Government Funding Programs for Outbound Canadian Students

Mitacs Globalink Research Award funds a research term abroad

The Mitacs Globalink Research Award pays $6,000 CAD toward a 12 to 24 week research project at an institution outside Canada. Senior undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows qualify, and you work under a supervisor at your Canadian school and one at the host institution at the same time.

Mitacs supports placements in almost any country. The exception is a country under a Government of Canada travel advisory rated "avoid all travel" or "avoid non-essential travel," where outbound mobility is not approved. Apply through your university's research or international office, since intake windows and eligible fields vary by institution.

Canada Graduate Scholarship holders get a foreign study top-up

If you hold a Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) from NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR, apply separately for a foreign study supplement. It pays up to $6,000 for 2 to 6 months of research at a foreign institution, on top of your existing scholarship.

The 2025 round was the last one run under the old name, Canada Graduate Scholarships Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements. From 2026 the funding folds into the Canada Research Training Awards Suite . Confirm the current name, deadline and amount with your granting agency or graduate office before you build a budget around it, since a rebranded program also resets its own terms.

Global Skills Opportunity funding ended March 31, 2025

Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) used to be the closest thing Canada had to a general outbound study abroad grant. Employment and Social Development Canada funded it as a five year pilot, run through Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, and it put close to 15,000 college and undergraduate students into exchanges, work terms and research placements abroad, with priority for students with disabilities, Indigenous students and students from lower income households.

The pilot closed March 31, 2025 and the federal government did not renew it. If a university webpage still references GSO funding, treat that as leftover content from before the closure. Check the program's own FAQ page for the closure notice, then ask your school's global education office what replaced it on your campus, since several universities kept a version of their GSO-funded bursary running with their own money.

What is still open right now

What these awards cover, and what they do not

Both the Mitacs award and the tri-agency top-up pay a flat amount regardless of destination, meant to offset travel and living costs during the placement rather than cover every expense line by line. A twelve week placement in a lower cost city stretches $6,000 much further than the same term in a major research hub with high rent, so check typical living costs at your specific host institution before you assume the award covers your full budget.

Neither program pays your regular tuition at your Canadian institution, which you keep paying while away on most research placement arrangements. Confirm with your registrar whether your tuition status changes during an approved placement abroad, since the answer differs by school and by how the placement is structured.

Applying to more than one program

You do not have to choose only one funding source across your degree. Many students use the Mitacs award for one research term and, in a separate year, apply for the tri-agency top-up once they hold a Canada Graduate Scholarship, since eligibility for the second depends on already holding the first. Check each program's own rule on holding multiple awards for the same placement, since combining two federal sources to fund the identical trip is not usually allowed, even when combining a federal award with an institutional bursary is fine.

How to apply

• Start at your university's international, global education or graduate studies office. Both federal programs above route through your institution rather than accepting direct public applications.

• Confirm your supervisor and host institution agree to the placement before you submit, since both Mitacs and the tri-agency supplement require sign off from a research supervisor on each side.

• Gather your host institution's invitation letter and your supervisor's written agreement early, since incomplete applications get returned rather than queued for review.

• Apply a full term ahead of your planned departure. Competitive intake rounds close months before the placement starts, and your home institution often sets its own internal deadline earlier than the national one.

• Ask whether the award counts as taxable income or affects other aid you receive, since rules differ by program and by your province of study.

Where to look next

Both federal options above are built for research, not for a standard undergraduate exchange semester spent taking regular courses. If your term abroad is coursework rather than research, the federal government does not fund it directly. Your university, your faculty and private foundations are where that funding now sits.

Start with your school's international or global education office and ask two questions: what happened to the GSO-funded bursary after March 2025, and what institutional or faculty awards exist for your specific exchange. Pair that with the university and private scholarship options covered separately, since combining a small institutional bursary with a private award covers more of a term abroad than either alone.