- The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship held its final competition in 2024 and has been replaced by the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral, worth CAD 40,000 a year for 36 months and open to international doctoral students
- Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships have been replaced by the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award at CAD 70,000 a year for two years
- The IDRC International Doctoral Research Awards competition is not running this year
- Study permit applicants must still show CAD 22,895 in living costs for one person outside Quebec.
What Scholarships Can Indian Students Get in Canada in 2026?
Indian students can draw on three funding streams in Canada. Federal and provincial governments fund research scholarships such as the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship and Quebec's PBEEE. Foundations such as the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation fund doctoral leaders. Universities fund the largest number of awards through automatic entrance scholarships tied to an admission offer.
Canada remains one of the most heavily funded destinations for Indian students, but the funding map changed significantly between 2024 and 2026. Several flagship federal awards were consolidated, one long-running development award was paused, and universities became the main source of money for undergraduates.
The practical rule is simple. Undergraduate money comes almost entirely from the university you apply to. Master's and doctoral money comes from a mix of the university, the province and the federal granting agencies. Very few Canadian scholarships accept applications from students who have not yet applied for admission.
MS in Canada 2026: Universities, Cost and EligibilityRead →
How Do You Apply for a Scholarship in Canada?
Apply for admission first, because most Canadian awards are attached to an offer letter. Meet the programme deadline, keep a strong academic record, and prepare references, a statement of purpose and English test scores. Entrance scholarships are usually automatic, while research scholarships and nominated awards need a separate form and departmental backing.
Timelines matter more than essays. Entrance scholarships at most Canadian universities are assessed on the admission file itself, and several are awarded on a rolling basis, so an application submitted early in the cycle is assessed against a fuller pot of money.
- Apply for admission by the scholarship consideration deadline, which is often earlier than the general deadline.
- Check whether the award is automatic or needs a separate application and a departmental nomination.
- Keep transcripts, English test scores and references ready before the deadline rather than after it.
- For research awards, secure a supervisor early, because most doctoral scholarships are nominated by the graduate unit.
- Read the citizenship clause carefully, because some federal awards are closed to international students.
Which Government Scholarships Are Open to Indian Students?
Federal funding now runs through the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral, worth CAD 40,000 a year for 36 months and open to international doctoral students. Provincial routes include the Ontario Graduate Scholarship at CAD 5,000 a session and Quebec's PBEEE, which reserves dedicated doctoral, postdoctoral and short-term categories for Indian nationals.
The three federal granting agencies, CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, harmonised their scholarship programmes. The doctoral awards were merged into a single Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral, and the postdoctoral awards were merged into the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award.
| Scholarship (2026) | Value | Level and Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral (CGRS-D) | CAD 40,000 a year for 36 months | PhD. International students registered in a Canadian doctoral programme are eligible. |
| Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Master's (CGRS-M) | CAD 27,000 for 12 months | Master's. Restricted to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons, so Indian students on a study permit do not qualify. |
| Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) | CAD 70,000 a year for 2 years | Postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution. Replaced the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. |
| Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) | CAD 5,000 a session, up to CAD 15,000 a year | Master's and PhD in Ontario. A limited quota is reserved for international students holding a valid study permit. |
| Quebec PBEEE doctoral, India stream (category 1I) | CAD 25,000 a year, up to CAD 87,000 over 12 sessions | PhD in Quebec. Nomination by a Quebec university or CCTT is required. |
| Quebec PBEEE postdoctoral, India stream (category 2I) | CAD 35,000 for one year | Postdoctoral research in Quebec, with the doctorate completed within two years of the deadline. |
| Quebec PBEEE short-term research, India stream (category 3I) | CAD 3,000 a month, up to CAD 12,000 | Research stays of up to four months at a Quebec institution. |
Which Canadian Awards Closed or Paused Before 2026?
Three awards that older guides still list are no longer open. The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship ran its final competition in 2024. Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships ended after the 2024 round. The IDRC International Doctoral Research Awards competition is not taking place this year, and the Canada-ASEAN SEED award has never been open to Indian nationals.
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship: the 2024 competition was the last one. It was replaced by the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral.
- Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships: the 2024 competition, with results in February 2025, was the final round. Applicants now use the Canada Postdoctoral Research Award.
- IDRC International Doctoral Research Awards: worth CAD 20,000 for up to one year, but the competition is not running this year while the programme is reviewed.
- Canada-ASEAN SEED: open only to nationals of ASEAN member states such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, so Indian students are not eligible.
PhD Programs in Canada: 2026 Guide for StudentsRead →
What Non-Government Scholarships Fund Study in Canada?
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship is the largest non-government award. Scholars are nominated by their university and receive up to CAD 50,000 a year for tuition and living costs plus up to CAD 20,000 a year for research travel and networking, over three years, worth up to CAD 210,000 in total.
Foundation awards are far narrower than government schemes. The Trudeau Foundation funds humanities and social sciences research linked to one of its four themes: human rights and dignity, responsible citizenship, Canada and the world, and people and their natural environment. Candidates are usually put forward through their university, so the graduate unit should be your first contact.
| Non-Government Award (2026) | Value | Who Can Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship | Up to CAD 50,000 a year plus up to CAD 20,000 a year for research travel, for three years, up to CAD 210,000 in total | Doctoral candidates in the humanities and social sciences working on one of the Foundation's four themes. Universities may submit up to three nominations a year. |
Which Scholarships Are Available for Bachelor's Study?
Undergraduate funding comes almost entirely from universities. Toronto's Lester B. Pearson scholarship covers tuition, books, incidental fees and residence for four years. UBC's International Major Entrance Scholarship pays CAD 10,000 to 25,000 a year, York's automatic awards reach CAD 37,500 in total, and Calgary's international entrance scholarship is CAD 20,000.
Most of these awards need no separate scholarship form. York and UBC assess every international applicant automatically on the admission average, while Toronto's Pearson scholarship is the exception and requires a nomination from the applicant's secondary school.
| University Award (2026) | Value | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship, University of Toronto | Tuition, books, incidental fees and full residence support for four years | About 37 scholars a year. One nomination per school, and the school nomination deadline is 9 October 2026 for September 2027 entry. |
| International Major Entrance Scholarship, University of British Columbia | CAD 10,000 to 25,000 a year for 2026/27 | Automatic on application by the admissions deadline, renewable for up to three further years. |
| York International Scholarship of Distinction | CAD 15,000 in year one and CAD 7,500 in years two to four, up to CAD 37,500 | Automatic for high school applicants with a 90 percent or higher admission average, renewable on 24 credits and a 7.5 GPA. |
| York International Merit Award | CAD 10,000 in year one and CAD 5,000 in years two to four, up to CAD 25,000 | Automatic at an admission average of 80 to 89.9 percent. |
| University of Calgary International Entrance Scholarship | CAD 20,000, renewable | Two awards a year for first-year international undergraduates, applied for through the My UCalgary portal. |
| UBC Okanagan Global Elevation Award | CAD 8,000, renewable for up to four years | Applied automatically to eligible international students at the Okanagan campus. |
Government Scholarships for Indian Students 2026Read →
Which Scholarships Support Master's and PhD Students?
Doctoral candidates should target the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral at CAD 40,000 a year and Quebec's PBEEE at CAD 25,000 a year. Master's students are mostly funded by their university, because the federal master's award excludes international students. The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship is a strong example that accepts all citizenships.
This split catches many applicants out. The federal master's scholarship is closed to students on a study permit, so a master's applicant from India should build a funding plan around university fellowships, departmental assistantships and provincial awards instead of federal ones.
| Graduate Award (2026) | Value | Level and Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral | CAD 40,000 a year for 36 months | PhD, open to international students in a Canadian doctoral programme. |
| University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, master's | CAD 20,000 a year for 12 or 24 months, up to CAD 40,000 | Master's. All students are eligible regardless of citizenship, with a minimum 3.0 admission GPA and a departmental recommendation. |
| University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, doctoral | CAD 25,000 a year for 12 to 48 months, up to CAD 100,000 | PhD. All students are eligible regardless of citizenship. |
| Quebec PBEEE doctoral, India stream | CAD 25,000 a year, up to CAD 87,000 | PhD at a Quebec university, by nomination. |
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship | Up to CAD 210,000 over three years | PhD in the humanities and social sciences. |
| Ontario Graduate Scholarship | CAD 5,000 a session, up to CAD 15,000 a year | Master's and PhD in Ontario, with a limited international quota. |
What MBA Scholarships Do Canadian Business Schools Offer?
Canadian business schools award MBA money with the admission decision. Ivey gives roughly eighty percent of incoming students an award of CAD 10,000 to 70,000. Schulich entrance scholarships range from CAD 1,000 to CAD 80,000, and Haskayne full-time MBA entrance scholarships run from CAD 1,500 to CAD 20,000 based on GPA and GMAT results.
MBA awards are the one area where a strong GMAT still moves money directly. Haskayne states that entrance scholarships are awarded on undergraduate GPA and GMAT scores and are given on a rolling basis, which again rewards early applications.
| MBA Scholarship (2026) | Value | School |
|---|---|---|
| Ivey MBA admission scholarships | CAD 10,000 to 70,000, received by about 80 percent of incoming students | Ivey Business School, Western University |
| Robert Krembil Scholarship of Merit | CAD 80,000, covering tuition plus a CAD 5,000 living subsidy, renewable | Schulich School of Business, York University |
| Seymour Schulich MBA Entrance Scholarship | CAD 31,890 | Schulich School of Business, York University |
| Tanna H. Schulich MBA Entrance Scholarship | CAD 31,890 | Schulich School of Business, York University |
| Scotiabank Scholarship in International Business | CAD 20,000 | Schulich School of Business, York University |
| Dean's International Scholarship | CAD 12,000, renewable | Schulich School of Business, York University |
| Haskayne Full-time MBA entrance scholarships | CAD 1,500 to 20,000, awarded on GPA and GMAT | Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary |
How Much Money Must You Still Show for a Study Permit?
A scholarship does not remove the financial requirement. Applicants who apply on or after 1 September 2025 must show CAD 22,895 in living costs for a single applicant outside Quebec, on top of first-year tuition and travel costs. A scholarship letter can count towards that proof, so request the letter as soon as the award is confirmed.
Two other rules changed recently and are worth checking before you plan an application. The Student Direct Stream, the faster study permit route that once covered India, ended on 8 November 2024 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, so all Indian applicants now use the regular study permit process. Proof of funds must also be shown for each accompanying family member.