Most students assume Canadian government scholarships are reserved for citizens. The Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship proves that assumption wrong.
The Government of Alberta funds this $12000 grant specifically to attract outstanding graduate students to Alberta, including international students holding a valid study permit. No IELTS required. One application. One payment.
The deadline for the 2027 cycle is November 13, 2026.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scholarship | Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES) 2027 |
| Funded by | Government of Alberta, Canada |
| Award amount | $12000 one-time payment |
| Level | Master’s and PhD students |
| Eligible countries | All countries |
| IELTS required | No |
| Deadline | November 13, 2026 |
| Residency requirement | Must be living in Alberta while enrolled |
What the Scholarship Is and Why It Exists
The Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship was created with a specific purpose: to draw the best graduate students to Alberta regardless of where they come from.
That mandate shapes everything about the program. Eligible countries are listed as all countries. International students with study permits compete alongside Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The $12000 is a one-time lump sum paid under the Government of Alberta’s directive, not a recurring stipend or a tuition waiver broken into installments.
For a graduate student managing tuition, rent and research costs $12000 arriving as a single payment has real practical weight.
Eligibility Requirements
Before checking your GPA, check your citizenship status and address because both need to be updated in your university account system by your faculty’s internal deadline not by November 13.
Two separate deadlines exist for this scholarship. The public-facing deadline of November 13, 2026, is the university’s submission date. Your faculty has its own internal nomination deadline that almost certainly comes earlier. Missing the internal deadline means missing the scholarship entirely, regardless of your academic record.
Contact your department or graduate office now to find out when their internal deadline falls.
Who Can Apply
The scholarship is open to a broader range of students than most Canadian awards.
Eligible applicants include:
- Canadian citizens
- Permanent residents of Canada
- Protected persons under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- International students holding a valid Canadian study permit
Eligible program types:
- Master’s students in years 1 to 4 of the program
- Doctoral students in years 1 to 6 of the program
- Students registered in a graduate certificate that can ladder into a Master’s degree are also eligible
- Both course-based and thesis-based programs qualify
Students who transferred from a Master’s to a Doctoral program should note that months completed during the Master’s count toward the Doctoral program year calculation.
Qualifying students are not eligible. If you are unsure whether your registration status falls under qualifying, confirm with your graduate office before applying.
The Residency Requirement
This is the eligibility condition that catches the most applicants off guard.
You must be living in Alberta while enrolled in your program. That applies whether you are attending classes in person or remotely online. A university department address does not count as a home address for this purpose.
Your Alberta residential address must be updated in your student account by your faculty’s internal nomination deadline. If it is not updated by then your application will not be considered regardless of your academic standing.
For international students who maintain a home address in another country while studying in Alberta make sure your account reflects your Alberta address specifically.
Academic Requirements
The scholarship requires demonstrated academic excellence but the definition is more flexible than a single GPA cutoff.
For GPA:
- Current students need a GPA of 3.3 or higher over the most recent 15 units of course weight in their current program
- Where fewer than 15 graded credits exist in the current program, the Admission GPA AGPA is used as a weighted factor
- Students newly admitted in Fall 2026 or Winter 2027 with no graded coursework yet available will be assessed on their AGPA
GPA alone is not the whole picture. The scholarship also considers:
- Published manuscripts, presentations, posters or exhibitions
- Community engagement and performances
- Previous awards, scholarships and academic prizes
Students with a strong research output or award history but a GPA sitting close to the 3.3 threshold should make sure their full academic contributions are visible in the application.
Enrollment Requirements
Students must be registered full-time in Fall 2026 and/or Winter 2027.
Students newly admitted in January 2027 must be registered full-time in Winter 2027 specifically.
One exception: students registered with Student Accessibility Services or those with a documented need for accommodation may apply if enrolled in at least 40 percent of a full course load. This provision exists to ensure the scholarship remains genuinely accessible, not just available in name.
The AGES Student Declaration Form
Every applicant must complete the AGES Student Declaration Form to affirm their Alberta residency while enrolled in the program.
This is not optional or administrative background paperwork. It is a required document. Missing it removes you from consideration.
When applying, confirm with your faculty office exactly how and where this form is submitted within the internal nomination process.
Practical Advice on How to Apply
First contact your graduate office or department to find out their internal nomination deadline. This is the date that actually governs your application timeline.
Second log into your student account and verify that both your citizenship status and your Alberta residential address are correctly recorded. Update them now if they are not.
Third, gather evidence of your academic contributions beyond GPA, awards, publications, presentations, and community engagement. These can strengthen an application where GPA is close to the minimum threshold.
Fourth, locate the AGES Student Declaration Form through your institution and understand the submission process before the rush begins.
The November 13 deadline feels distant in some months. Faculty internal deadlines often do not.
