do not describe them as full-degree funding unless the official rules say so.

Federal graduate awards are not universally open

CGRS Doctoral permits a limited international route only for applicants already registered in an eligible Canadian doctoral program by the relevant deadline. CGRS Master’s has different citizenship and status requirements. The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is no longer accepting applications and should not appear in a list of open 2026 scholarships.

Provincial awards use institutional processes

Ontario directs graduate students to apply for OGS through their graduate office. Alberta’s Graduate Excellence Scholarship includes eligible international students enrolled in Alberta, but schools select recipients and may add criteria. Ask the institution for its internal deadline; a provincial program page is not an application portal unless it explicitly says so.

Avoid common government-scholarship errors

Do not merge grants, loans, exchange programs, research employment and scholarships into one list. Do not carry forward last year’s deadline or value without a current official page. Record the funding agency, administering institution, degree level, citizenship rule, current competition status and who submits the application.

Find scholarships matched to your profile

Use the GuideCAN Scholarship Finder to build a personalized shortlist based on your education, immigration status, province and background. Treat the results as a discovery tool, then confirm eligibility, value and deadlines on the official provider page before applying.

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Written and reviewed by the GuideCAN Editorial Team

Last reviewed

Editorially reviewed for clarity, practical usefulness and alignment with the official starting points listed below.

Official sources

Official rules, fees, deadlines and program availability can change. Confirm the current details before acting.

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