Competitive Financial Packages
Graduate students in Geography and Planning at Queen’s University benefit from a range of funding opportunities designed to support academic excellence and research success.
Financial support may include departmental funding, internal Queen’s funding and awards, and competitive external scholarships.
Together, these sources provide meaningful support for both Master’s and doctoral students in our programs.
Departmental Awards
In 2025–2026, the minimum level of funding for domestic and international Master’s students is $17,000 per year for up to two years. For domestic and international doctoral students, the minimum level of funding is $23,000 per year for up to four years of study, subject to satisfactory academic standing and continued program eligibility requirements.
Established in January 2001 by an anonymous donor to the Department of Geography and Planning at ³ÉÈË´óƬ. Awarded to a full-time graduate student in the Department of Geography and Planning on the basis of academic excellence, and meaningful research and study. This Fellowship will be awarded annually to a graduate student pursuing a PhD., MSC, or MA Value: $15,000. This award is especially targeted towards graduate students pursuing degrees in physical geography.
Established in January 2001 by an anonymous donor to the Department of Geography and Planning at ³ÉÈË´óƬ. Awarded to five to seven full-time graduate students who have been admitted to a Master's or PhD program in the Department of Geography and Planning on the basis of academic excellence, and meaningful research and study. Value: Up to $3,000.
This annually funded scholarship of $2,500 is for humanities and social science PhD graduate students who have successfully completed their course work and qualifying examination. Eligible students will have research focused on historical issues and will employ either qualitative approaches (archival, hermeneutic, or interview) or mixed methodologies (e.g. historical research involving GIS or quantitative methods and qualitative methods). This fund is for meritorious students (Canadian or not) who have not received other fellowship funding, either internal or external to the university.
³ÉÈË´óƬ Funding and Awards
Suitable applicants will be nominated by the department for a variety of awards. Most fellowships are currently valued at $10,000. Students will also be considered for Ontario Graduate Scholarships and Department of Geography and Planning Fellowships or Awards for Exceptional Merit.
External Awards
While the Department of Geography and Planning provides guaranteed funding to Masters and PhD students, all students are expected to apply for internal and external awards.
Applying for awards takes effort, but the skills honed in crafting an application and effectively communicating research design are transferrable across the graduate program and beyond. Winning awards is a validation of your achievements and potential and strengthens your CV.
There are also many awards and bursaries, including emergency and needs-based funding, available through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Be advised that most of the deadlines for these awards are in September and early October.
The CGRS M is a scholarship in the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The CRTAS aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.
The CGRS M program supports up to 3,298 students annually in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three granting agencies. The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the institutional level under the guidance of the three agencies.
Guidelines and complete instructions for the competition are available from the Government of Canada website. The application platform typically opens in early September each year.
Deadline: December 1 before 08:00 pm Eastern Standard Time each year
Note: As this deadline date approaches, processing delays may stem from a high volume of users on the Research Portal, which may prevent the timely submission of the application. Requests to submit late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship-Doctoral (CGRS D) is a scholarship in the Canada Research Training Awards Suite (CRTAS) administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The CRTAS aims to support the next generation of innovators by providing funding and high-quality research training, cultivating research skills, fostering creativity and empowering awardees to make significant contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, economy and prosperity.
The CGRS D program supports and promotes research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of health, natural sciences and engineering and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. This support allows scholars to concentrate on their doctoral studies more fully, 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. Doctoral scholarships are awarded through a selection process and administered by the three granting agencies.
Guidelines and complete instructions for the competition are available from the Government of Canada website.
Scroll down to view the application forms and instructions for the:
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
- National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Deadline: Queen’s internal application deadline is typically in early October. Please check back for updates regarding the next application deadline.
Call for applications is only sent out twice a year – September for Fall term conferences and February for Winter and Summer term conferences. You must be presenting in order to be considered for an award. Even if you think you will be applying to present at a conference, be sure to submit your application and supporting documents by the appropriate deadline. Students may apply for this funding once during the academic year.
Deadline: November 15 for Fall term conferences, and March 15 for Winter and Summer Term conferences
The Graduate Dean's Travel Grants for Doctoral Field Research contribute to travel expenses for field research that is central to the doctoral dissertation and that must be carried out at a considerable distance from ³ÉÈË´óƬ.
Deadline: Please check back for updates regarding the next application deadline.
The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program is designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels.
Students apply online through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (SGSPA) website.
Deadline: January 31 each year
International students who are studying in Ontario with a student study permit and who have established a Canadian bank account are eligible to be put forward by their Queen's home Department for an OGS International Award. Normally, the Department may put only one student forward for this award through the annual internal fellowships competition held in May/June.
Students apply online through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (SGSPA) website.
Deadline: January 31 each year
Indigenous domestic students who are studying in Ontario are eligible to be put forward by their Queen's home Department for an OGS Indigenous Award. In order to be considered for this award, the applicant must have self-identified by checking the relevant box in the online OGS application. Normally, the Department may put only one student forward for this award through the annual internal fellowships competition held in May/June.
Students apply online through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (SGSPA) website.
Student Deadline: January 31 each year
The funding is to provide financial assistance to PhD students who are in the final stages of writing their theses. The goal is to have students who receive TCF complete their program during the time they are holding TCF.
Only Full-Time PhD Students who are in the 5th year of their program (for the tenure term of the funding) are eligible. Under the SGSPA terms of accepting this funding, the recipient of the funding cannot hold Teaching Assistantships, Teaching Fellowships, or Research Assistantships during the period of the funding. Students who receive TCF are not eligible to receive any subsequent awards from the SGSPA, including QGA.
Funding will be allocated based on:
- the viability of the plan for completing the thesis and degree program within the tenure term of the funding;
- academic merit;
- the financial need of the student; a full-time student in 5th year who is eligible for this funding (i.e., not holding a TA, TF, or RA and not exceeding the ten hours per week (average) of work rule for full-time status) is determined by the Department to be in financial need.
Deadline: Please check back for updates regarding the next application deadline.
The is an independent, non-partisan Canadian registered charity. It was created in 2001 as a living memorial to the late former prime minister.
The Foundation supports cutting-edge research in the humanities and social sciences, ensuring concrete tie-ins with issues that affect our everyday lives. It supports students pursuing a PhD, honours top researchers and establishes strong connections with leading figures in the professional field. By fostering collaboration between the Scholars, Fellows and Mentors who receive our support, the Foundation brings together exceptional leaders who work together to find tangible solutions to the key challenges of our time.
Deadline: Check the for application deadlines.
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program is designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by offering them a significant financial award to assist them during their studies at Canadian universities.
Deadline: Check the for application deadlines.