University of Waterloo Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)/Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) 2024

Published: 15 Jan 2024 1,105 views

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) programs encourage excellence in graduate studies at publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. Both programs are jointly funded by the Ontario government and participating institutions. The government contributes two-thirds of the value of the awards and the university provides the remaining one-third.

Students are considered for the OGS and QEII-GSST at Waterloo by using one application. Both scholarships are of equal prestige. The differences between the OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships are as follows:

• OGS – available for all disciplines of academic study; available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents and International students.
• QEII-GSST – available specifically for students in a research-based graduate program in one of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines; only available to Canadian Citizens/Permanent residents.

University of Waterloo Postgraduate Scholarship

Benefits of University of Waterloo Postgraduate Scholarship

• Each OGS and QEII-GSST is valued at a maximum of $15,000 per year. The award is paid as $5,000 per term for either two or three terms.
• Waterloo celebrates outstanding academic achievement of its graduate students by offering the President's Graduate Scholarship (PGS) to students receiving an OGS or QEII-GSST.

Requirements for University of Waterloo Postgraduate Scholarship

Citizenship

• International applicants must hold a valid study permit under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
• Domestic applicants must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, or Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada)

Minimum Academic Requirements

• Applicants must have achieved a first-class average (minimum of A-/80%), in EACH of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent). 
• Eligibility averages are calculated using grades from your most-recent academic history up to August 31, 2023, regardless of program or relevance to your current or proposed program. Waterloo is required to adhere to these parameters as dictated by Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU).

Program of Study

• OGS awards are open to applicants in all disciplines of academic study (research-based AND course-based* programs).  
• QEII-GSST awards are restricted to applicants in research-based graduate programs in a STEM discipline only (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

*Note: Application packages from course-based students must demonstrate evidence of all criteria under which their application will be evaluated, including research ability.

Selection Process

International OGS Competition Deadlines

• February 1, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) – Deadline to submit transcript request webform
• February 1, 2024 - Deadline to submit OGS/QEII-GSST application to department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 - Deadline for referees to email reference letters to the applicant's department graduate co-ordinator.

Note: Due to the limited number of awards available, international students must be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2024 in order to be considered. All students must be registered full time at the time of holding the scholarship.

Domestic OGS/QEII-GSST Competition Deadlines

• February 1, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) – Deadline to submit transcript request webform
• February 1, 2024 - Deadline to submit OGS/QEII-GSST application to department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 - Deadline for referees to email reference letters to the applicant's department graduate co-ordinator.
• February 1, 2024 – Deadline to apply for admission to a graduate program at Waterloo (if applicable)

Application Deadline

How to Apply