A new initiative to attract the best and brightest researchers to the University of Guelph will include substantial entrance scholarships for top graduate students, U of G announced today.
The $1.5 million annual scholarship program will provide 25 doctoral awards worth $30,000 apiece and 50 master’s scholarships worth $15,000 each per year.
These one-year entrance awards are designed to draw top student researchers to Guelph, said Charlotte Yates, provost and vice-president (academic).
“We have a strong desire to encourage growth in our graduate studies programs, both in numbers and in the quality of research produced at U of G,” said Yates.
The awards will be shared among Guelph’s seven colleges based on full-time enrolment numbers.
Awards for master’s students will be based mostly on grade point averages, with the lowest entry average being an 85. Doctoral candidates will be assessed on letters of reference, and their research focus and profile as presented in their initial application package to the program.
Yates said criteria for awarding the scholarships will be set mostly by colleges.
“We want to build our research capabilities across U of G, throughout many departments, so the colleges will have some flexibility in determining the criteria,” she said.
She said the program is part of a renewed focus on graduate student research at U of G. Other initiatives will include more funding for recruitment and research support for academic units.
Bringing top researchers to a university is a competitive process, she said.
“Research at Guelph has always been focused on examining challenges in the world and developing unique solutions. We hope to expand on this and make U of G a stronger contributor to the world around us.”