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Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science & Technology (QEII-GSST)

Competition Guide (for Applicants)
Deadline for all steps: April 21, 2025

Purpose of the Scholarship
Awards Available
Application Procedures
Maximum Support
Eligibility

Purpose of the Scholarship

Designed to encourage excellence in graduate studies in science and technology, the QEII Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) program is supported through funds provided by the Province of Ontario and by funds raised by the University of Toronto (U of T) from the private sector.

Awards Available

Please note: Applicants to DoM held QEII-GSST awards must be a) graduate trainees also enrolled in a Department of Medicine residency program; and/or b) students with a supervisor with a primary appointment in the DoM.  The Temerty Faculty of Medicine Research and Health Science Education administers additional QEII-GSST opportunities with separate eligibility requirements that are open to trainees from across Temerty Faculty of Medicine departments. A list of those opportunities are available here: https://rhse.temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/qeii-awards-administered-rhse

Department of Medicine QEII-GSST Awards

  • Community Health QEII-GSST: To be awarded to students in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine on the basis of academic excellence. Students must have maintained an overall A- average over the last two years of study at the postsecondary level. Recipients should also exhibit research ability/potential, good communication skills and interpersonal/leadership abilities. First preference will be given to doctoral (MsC/PhD) MD-scientist or MD-educator trainees pursuing studies in clinical epidemiology whose supervisor holds their primary appointment in the Department of Medicine. Second preference will be given to graduate students pursuing studies in community health whose supervisor holds their primary appointment in the Department of Medicine and a cross-appointment in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health or the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Failing this, the supervisor should hold a primary appointment in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health or the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and a cross-appointment in the Department of Medicine. There is one award available for the 2024 year.
  • Dr. Arnie Aberman QEII-GSST: To be awarded to students in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine on the basis of academic excellence. Students must have maintained an overall A- average over the last two years of study at the post-secondary level. Recipients should also exhibit research ability/potential, good communication skills and interpersonal/leadership abilities. Preference will be given to graduate students enrolled in the clinician-scientist training program. There are 14 awards available for the 2024 year. 
  • Institute of Medical Science QEII-GSST: To be awarded to students in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine on the basis of academic excellence. Students must have maintained an overall A- average over the last two years of study at the post-secondary level. Recipients should also exhibit research ability/potential, good communication skills and interpersonal/leadership abilities. Preference for the scholarship will be given to graduate students registered in the Institute of Medical Science (IMS) who are enrolled in the Department of Medicine Clinician-Scientist Training Program. Secondary consideration will be given to IMS graduate students who are supervised by faculty members holding a primary appointment in the Department of Medicine. There are two awards available for the 2024 year. 
  • Sunnybrook Prehospital Care Program QEII-GSST: To be awarded to students in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine on the basis of academic excellence. Students must have maintained an overall A- average over the last two years of study at the postsecondary level. Recipients should also exhibit research ability/potential, good communication skills and interpersonal/leadership abilities. First preference will be given to MD-scientist trainees pursuing research in pre-hospital care/emergency health services who are supervised by faculty members of the Division of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Medicine. If suitable candidates are not identified in the Division of Emergency Medicine, graduate students pursuing research in pre-hospital care/emergency medicine who are supervised by faculty members of other divisions within the Department of Medicine will be considered.  There is one award available for the 2024 year. 

Application Procedures

Step 1:

Applicants must complete an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) application using the U of T OGS Online Application
Note: The same application is used for both the 2025-26 OGS and QEII-GSST.

The online OGS application requires:

  • Plan of Study**/Research Description/Statement of Intent (in easily understandable terms, including hypothesis, methods, and expected outcomes). Applicants should include their research title on the top of the page.
  • Transcripts (all university transcripts including current program).
  • List of Academic Achievements (scholarships and academic awards received), if applicable.
  • List of Research Contributions, including publications, presentations posters, or other significant work that was submitted to an external organization (e.g., a consulting report).
  • Two reference letters, each accompanied with an OGS Assessment Report. For currently registered students, one assessment report must be completed by current graduate supervisor. Referees are required to submit via online portal.
  • IMPORTANT: Applicants must ensure their Assessment Reports are submitted online by the Department of Medicine’s QEII-GSST submission deadline (April 21, 2025). The U of T OGS online application can only be submitted after both references are complete. Referees should be contacted well in advance.

**Note: should applicants wish to submit a different Plan of Study for his/her QEII-GSST application than what is on the OGS application, it should be included as a PDF attachment in the email to the DoM Research Administrator at dom.research@utoronto.ca by the Department of Medicine internal deadline.

Once completed and submitted online, the entire application will be available for review and consideration by the DoM.

Detailed online application instructions are available on the SGS website.

Step 2:

Applicant informs the DoM that their OGS QEII-GSST application is completed by filling out the DoM web form . At this point please select the DoM administered award you are interested in. Again, please check the eligibility criteria for each award to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria. DoM awards are only available to a) graduate trainees also enrolled in a Department of Medicine residency program; and/or b) students with a supervisor with a primary appointment in the DoM. Please check the faculty directory to see if your supervisor holds a DoM appointment.

Value, Duration and Notification

Up to $15,000 per year or $5,000 per term is awarded for one academic year at a time. (Note: Award payment term only applies to non-clinician-scientist trainees who will be paid the award through the University of Toronto’s Repository of Student Information (ROSI) system).

The award may begin in September of the year of application or the following January. The January start is reserved only for students who cannot undertake the program of studies for which the award is made until January, due to an incomplete previous degree or because the program of study is not available until that date. (Note: Award payment term only applies to non-clinician-scientist trainees who will be paid the award through the University of Toronto’s ACORN system).

Notification of the final approval will be from the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).

Please be aware of the Faculty of Medicine Harmonized Student Stipend Agreement 2023-2024. Contact the Office of the Graduate and Life Sciences Education for details.

Maximum Support

Students are limited in the number of years that they may hold a QEII-GSST:

  • Master’s students may receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years
  • Doctoral students may receive the scholarship for a maximum of four years
  • Both master’s and doctoral students are subject to a lifetime maximum of six years per student

In addition, students are eligible for a lifetime maximum of six (6) years of government-funded awards and students are prohibited from holding a QEII-GSST and another government-funded award concurrently.

Awards under the following programs are included in these restrictions:

  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program (OGS)
  • Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) (formerly OGSST)
  • Ontario Trillium Scholarships (OTS)
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS)

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, applicants must:

  • Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) by the student deadline as determined by each clinical department.
  • Be registered or intend to register in a full-time, thesis based graduate program in the Faculty of Medicine in 2024-25;
    • An eligible program is defined as a full-time program of study of two or three terms at the University of Toronto leading to a graduate degree. A full-time student is one who is in at least 60% of a full course load (40% for students with permanent disability) or as defined by their institution.
  • Have not exceeded the lifetime maximum of government-funded support or maximum QEII-GSST support (see above section under Maximum Support); and
  • Applicants entering the first or second year of graduate studies at the time of application must have achieved an overall average of at least A- (or equivalent) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent).
  • Applicants entering the third year or beyond of graduate studies at the time of application must have an overall average of at least A-, or the equivalent, on all graduate courses completed.
    • Note: If marks used for calculating an applicant’s grade point average (GPA) are not available (for example, courses were graded on a pass-fail basis), then the next most recent available graduate marks should be used to determine eligibility.
  • Students pursuing a professional or course-based master’s program (e.g.: MHSc) are NOT eligible for the awards offered through this competition.
  • Applicants must exhibit overall academic excellence. Applicants should also exhibit research ability or potential, excellent communication skills, and interpersonal and leadership abilities.

To be eligible to hold the QEII-GSST, recipients:

  • Must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student in a graduate program in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, for the complete duration of the award.
  • Those who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, complete degree requirements prior to the end of their award, or fail to complete the full term, will be required to repay any funds received for the incomplete term.
  • Cannot be enrolled in a qualifying or “make-up” year or be on a paid education leave or sabbatical.
  • Must be in good standing with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Applicants who have defaulted on a Canada or Ontario Student Loan, or have failed to make satisfactory repayment on a loan overpayment, are ineligible to receive the award. Students who have never applied for OSAP are in good standing. Those with an OSAP restriction may still apply for the QEII. However, if awarded, they must have the restriction cleared within 30 days of notification in order to accept the award.
  • May accept research assistantships, part-time teaching positions, or other paid employment that does not affect their status as a full-time graduate student and is commensurate with the graduate policies. Typically, students holding full-time paid employment are not eligible to receive a QEII-GSST from the University of Toronto.
  • Cannot hold a QEII-GSST award at the same time (or during any session) as a scholarship from SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, OGS or QEII-GSST that is continuing from a previous year.
  • Applicants to DoM held QEII-GSST awards must be a) graduate trainees also enrolled in a Department of Medicine residency program; and/or b) students with a supervisor with a primary appointment in the DoM.