The timeline on this web page pertains to the 2025-2026 domestic and international competition for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship II in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)Successful recipients will hold their awards during 2025-2026.
End of August/beginning of September 2024:
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OGS/QEII-GSST program details will be posted on OGS/QEII-GSST webpage.
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Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) will provide faculties with their OGS and QEII-GSST allocations when institutional quota is received from the Ministry.
September 1, 2024 – February 1, 2025:
- Students order transcripts, contact their potential referees, prepare applications, and apply for graduate admission to Waterloo (if applicable).
- Details on the process for ordering transcripts can be found on the OGS/QEII-GSST applicant transcript request web page (Graduate Studies forms website).
February 1, 2025 (Please note this is a Saturday and is a firm deadline) – ADMISSION DEADLINE:
- Deadline for domestic OGS/QEII-GSST applicants, who are not currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo, to apply for graduate admission.
- Note: This deadline is not applicable to international applicants due to the limited number of awards available. International students must be currently registered in a graduate program at Waterloo or be on an approved leave of absence/inactive term by February 1, 2025 in order to be considered.
February 1, 2025 (Please note this is a Saturday and we will accept these documents up until February 3, 2025 at 4:00pm ET) – SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE:
- Deadline for all applicants to submit an OGS/QEII-GSST applicant transcript request webform at 4:00 pm ET.
- Deadline for all applicants to submit their OGS/QEII-GSST application to their department graduate coordinator.
- Deadline for referees to email reference letters to the applicant's department graduate coordinator.
February 3 – 14, 2025:
- GSPA will upload transcripts to SharePoint for department use.
- GSPA will provide detailed instructions for departments.
- GSPA prepares spreadsheets for departments by end of day February 14.
February 18 – March 14, 2025:
- Departments merge applications with reference letters and transcripts, review them for eligibility and completeness and rank.
- Departments must upload all applications and their completed OGS International and OGS/QEII-GSST Domestic spreadsheets with rankings to SharePoint for GSPA use by March 14.
- Note: GSPA will only review applications for eligibility that have been selected for awarding at the faculty level.
March 14, 2025:
- Departments must upload all applications and their completed OGS International and OGS/QEII-GSST Domestic spreadsheets with rankings to SharePoint for GSPA use.
March 17 – 28, 2025:
- GSPA to compile department spreadsheets into six faculty-wide spreadsheets.
- GSPA will provide detailed instructions for faculties.
- GSPA will notify Faculty Administrators when spreadsheet is available on SharePoint.
March 31 – April 23, 2025:
- Faculty reviews international and domestic applications
- Faculty saves spreadsheets with decisions to GSPA SharePoint by April 23.
April 23, 2025:
- Deadline for Faculty to save OGS International and OGS/QEII-GSST Domestic spreadsheets with decisions to GSPA SharePoint.
April 24 – May 21, 2025:
- GSPA combines faculty spreadsheets into university-wide OGS International and OGS/QEII-GSST Domestic spreadsheets.
- Institutional selection committee selects 5 international OGS awardees and creates a ranked reversion list.
- GSPA reviews applications selected to receive offers to confirm eligibility and graduate admission status.
- Interim co-Associate Vice-Presidents, GSPA select 1-2 applicants from the university-wide spreadsheet/applications to receive the designated Indigenous OGS awards.
May 22, 2025:
- All applicants will receive an email notification from GSPA indicating whether or not they are being offered an OGS International or OGS/QEII-GSST Domestic award or are on the reversion list.
- GSPA advises faculty and departments of the results.
June 12, 2025:
- Deadline for recipients to accept first round of offers.
June 13, 2025 - until all awards distributed:
- Following the initial acceptance deadline and based on declined awards, GSPA will make additional offers according to the faculty/GSPA reversion list.
- GSPA will update faculty and department OGS/QEII-GSST summary spreadsheets in SharePoint weekly until competition is complete.
- GSPA will send email communication to departments and faculties when all awards have been accepted.
- GSPA will send email communication to applicants on the reversion list once the competition is deemed complete.
Revised August 20, 2024