Canadian Government Scholarships for International Students

Canada is one of the most welcoming study destinations in the world, and the Government of Canada funds a small, very specific set of scholarship programs for international students. If you have searched for “Canadian government scholarships” and found websites promising a single fully funded degree scholarship that anyone can apply for directly, you need to read this guide carefully first. The reality is more precise, and understanding it will save you months of wasted effort.

Most federal Canadian scholarships for international students are short-term exchange and research mobility awards. They do not fund a complete bachelor’s or master’s degree in Canada. Instead, they fund four to eight months of study or research at a Canadian college or university while you remain enrolled at a post-secondary institution in your home country. The main programs are the Study in Canada Scholarships (SICS), the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), and the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development, now in its second phase as SEED-2. All three are funded by Global Affairs Canada and administered through EduCanada.

The major exception is research funding at doctoral level. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), administered jointly by Canada’s three federal granting agencies, is open to international students who are already enrolled in a doctoral program at an eligible Canadian institution. It replaced the well-known Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, which are now discontinued. This guide explains each program honestly: who can apply, which countries are eligible, how much each award is worth, what it covers, and how the application actually works.

This guide is written for students from Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Indonesia and the other eligible countries listed by EduCanada, as well as doctoral researchers worldwide. Wherever you are starting from, browse the full scholarships directory on StudyGraduate alongside this guide, and compare host institutions in our Canadian universities directory before you commit to a single route.

Canadian Government Scholarships at a Glance

The table below summarises the four federal programs covered in this guide, using the values published by EduCanada and the federal granting agencies for the 2026-2027 cycle. Read the eligibility column carefully: each program serves a different region of the world, and none of them accepts direct applications from individual students for the exchange awards.

Two facts in this table matter more than everything else. First, the exchange scholarships require you to already be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country and to keep paying tuition there during your time in Canada. If you have finished your studies, or you want a scholarship to start a brand-new degree in Canada, SICS, ELAP and SEED-2 are not the right programs. Second, the Canadian host institution must waive tuition for scholarship recipients and must submit the application. Your job is to win the support of a Canadian institution and, for research stays, a Canadian supervisor — not to fill in a government form yourself.

1. Study in Canada Scholarships (SICS)

The Study in Canada Scholarships offer Canadian post-secondary institutions the opportunity to host international students from a diverse range of countries and territories for short-term study or research exchanges. The program is funded by Global Affairs Canada through its Academic Relations program, and its stated aim is to strengthen and diversify Canada’s international linkages and partnerships. For the 2026-2027 cycle, EduCanada introduced an adjusted delivery model: Canadian institutions are now responsible for selecting students, selection at program level is based on the institution’s Management and Accountability Framework, and the Privacy Notice Statement is the only supporting document the institution must submit through the My EduCanada portal. The application period for the 2026-2027 cycle closed on March 31, 2026, and all project activities must be completed no later than September 30, 2027.

SICS eligible countries

For 2026-2027, scholarships may only be awarded to citizens of the following countries and territories, as published on the official Study in Canada Scholarships page on EduCanada:

• Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, Taiwan
• Europe: Türkiye, Ukraine
• Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda

If your country is not on this list — for example, if you are from India, Pakistan or Indonesia — you are not eligible for SICS in this cycle. Country lists can change between cycles, so check the official page again when the next call opens rather than relying on older blog posts, many of which reproduce outdated lists. Indonesian students should look at SEED-2 below, which does include Indonesia.

SICS eligibility rules

To receive a SICS award you must be a citizen of an eligible country, be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in that country, and be paying tuition fees to that institution at the time of application and for the full duration of your mobility in Canada. You cannot receive a SICS scholarship if you hold or have a pending application for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, if you already hold another grant from Global Affairs Canada or a Canadian federal granting agency such as NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR, or if you are already enrolled in a degree, diploma or certificate program at a Canadian post-secondary institution. The Canadian host must be a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) and must waive tuition fees for recipients. Total federal funding is capped at $150,000 per project, with an additional $500 per implemented scholarship to cover the Canadian institution’s administrative costs.

SICS value and eligible expenses

SICS pays $10,200 for four months or one academic term of study or research at college, undergraduate or graduate level, and $14,000 for five to six months of graduate study or research. Tuition is not an eligible expense because the host institution waives it. Within the wider Global Affairs Canada scholarship model, recipients use their funds for visa or study and work permit fees, airfare via the most direct and economical route, health insurance, living expenses such as accommodation, utilities and food, ground transportation including a public transportation pass, and books and supplies required for their study or research, excluding computers and other equipment. Universities that host SICS students, such as those profiled in institutional guidance like McMaster University’s EduCanada scholarships overview, also warn that award money is typically disbursed after arrival, so you should plan bridging funds for your first weeks in Canada.

2. Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)

ELAP, established in 2009, supports the next generation of leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean by funding short-term exchanges to Canada. It is not open to students from Asia or Africa, however strong your grades are. Eligible candidates must be citizens of countries in the Caribbean (including Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Guyana), Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama), Mexico, or South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela), and must be enrolled full-time at a recognised post-secondary institution at home while paying tuition there.

For the current cycle published by EduCanada, ELAP pays $8,600 for four months or one academic term at college, undergraduate or graduate level, and $12,400 for five to six months at graduate level. As with SICS, Canadian institutions apply on behalf of students, tuition at the host is waived, candidates must not hold or be applying for Canadian permanent residence or citizenship, must not already be enrolled in a Canadian degree program, and all activities must be completed by September 30, 2027. If you are from Latin America or the Caribbean, ELAP is one of the most realistic funded routes to a semester in Canada, and it frequently becomes a stepping stone to later graduate admission — many alumni return for a master’s or PhD at institutions such as the University of British Columbia or the University of Alberta.

3. Canada-ASEAN Scholarships (SEED-2)

The Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development are now running as Phase 2, known as SEED-2. According to the official SEED-2 page on EduCanada, eligible candidates are citizens of ASEAN member states — Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam — plus Pacific Island Countries and Mongolia. SEED-2 is facilitated through institutional collaborations between Canadian post-secondary institutions and partner institutions in those countries, with a development focus linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

SEED-2 values are the most generous of the three exchange programs for undergraduates: $10,200 for four months at college, undergraduate or graduate level; $15,900 for eight months (two academic terms) at college or undergraduate level; and $12,700 for five to six months at graduate level. Candidates must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country and paying tuition there throughout the exchange. You are not eligible if you hold or are applying for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, if you are already participating in another Government of Canada funded scholarship, if you are already enrolled in a Canadian program, or if you previously received a scholarship under the first phase of SEED. Canadian hosts must be DLIs, must waive tuition, and must centralise applications through their international office.

4. Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D) and the End of Vanier

If you are planning a PhD in Canada, this is the federal program that matters most. The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, which paid $50,000 per year and were once Canada’s flagship doctoral award, are discontinued: the last Vanier competition ran in 2024-2025, and the program no longer accepts applications. Any website inviting you to apply for “Vanier 2026” or “Vanier 2027” is out of date. The replacement is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), part of the Canada Research Training Awards Suite and administered jointly by CIHR (health), NSERC (natural sciences and engineering) and SSHRC (social sciences and humanities).

CGRS-D pays $40,000 per year for 36 months, a total potential value of $120,000. Up to 15% of awards are available to international students, but with a critical condition: international applicants must already be enrolled in their doctoral program at an eligible Canadian institution by the application deadline. You cannot win CGRS-D from abroad before you have been admitted and registered. Applicants must have completed no more than 36 months of full-time equivalent doctoral study by December 31 of the application year, must be in a research-oriented doctoral program, must not have previously held a doctoral-level scholarship from CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC, and may apply a maximum of three times. Selection is weighted 50% on research potential and 50% on relevant experience and achievements. Institutional deadlines fall earlier than agency deadlines, so treat your university’s internal date as your real deadline. University guidance pages such as Simon Fraser University’s CGRS-D page and the UBC Okanagan CGRS-D overview show how individual institutions run their internal competitions.

Two related points prevent common misunderstandings. First, the master’s counterpart, CGRS-M ($27,000 for 12 months), is restricted to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons — international students cannot apply, so do not build a master’s funding plan around it. Second, strong doctoral funding in Canada usually comes as a package: a supervisor’s research grant, a university fellowship, teaching or research assistantships, and then a national award like CGRS-D on top. Aim first for admission with a funded offer at a research-intensive university such as the University of Toronto, McGill University or the University of Waterloo, and treat CGRS-D as the competitive second step once you are enrolled.

Eligibility Checklist: Which Program Fits You?

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Confirm your citizenship and enrolment fit. Match your passport and your current enrolment against one program only. Applying energy to a program whose country list excludes you is the most common wasted effort in this entire system.
2. Choose a field and a Canadian host. For study exchanges, identify Canadian DLIs with links to your home institution. For research exchanges, identify a Canadian professor whose work matches yours and who could supervise a four-to-six-month project. Use our study abroad guides to compare provinces and costs while you shortlist.
3. Contact the Canadian institution’s international office early. Because the institution selects students and submits through My EduCanada, you need its internal timeline, which is always earlier than the federal deadline. Ask explicitly whether it is running a SICS, ELAP or SEED-2 project this cycle and what its internal selection requires.
4. Secure academic support. For research mobility, obtain a letter of invitation from the Canadian supervisor. For coursework mobility, confirm that credits can transfer back to your home degree and that your home institution supports the exchange.
5. Prepare your documents. Typical requirements across the exchange programs include proof of citizenship, proof of full-time enrolment at your home institution, transcripts, a letter of intent explaining your study or research plan, a letter of support from your home institution, and the signed Privacy Notice Statement. Keep every document consistent in name spelling and dates.
6. Let the institution submit. For SICS 2026-2027, institutions submitted nominations through My EduCanada and emailed their Management and Accountability Framework by 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 31, 2026, with results communicated to institutions in May 2026. If you missed that cycle, prepare for the next one in the autumn and winter rather than paying anyone who claims they can still submit for you.
7. Plan your study permit or authorisation and your budget. A scholarship does not remove immigration requirements. Check the IRCC proof of financial support page: you must show funds for tuition, living expenses and transportation. For scale, IRCC’s living-expense threshold for a single applicant outside Quebec was CAD $22,895 for applications from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, rising to CAD $23,448 from September 1, 2026 — figures that exclude tuition and travel, and that IRCC updates annually. A four-month exchange award will not by itself cover a full degree’s costs, so plan honestly.
8. Arrive, register, and protect the award. Engage in full-time study or research, avoid clinical training involving direct patient care (excluded under these programs), and return to your home institution afterwards to complete your studies, as the exchange model requires.

Deadlines and Timeline

How to Improve Your Chances

Selection for the exchange programs now sits with Canadian institutions, so your real competition is for an institution’s limited project places (remember the $150,000 per-project cap). Strong grades matter, but hosts also weigh whether your study or research plan fits their partnerships, whether your home institution supports you, and whether your project can realistically finish within the funded window. A focused one-page research plan that names a supervisor’s lab, a method and a deliverable beats a vague wish to “experience Canada.” For CGRS-D, work on the two equally weighted halves: research potential, shown through a specific, original and feasible proposal, and relevant experience, shown through publications, conferences, awards and leadership. Start a conversation with potential supervisors months before admission deadlines, and use the StudyGraduate tools to model living costs so your funding plan is credible.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Paying an agent for a “direct” SICS, ELAP or SEED application. Individuals cannot apply directly. Anyone charging you to submit your own federal exchange application is misrepresenting the process.
• Applying for Vanier. Vanier is discontinued. Redirect that effort to CGRS-D if you are an enrolled doctoral student, or to university doctoral funding packages if you are not yet admitted.
• Assuming eligibility from an old country list. SICS country lists have changed between cycles; Libya, for example, appears in some older summaries but not in the verified 2026-2027 list. Always use the current EduCanada page.
• Treating an exchange award as degree funding. These awards end after four to eight months and require you to return home to finish your degree.
• Ignoring the enrolment condition. If you graduate from your home institution before the exchange, you may lose eligibility. Time the mobility inside your degree.
• Forgetting bridging money. Funds are disbursed by the host after arrival through its own processes; arriving with no money for your first weeks is a known problem flagged by host universities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply directly to the Government of Canada for SICS, ELAP or SEED-2?

No. For all three exchange programs, Canadian post-secondary institutions identify and select eligible students and submit applications through My EduCanada. Your route is to win a place with a Canadian host institution and, for research stays, a supervisor, well before the federal deadline.

Are Canadian government scholarships fully funded for a full degree?

Generally, no. SICS, ELAP and SEED-2 fund short-term exchanges of four to eight months with tuition waived by the host. CGRS-D provides $40,000 per year for three years of doctoral study, which is substantial but is one component of a doctoral funding package, not a promise that every cost is covered.

Is the Vanier Scholarship still available in 2026 or 2027?

No. Vanier ran its last competition in 2024-2025 and no longer accepts applications. Its successor for doctoral students is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D) at $40,000 per year for 36 months.

I am from India or Pakistan. Which Canadian government scholarship can I apply for?

India and Pakistan are not on the SICS 2026-2027 country list, and ELAP and SEED-2 serve other regions. Your realistic federal route is CGRS-D after enrolling in a Canadian PhD (international students share up to 15% of awards), plus university and provincial scholarships for admission, which are covered elsewhere in our StudyGraduate guides.

How much money do I need for a Canadian study permit?

IRCC requires proof of funds for tuition, living expenses and transportation. The living-expense amount for a single applicant outside Quebec was CAD $22,895 for applications from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026 and CAD $23,448 from September 1, 2026, excluding tuition and travel. Quebec applies its own rules. Always recheck the live IRCC table before applying.

Can I stay in Canada after my exchange scholarship ends?

The exchange programs are built on returning to your home institution to complete your studies. A scholarship does not grant immigration status or a work permit. Any later study or work in Canada requires its own authorisation through IRCC’s normal processes.

Does the scholarship cover my family’s travel or my computer?

No. Under the Global Affairs Canada model, eligible expenses cover the recipient’s own most direct and economical airfare, and books and supplies exclude computers and other equipment. Family costs are not part of these awards.

When will the next SICS cycle open?

At the time of writing, EduCanada lists the 2026-2027 application period as closed, with the institutional deadline of March 31, 2026 passed. New cycle dates had not been published when this guide was verified. Prepare your documents and host-institution contacts in advance and check EduCanada regularly.

Sources & Verification

This guide was verified against the following official sources at the time of writing: EduCanada, Study in Canada Scholarships program page (values, eligible countries, March 31, 2026 institutional deadline, September 30, 2027 completion date, $150,000 project cap); EduCanada, Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program page (values of $8,600 and $12,400); EduCanada, Canada-ASEAN SEED-2 page (values of $10,200, $12,700 and $15,900, eligible ASEAN, Pacific Island and Mongolian candidates); federal granting agency and university CGRS-D guidance from Simon Fraser University and UBC Okanagan ($40,000 per year for 36 months, 15% international share, 36-month study limit); McMaster University’s Global Affairs office summary of ELAP, SEED and SICS; and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s study permit proof of financial support page (funds structure and annually updated living-expense amounts).

Disclaimer: Scholarship details, values, country lists and deadlines change yearly. Always confirm deadlines, amounts and eligibility on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency. We never promise selection, admission or visa approval, and no one can guarantee those outcomes for you.