GPA for Canadian scholarships

[abby456]

Hi guys, my classmates and I were confused about some of the requirements for scholarships in Canada (e.g., CGS, FRQ, OGS). 

At the doctoral level, what GPA is typically needed to win these scholarships? I know that, in theory, research is supposed to be more important at this level, but it seems like a high GPA is expected even more than for the MA scholarships (e.g. my friends won the CGS-M with an A- average, which I don’t think would happen for the PhD). Does anyone have any insight into this?

[eternallyephemeral]

I don't know what the minimum is, but I (as of five mins ago) found out I won the 35k SSHRC and have received OGS three times (one PhD, two MSc) plus one CGS-M.

My cumulative GPA was a 3.76 / 4, where a 3.5 is an 80% or A-. I'm confident that the difference between a 3.5 and a 3.7 something is not enough to matter for the committee, but it might depend on what the actual breakdown of grades is (i.e., one C and three As, or two Bs and two As might look different but they create the same average).

If you win scholarships at the MA level, you are more likely to keep winning scholarships, even into the PhD level. So if your grades are good enough at one level, they are likely good enough at the next level (not guaranteed though).

So I don't know the exact minimum, but reasonable grades in the high Bs to A range coupled with research achievements mean you should try, and it is a crapshoot but you shouldn't think having an A- average kicks you out of the competition.

[Adelaide9216]

Usually it's A- (80%) at least. But community involvement and leadership is also important at the master's and doctoral level. 

[TakeruK]

The only "official" info I have is that some schools require all students to apply for these awards in order to be eligible for internal awards. However, if your undergrad GPA was less than 80%/A-/3.5 then you don't have to apply. So you might want to interpret this as being the minimum. I know that some graduate schools in my field make this the minimum for acceptance into any grad program. But these awards don't really have minimums---someone with a lower GPA but excellent research can still win. 

Also, grades are usually higher in graduate school than undergrad. Grades have a totally different meaning in grad school!

[Kraven]

And (Ma level) I know people who have gotten sshrc or waitlisted with below 80% (who were told not to bother applying but did And won!) 

so yes it’s part of it but not always a make or break from what I’ve seen (though higher marks obviously help) 

[orange turtle]

On 4/28/2018 at 6:48 AM, abby456 said:

Hi guys, my classmates and I were confused about some of the requirements for scholarships in Canada (e.g., CGS, FRQ, OGS). 

At the doctoral level, what GPA is typically needed to win these scholarships? I know that, in theory, research is supposed to be more important at this level, but it seems like a high GPA is expected even more than for the MA scholarships (e.g. my friends won the CGS-M with an A- average, which I don’t think would happen for the PhD). Does anyone have any insight into this?

I am sharing what my chair told us: "In grad school, everybody gets good grades (i.e., >=80%). If you get a good grade, nobody bats an eyelash. It's when you don't get that good grade that you need to explain."

I don't know if it helps in your situation because I don't know your transcript, but if this applies: Many Canadian scholarships mention that reviewers should give credit to an applicant who has maintained their high GPA throughout or has shown steady improvement.

I would encourage you to apply regardless unless your grades completely suck. (if you have extenuating circumstances, then you should probably explain). You have nothing to lose applying, and everything to lose if you don't. Good luck!

[java_beans]

I think it's more complicated than that. My grades are about 90% which seems to be a 3.98 GPA or A average for my institution (apparently the GPA conversion varies depending on the institution? Not sure what the scholarships use. I used http://www.whatsmygpa.ca/ for the conversion) but no national/provincial scholarships at the Masters or Doctoral level...

Edited May 1, 2018 by spin_ice

[orange turtle]

2 hours ago, spin_ice said:

I think it's more complicated than that. My grades are about 90% which seems to be a 3.98 GPA or A average for my institution (apparently the GPA conversion varies depending on the institution? Not sure what the scholarships use. I used http://www.whatsmygpa.ca/ for the conversion) but no national/provincial scholarships at the Masters or Doctoral level...

Oh, yes, of course. One of my referees said they look at how challenging the courses were, and course load, too. I don't know what they use as their yardstick for challenging, though. 

If you qualify to reapply, I would try. I know it's disheartening and it feels like a personal rejection, but even the best people get rejected. And it might just be your reviewer having a bad day. I know that sucks to hear, but just wanted to point out it is rarely personal.

[java_beans]

13 hours ago, orange turtle said:

Oh, yes, of course. One of my referees said they look at how challenging the courses were, and course load, too. I don't know what they use as their yardstick for challenging, though. 

If you qualify to reapply, I would try. I know it's disheartening and it feels like a personal rejection, but even the best people get rejected. And it might just be your reviewer having a bad day. I know that sucks to hear, but just wanted to point out it is rarely personal.

Hmm I did have extenuating circumstances that caused me to struggle academically in the past but did not reveal them this application round because I thought they weren't relevant to my current situation. I revealed them last application round and didn't even get forwarded for NSERC, didn't reveal them this time and at least got forwarded. My grades steadily improved and are higher than ever before but they might not count the current years grades, only two years prior, and may have penalized me for reduced course loads or undergraduate struggles. Or, maybe this had nothing to do with it, who knows. Either way, seems like the competition is pretty tough. They definitely look at more than just your GPA.