IGA

Indigenous Graduate Award Competition

At a glance

The Indigenous Graduate Award Competition (IGA) encompasses a range of awards funded by donors and the University of Calgary to support Indigenous students pursuing graduate studies.

Value

Between $3,000 and $25,000
Paid the same term as the application

Citizenship

Canadian Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, or Inuit)

Deadline

Competition opens September 15. 

Deadline October 15 before 11:59:59pm (MST) 

**including references**

If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 11:59:59pm (MST)

Degree

Unrestricted field of study. Master’s, PhD, doctoral degree programs, and graduate level credential programs that can ladder into master’s degree program.

Preparing your application

You are encouraged to apply for awards when you have submitted your admissions application and received your University of Calgary student number (UCID). You are not required to meet the eligibility requirements in the terms of reference of an award when you apply, but if successful, you must meet the eligibility requirements at the time the award is paid.

Please ensure that you have completed the following two steps before submitting your application:

Read the terms of reference

Awards are based on merit. It is important to read and understand the award terms of reference listed on this page and/or on the agency, or donor website.

Know your eligibility

Read our guide to discover the polices and regulations that determines a student's award eligibility at the University of Calgary.

Award Guide: Eligibility

Terms of reference


Eligibility

Open to self-identified Indigenous students from Canada in a graduate program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

You will be required to upload your supporting documentation of Indigenous citizenship and/or membership.  

Documentation requirements

Submitted documentation must be current, valid, or both to be considered. We encourage you to apply for documentation early to ensure that the funding process is not delayed. You only need to provide one of the documentation types set out in our published guidelines.

Contact the Graduate Award Office for support and advice regarding documentation.

You must meet the eligibility criteria for each award for which you are applying at the time of application. Awards will be paid by the end of the calendar year of application. 

Awards

Application

The Indigenous Graduate Award Competition opens September 15

  1. Go to your Student Centre and click the link Apply for Awards tab on your home screen.
  2. Select the Indigenous Award Competition Application.

Only one application is required regardless of the number of awards you are applying for.

Selection criteria and indicators

** It is recommended that you access the application via Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox internet browsers. Chrome users will encounter issues due to a chrome delivered update**

Apply here

References

References for admission may be used toward the Indigenous Graduate Award Competition as long as they have been written within the last eleven months prior to the competition deadline.

 

One-on-one mentoring

UCalgary mentoring is hosted by the the Graduate Leaders Circle (GLC). The Graduate Leaders Circle is comprised of Vanier, Killam, and Doctoral tri-agency recipients, the most prestigious awards available to graduate students in Canada. Members serve as mentors to help other graduate students improve their chances for various awards.

Students who are planning to apply for this competition and would like to be matched with a mentor should contact the Graduate Leader's Circle (GLC) no later than September 23.

Applicants will be matched with a scholar from the Graduate Leader’s Circle who will mentor them through the application process by providing feedback on the written components of the application.