SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships

Fall 2023 Competition

On this page

• Description
• Future Challenge Areas
• Value and duration
• Eligibility
• Application process
• Application deadlines
• Indigenous applicants
• Selection process
• Selection criteria
• Notification of results
• Regulations, policies and related information
• Contact information

Description

The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are expected to respond to the objectives of the Research Training and Talent Development program.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships support high-calibre students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities. This support allows scholars to fully focus on their doctoral studies, to seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields, and to contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Joint initiatives and supplements

SSHRC offers supplementary funding to scholarship and fellowship award holders, some of which is offered through joint initiatives. SSHRC collaborates with organizations from across the not-for-profit, private and public sectors to support and promote training, research and connection activities in the social sciences and humanities. SSHRC’s joint initiatives are designed to reflect SSHRC’s strategic objectives and mandate, inform decision-makers and, in certain cases, address specific needs of its partners.

Learn more about joint initiatives.

For a complete list of available supplements and joint initiatives, see SSHRC’s funding search tool.

Unless otherwise indicated, there is no separate application process for most initiatives and supplements. However, candidates must indicate they wish to be considered for an initiative or a supplement, and explain why, in their application form.

Future Challenge Areas

SSHRC invites all applicants to review Imagining Canada’s Future’s 16 future global challenges and to consider addressing one or more of these areas in their research proposal. This is not an evaluation criterion for merit review and does not offer additional or dedicated research funds for this funding opportunity. 

Value and duration

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are valued at $20,000 per year for 12, 24, 36 or 48 months, up to a total of $80,000.

SSHRC determines the value and duration of an award based on the number of months of full-time study (or equivalent) the applicant will have completed by December 31 of the calendar year of application. See the Eligibility—Applicant section for more information.

Eligibility

Applicant

To be eligible to apply, an applicant must: 

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), as of the application deadline;
• not have already received a doctoral-level scholarship or fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) or SSHRC; 
• not have submitted more than one scholarship or fellowship application per academic year to either CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC. (Should more than one application be submitted, the first eligible application submitted will be retained; nominations to the Vanier CGS program do not count toward this limit—see SSHRC’s regulations on multiple applications and on holding multiple awards for more information.); and
• have completed no more than 48 months of full-time study in their doctoral program by December 31 of the calendar year of application.

Some eligibility requirements for the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships differ from the eligibility requirements of the CGS D Scholarships.

Months of study

Eligibility for a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship is based on the number of months of full-time study, including summer months, the applicant will have completed by December 31 of the calendar year of application. Part-time study is counted as half time. For example, two terms of part-time study count as one term of full-time study.

Fast-track, joint and direct-entry programs

For applicants registered in a master’s program and then transferred to a doctoral program (fast-track), the months of study completed are calculated starting from the date when the applicant transferred into the doctoral program.

For applicants registered in a joint program, and a master’s degree is obtained as part of the program (e.g., MA/PhD), the months of study are calculated starting from the date when an applicant is officially registered in the joint program (including the master’s portion of the program).

For applicants registered in a joint professional undergraduate/PhD program (MD/PhD, JD/PhD, DVM/PhD), only the months of study in the PhD portion will be counted.

For applicants registered in a doctoral program directly from an undergraduate program (i.e., never enroled in a graduate program), the months of study completed are calculated starting from the date when they began the doctoral program. These applicants, however, could be eligible to apply to the Canada Graduate Scholarships—Master’s Program (CGS M) for their first year of doctoral funding. Eligible applicants who apply for a CGS M could maximize the period for which they receive funding. Applicants are responsible for choosing the type of award for which they apply.

Subject matter

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships support and promote research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research.

Consult the guidelines for selecting the appropriate federal granting agency and the guidelines on subject matter eligibility for more information.

Program of study

An eligible doctoral program must include a significant research component that leads to the completion of a thesis, major research project, dissertation, scholarly publication, performance, recital and/or exhibit. This component must be merit/expert reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completing the program. 

Joint programs with a professional degree (e.g., MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD), as well as clinically oriented programs of study including clinical psychology, are eligible if they have a significant autonomous research component as described above.

Eligibility to hold an award

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are tenable at any recognized institution in Canada or abroad.

• For the fellowship to be held abroad, the award holder must have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree at a Canadian postsecondary institution.
• For award holders who do not meet this requirement, the fellowships are tenable only at recognized Canadian postsecondary institutions.

The CGS D scholarships are tenable only at eligible Canadian institutions. There are no exceptions.

Award holders can be eligible to hold their awards part time. Refer to the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide for further information.

Qualifying or “make-up” years of study are not eligible for support.

Federal government employees require prior approval from SSHRC to be eligible to hold an award. Supporting documentation from the employer might be required.

For other requirements, consult the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.

Application process

Applicants must complete the application form according to the instructions.

Applicants eligible for both a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship and CGS D Scholarship will automatically be considered for both awards.

To apply, applicants must do the following:

1. ensure that they meet the requirements specified in Value and duration and Eligibility;
2. complete only one application form, together with the SSHRC CV and required attachments; and
3. determine their current registration status from the Where to submit an application and Quotas subsections below and submit their completed application to the appropriate institution or to SSHRC directly, as required.

Where to submit an application

Applicants must apply either through a Canadian institution with a doctoral awards quota or directly to SSHRC depending on their registration status at the application deadline date and/or their registration status in the calendar year of application. Failure to apply through the correct channel will result in an application being withdrawn from the competition.

To determine the correct channel, applicants must:

• determine if an institution has a doctoral awards quota for SSHRC; and
• refer to the chart and supporting information in the document Where should I submit my application? (PDF, 145 KB)

Applicants should contact the faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) to confirm their registration status in the calendar year of application.

Quotas

For Canadian institutions with a doctoral awards quota, the term “quota” refers to the maximum number of applications an institution can forward to SSHRC’s national competition.

Application deadlines

Institutional deadlines

Applicants applying through their institution must submit their applications by the deadline set by the institution, which may be well in advance of SSHRC’s deadline.

For more information about institutional deadlines, applicants should contact their faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent).

Deadline for submitting directly to SSHRC

Applicants eligible to apply directly to SSHRC (consult Where should I submit my application? [PDF, 145 KB]) must submit using the appropriate application portal before 8 p.m. (eastern) on October 17. If the deadline falls on a weekend or a public holiday observed in Ontario, where SSHRC’s offices are, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 8 p.m. (eastern). Incomplete applications may be withdrawn from the competition.

Applicants requiring assistance while preparing their application should communicate with SSHRC well in advance of their application deadline.

Indigenous applicants

Institutions can recommend applications from Indigenous applicants for submission to the doctoral awards competition beyond their application quota, if applicants agree to their personal information being used for this purpose. Applicants can do so by making the appropriate selection in the application form.

Indigenous applicants who have selected this option and who are required to submit their application directly to SSHRC are automatically evaluated in the national competition.

For more information, see SSHRC’s Indigenous Talent Measures.

Selection process

Applications are evaluated, and available funds awarded, through a competitive merit review process. SSHRC bases funding decisions on the recommendations of the selection committee and on the funds available.

Institutional review

The faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) at each Canadian institution is responsible for coordinating the institutional evaluation of doctoral award applications. Institutions then submit applications for SSHRC’s consideration according to their doctoral award quotas.

SSHRC review

Multidisciplinary Doctoral Awards Selection Committees covering broad research areas evaluate applications (whether sent directly to SSHRC or by the institutions).

Selection criteria

The evaluation of doctoral award applications, whether by institutions or by SSHRC, is based on the following criteria:

SSHRC’s Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research are relevant for researchers (applicants and project directors) and students preparing SSHRC applications related to Indigenous research. SSHRC provides these guidelines to merit reviewers to help build understanding of Indigenous research and research-related activities, and to assist committee members in interpreting SSHRC’s specific evaluation criteria in the context of Indigenous research. SSHRC makes concerted efforts to include experts in Indigenous research on doctoral and postdoctoral merit review committees. The guidelines may also be of use to external assessors, postsecondary institutions and partner organizations that support Indigenous research.

Notification of results

SSHRC informs all applicants of the outcome of their applications in April of each year via the SSHRC Extranet for Applicants.

The faculty of graduate studies (or its equivalent) of Canadian institutions with a quota will be informed of their applicants’ competition results via the Grants and Scholarships Administration Portal.

SSHRC will publish the names (and other basic award information) of scholarship recipients on its website.

All communications of results, including publication of recipients’ list, meet all requirements of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Regulations, policies and related information

SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications based on the information included. SSHRC also reserves the right to interpret the regulations and policies governing its funding opportunities.

All applicants and scholarship/fellowship holders must comply with the regulations governing fellowship and scholarship applications and with the regulations set out in the Tri-Agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.

Official languages

Applicants can submit their application in the official language of their choice. Institutions must have mechanisms in place to review both English and French applications.

Guidelines and related support material

All applicants for SSHRC funding should consult the following guidelines while preparing their application:

• SSHRC’s Definitions of Terms for terms used in the application process;
• the Guidelines for Effective Research Training, which can also be useful to reviewers and postsecondary institutions; and
• SSHRC’s Indigenous Research Statement of Principles and Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research for applications involving Indigenous research;
• SSHRC’s definition of knowledge mobilization and its Guidelines for Effective Knowledge Mobilization for guidance on connecting with research users to create impact; and
• SSHRC’s definition of researchcreation and its Guidelines for Research-Creation Support Materials for clarification on how committee members evaluate samples of research-creation provided through website links.

Contact information

For more information, contact:

Toll-free: 1-855-275-2861
Email: fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

Date modified:

2023-07-20