Quick eligibility checker
Four hard filters from the harmonized CGRS-D page. Yes means you pass that published cutoff. This is a planning tool, not an official agency decision.
1. By 31 December of the application calendar year, will you have completed no more than 36 months of full-time-equivalent doctoral study?
2. Is this at most your third CGRS-D application (not a fourth)?
3. Have you NEVER held a doctoral scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, including a Vanier CGS?
4. Are you applying to only one CRTAS program (CGRS-M, CGRS-D or CPRA) this academic year?
You meet these published cutoffs
Next: confirm your submission channel and which agency owns the subject matter.
You may not be eligible on these rules
A published restriction may apply (months of study, prior doctoral award including Vanier, attempt limit, or a second CRTAS file).
This is a planning tool, not an official CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC decision. Confirm the current wording on the agency sites.
CGRS-D replaced Vanier. Do not apply to Vanier.
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral program is the federal doctoral award in the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS). CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC administer it jointly. The suite also includes the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Master’s (CGRS-M) and the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA).
On 9 July 2025 the official Vanier site stated: “We are no longer accepting applications for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Please refer to the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral program.” Vanier was the predecessor doctoral talent award. It is closed. This handbook is written for CGRS-D.
CGRS-D pays CAD $40,000 per year for 36 months. You apply to the agency that matches the research, through a Canadian institution with a quota or, if the official tables say so, directly to the agency. Wrong channel means the file is rejected.
The step most listing sites skip
Institutional deadlines are often weeks earlier than the agency close. The agency date is 17 October at 8:00 p.m. ET; if that falls on a weekend, the next business day. SSHRC has already published 19 October 2026, 8:00 p.m. eastern for direct files. If you are registered at a Canadian campus with a quota, your graduate faculty’s date is the one that matters.
What this handbook covers
Eleven unique pages. Start with eligibility and the nomination channel. Do not treat a 2024 Vanier blog post as current.
Eligibility
36-month FTE cap, international registration rule, 15% and 20% award shares, three-attempt limit.
How to Apply
ResearchNet, NSERC Form 201, SSHRC web CV. One CRTAS file per year.
Deadlines
17 October 8:00 p.m. ET; weekend rolls to the next business day. SSHRC 2026: 19 October.
Documents
Fall-session transcripts, two referees, agency-specific proposal page limits.
Funding
$40,000 × 3 years. Official CGRS-M and CPRA amounts sit on those program pages.
Nomination
Institution quota vs direct-to-agency. Location of tenure does not pick the channel.
Agencies
CIHR health, NSERC NSE, SSHRC social sciences and humanities. You choose.
FAQ
Vanier closure, international 15%, holding the award outside Canada, Black and Indigenous streams.
After Selection
Results by 30 April. Award-holder guide. Names published if you accept.
Checklist
Combined Yes/No checker and checkbox trackers. Not an agency decision.
Official CGRS-D page
If this handbook and NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR disagree, the agency page wins.
Three things aggregator posts get wrong
Vanier is not open
The official Vanier homepage says applications are no longer accepted and points you to CGRS-D. A leftover “Vanier 2027” listicle is out of date.
$50,000 is the old figure
Vanier was listed at $50,000 a year. CGRS-D is $40,000 per year for 36 months. Do not mix the two programs.
Campus dates beat 17 October
Through a Canadian institution: contact that institution. The agency close is only for people who must apply directly.
Official facts for CGRS-D
Sources: NSERC CGRS-D, SSHRC competition, Vanier home.
First-week planning tracker
Tick the orientation tasks. Detail lives on the linked pages.
Start with the hard filters
Months of doctoral study, prior agency doctoral awards including Vanier, the three-attempt cap, and the correct portal. If those fail, a polished proposal will not save the file.
Check Eligibility