Canada Government Scholarship Overview

The Canada Government Scholarship initiative focuses on improving resources for Canadian post-secondary institutions to accept international students from around the globe.

Successful candidates from qualifying applicant countries or regions may earn scholarships leading to a diploma, post-secondary or post-graduate credential, or Master’s degree at a college, professional or vocational school or university in Canada, to enroll in programs of up to two academic years in total.

Promising Canadian post-secondary universities have the opportunity to expand and broaden their foreign student and people-to-people relations, and to highlight the success of post-secondary institutions across Canada.

The new linkages formed through the scheme will diversify and strengthen Canada’s educational participation with a wider range of partners, reinforce bilateral ties, and accentuate Canada’s greater endeavors to diversify international trade.

The following countries or regions are eligible for the Canada Government Scholarship: Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Comoros, Djibouti, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritania, Micronesia, Palau, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Vanuatu. Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem are also eligible.

Scholarship Benefits

The scholarship offers funding for programs expected to be achieved over one or two academic years leading to a diploma, post-secondary or post-graduate certificate, or a Master’s degree at a Canadian institution, professional or vocational school, or university.

The value of the scholarship varies depending on the duration, the level and the study program.

1. Up to CAD 60,000 for one academic year of minimum 8 months and maximum 12 months in duration
2. Up to CAD 120,000 for two academic years of maximum 24 months in duration

Qualified fees are as follows under the value of the Canada Government Scholarship.

• books and supplies required for study or research by the beneficiary, except computer hardware;
• costs of living, for the recipient of the scholarship only, such as housing, food and utilities
• economy-class flights to Canada by the most convenient and economical path, for the scholarship beneficiary only, and returning plane tickets once the scholarship is complete. An extra round-trip economy-class airline tickets between Canada and the country / region of the recipient may be provided for two-year academic programs with an overlapping spring / summer term / semester during which no full-time study or other academic practice needed for completion of the course;
• full-time, on-campus, post-secondary, post-graduate or Master’s degree tuition and other compulsory fees;
• health insurance;
• mass transit on the ground, for example a public transportation transfer; and
• visa and/or study/work permits biometric processing payments and/or operating expenditures.

Available Institutions List

You need a Letter of Acceptance from a recognized learning institution to qualify for a research permit. A licensed learning facility is a school for hosting international students, authorized by a provincial or municipal government.

All Canadian elementary and secondary schools are designated institutions of learning. They aren’t included in the list as posted on https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/prepare/designated-learning-institutions-list.html.

If you are planning to attend a post-secondary school, make sure that this is on the list.

Expired Date

Competition is currently open for the 2020-2021 academic year, for the application period will be open from February 5 to March 31, 2020.

During that period Canadian post-secondary universities and colleges may apply on behalf of the eligible candidates.

It is the Canadian post-secondary institution’s responsibility to ensure that supporting documents are received on time. It will not accept supporting documents other than the ones requested. Canadian post-secondary institutions are recommended to set an early deadline for applicants to insure the supporting documents are received on schedule.

Important Dates

Study programs may start for the fall semester as early as August 2020, but for the winter semester no later than February 2021. The beneficiaries of Canada Government Scholarship can arrive in Canada up to 1 (one) month earlier to their official program start date or August 1st, which would be even later.

Canada Government Scholarship is supportable for at least one academic year (8 months) and up to a limit of two academic years (total of 24 months), that must commence between August 2020 and February 2021.

When authorized by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), Canadian post-secondary institutions will be notified of the final selection and the results by the end of May 2020. All updates and results will be communicated to the main contact at the Canadian post-secondary institution by the Canadian Bureau of International Education (Scholarship Administrator).

Candidates are encouraged to contact the Canadian post-secondary institution regarding their application status.

Canadian post-secondary institutions with prospective candidates may obtain a reimbursement deal for managing and disbursing money to the applicants as Canada Government Scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the Canada Government Scholarship, candidate students:

1. must be citizens of one qualifying country;
2. must not keep Canadian citizenship or residency permit and therefore do not have a permanent residency application in Canada awaiting approval;
3. must apply to a Canadian post-secondary institution and be admitted to a full-time academic program;
4. must have the language skills needed to pursue educational language studies at a Canadian post-secondary institution (English or French); and
5. should demonstrate their interest of being deemed in applying for admission to a Canadian institution for the Canada Government Scholarship scheme.

How to Apply

If you wish to apply for a Canada Government Scholarship, you should apply for admission to a Canadian post-secondary institution and be admitted to the program of your choice. You are also recommended when applying for entry to be eligible for a Canada Government Scholarship, to show your value. Please note that it is your duty to provide the university with all submissions for the Canada Government Scholarship documentation by the institution’s deadline.

To qualify for the fellowship please follow the instructions below.

1. Complete an application online. Post-secondary institutions that do not have an account need to register their account first. Once you create and activate your account, log in to it. Scroll down to the “Study in Canada Scholarships” option under “For Non-Canadians” section and click on APPLY NOW.
2. Enter data in the fields marked as required, or copy and paste data from another source, following the instructions for each field. Please note that your name has to be exactly the same as your passport or travel document.
3. Attach the relevant supporting documentations.
4. Upon completion verify before submitting the data and documents.
5. Print the form for your records using the print function in the browser.
6. Tap on SUBMIT to forward the request to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) electronically. This will automatically generate a confirmation message and reference number.

Required Documents

The following files must be submitted and added to the application form digitally in one of the following formats: .pdf, .jpg, .doc, .docx, .txt or .gif. Each document must be smaller than 5 MB in order for the application to upload successfully.

1. Academic study plan
2. Budget
3. CV
4. Letter of acceptance
5. Letter of intent from the post-secondary institution
6. Privacy Notice Statement
7. Proof of citizenship/identity

Contact Information

All inquiries regarding the Study in Canada Scholarships program should be directed to: scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca.

Link to Official Website

www.educanada.ca