Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology: How the Matched Funding Model Works
By Muntasir • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Canadian Universities & Colleges
QEII-GSST pays $10,000 to $15,000 a year to master's and doctoral students in science and technology fields at Ontario universities, funded two-thirds by the province and one-third by the school. Unlike the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, international students cannot receive it.
💵 $10,000 for two terms or $15,000 for three terms in one academic year
🎓 Restricted to science and technology disciplines, unlike the all-field OGS
📩 Two-thirds provincial funding, one-third funded by your university
🏠 Available at 18 participating Ontario institutions
⏱️ Masters students hold it for up to 2 years, doctoral for up to 4 years, 6-year lifetime cap
What QEII-GSST is and what it pays
The Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) supports graduate students doing research in science and technology fields at Ontario universities. It pays $10,000 for two consecutive terms or $15,000 for three consecutive terms in one academic year, matching the Ontario Graduate Scholarship's per-term rate of $5,000, according to Ontario's official QEII-GSST program page .
The award runs at 18 participating Ontario institutions. You must enroll full-time for at least two terms, totaling 21 to 52 weeks, during the academic year you hold the scholarship.
The matched funding model
What sets QEII-GSST apart from a standard provincial scholarship is how it gets paid for. Each award is jointly funded, two-thirds by the Province of Ontario and one-third by the university offering it. OGS, by contrast, comes as a straight provincial allocation to each school with no matching requirement placed on the university.
This funding split means a university has its own financial stake in every QEII-GSST award it hands out, on top of the fixed number the province allows it. In practice this rarely changes how competitive the award feels to you as an applicant, since your department still ranks candidates internally, but it explains why QEII-GSST exists as a separate line from OGS rather than simply being folded into it.
How QEII-GSST differs from OGS
| Feature | OGS | QEII-GSST |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible fields | Any discipline | Science and technology only |
| Funding source | Provincial allocation to each university | Two-thirds province, one-third university |
| International students | Some universities run a separate international stream | Not eligible |
| Annual value | Up to $15,000 | Up to $15,000 |
| Lifetime limit | No fixed lifetime term cap stated | 2 years for master's, 4 years for doctoral, 6-year overall cap |
Because the two programs share the same per-term value and often the same application form at your university, the practical question for most students is field eligibility. If your program falls inside science and technology, your department nominates you for whichever program fits, or splits your funding years between the two if you hold the award across multiple degree levels.
Eligibility rules
You must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person
International students studying in Ontario on a study permit cannot receive QEII-GSST, even if their program qualifies as science and technology
You must be enrolled full-time in a master's or doctoral program at a participating institution
The award is merit-based, and each university sets its own ranking process for nominees
This is the sharpest eligibility gap between the two programs. An international student in an eligible Ontario science program still has access to other institutional or OGS-adjacent funding, depending on the university, but QEII-GSST specifically excludes non-citizens and non-permanent-residents.
How to apply
Most Ontario universities combine the QEII-GSST application with the OGS application into a single form managed by the graduate studies office or your home department. You do not usually choose which program you compete for. Your department decides based on your field of study and forwards eligible science and technology applicants into the QEII-GSST pool alongside the general OGS pool.
Confirm with your specific graduate studies office whether your program participates in QEII-GSST, since not every Ontario university offers the award even where OGS runs, and check your local deadline rather than assuming a fixed provincial date.