Gouvernement du Québec foreign students Merit Scholarships 2026-2027

Gouvernement du Québec is calling for applications for the Merit Scholarship for Foreign Students. This program supports the internationalization of research activities in Québec’s higher education institutions by attracting top foreign researchers and students and promoting international recognition of Québec universities and College Centres for the Transfer of Technologies (CCTT). The scholarship program also creates cultural links and paves the way for the setting up of joint scientific research projects.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: December 2, 2025
2. Study Level: Masters, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellowships
3. Sponsor: Gouvernement du Québec
4. Eligible Country: All Countries

Eligibility Criteria for Gouvernement du Québec foreign students Merit Scholarships 2026-2027

1. These scholarships are intended for foreign students or researchers from all research sectors (health, humanities and social sciences, arts and letters, natural sciences, and engineering) preselected by a Québec university or the CCTT network or the China Scholarship Council (CSC) who wish to begin or continue studies or research activities in Québec.
2. No research sector is given preference.

Master’s research component (VM)

1. Master’s research scholarships are intended for students who wish to undertake or continue a master’s research program. To be considered a research program, a master’s program must lead to the writing of a thesis (note that an essay, research report, dissertation or paper is not accepted). Professional master’s programs are not eligible.
2. Candidates are eligible for master’s research scholarships for the first six semesters of their master’s studies. To apply, candidates must have been enrolled in a master’s program for up to three full-time semesters (1 year) or less before May 1, 2026.
3. Semesters already completed in a master’s program (or equivalent) at the time the scholarship takes effect are subtracted from the funding period.
4. Candidates who have obtained a first master’s degree by research but wish to pursue a second one in another discipline may submit an application if their first master’s degree was not funded under the PBEEE program. Applicants must demonstrate that the master’s project covered by their application is in another discipline. This demonstration must be attached to the “Other Documents” section of the form. The list of evaluation committees is available in the toolbox. In the absence of this demonstration, the Fonds reserves the right to reject an application if it deems there are too many similarities between the two master’s projects.

Doctoral research component (V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1W)

1. Candidates are eligible for doctoral merit program scholarships for the first nine semesters of their doctoral studies. All doctoral semesters, funded or unfunded, completed before the scholarship takes effect, are subtracted from the eligibility period.
2. Candidates who have obtained a first doctoral degree in research but wish to undertake a second one in another discipline may submit an application if their first doctorate was not funded under the PBEEE program. The candidate must demonstrate that the doctoral project covered by their application is in another discipline. This demonstration must be attached to the “Other documents” section of the form. The list of evaluation committees is available in the toolbox. In the absence of this demonstration, the Fonds reserves the right to refuse an application if it considers that there are too many similarities between the two doctoral projects.
3. A candidate admitted into a doctoral program from a bachelor’s program and one who fast-tracks into a doctoral program without writing a thesis must apply to the doctoral scholarships competition to obtain the scholarship during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th years of their graduate studies (semesters 7 to 15). In this case, candidates can first apply to the Master’s research component (VM) in order to obtain a scholarship during the first six semesters of their doctoral studies.

Postdoctoral component (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I)

1. Postdoctoral scholarships are intended for researchers who have obtained their PhD no more than two years before the competition deadline or who submitted their doctoral dissertation by January 15, 2026.
2. The postdoctoral research must be conducted in an institution other than the one that granted the doctoral degree. A candidate’s doctoral supervisors and co-supervisors may not act as their postdoctoral supervisor, even if they have changed institutions.
3. The maximum duration of this scholarship is 12 months. This scholarship is not renewable.

Short-term research or professional development component (V3, 3B, 3C, 3I, 3IS, 3W)

1. Short-term research or professional development scholarships are intended for technical and university students (option A) or researchers who have completed a doctorate no more than five years before the deadline for the competition (option B).
2. The short-term research or professional development must be conducted in an institution other than the one at which the student was enrolled when they applied.
3. The duration of this scholarship is four months. The scholarship is not renewable.

Selection Process

Deadline (application) :

December 2nd, 2025 at 16:00 (EST)

Announcement of results :

April 2026

After receiving the applications, the FRQ will verify their eligibility. A notice will be sent by email no later than the month of December following the competition deadline. Candidates will be informed of the results of the eligibility review of their application and, if applicable, its transmission to the evaluation committee. Applications transmitted to the evaluation committee may nevertheless be declared ineligible at any time. Applicants who have not received this notification should contact the program manager before December 15.

Application Documents

For all components of the program

1. A photocopy of the identification page of a passport from the candidate’s country of origin or any other official document establishing the candidate’s citizenship;
2. Transcripts for every year of all university studies, whether completed or not (certificates, diplomas, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D., etc.). You do not have to include a copy of the diploma unless it shows academic grades. Transcripts for equivalences granted for courses taken at other institutions or for previous programs must be included. For transcripts from outside North America, candidates must enclose a letter explaining the grading system used by the institution concerned. The FRQ reserves the right to verify with institutions the authenticity of any information given by candidates. Transcripts must be organized chronologically from newest to oldest;
3. Acknowledgements of receipt from the publisher for all articles submitted and notices received from editors for articles accepted for publication (acknowledgements of receipt for articles already published are not sent to the evaluation committee).

Additional document for the Master’s and Doctoral research components (VM, V1, 1B, 1C, 1I, 1IS, 1W)

1. If applicable, an attestation from the registrar’s office identifying part-time or unregistered semesters;
2. If applicable, an official attestation of interrupted enrolment and, if necessary, a medical certificate indicating the duration and the reasons for the interruption.

Additional document for the Postdoctoral scholarship component (V2, 2B, 2C, 2I)

1. A copy of the doctoral diploma (or attestation of the first reading of the dissertation). If these documents cannot be provided, a copy of the doctoral transcript is required.
2. A letter of acceptance from the supervisor. To allow the supervisor to complete the letter of acceptance, the candidate must enter the supervisor’s account information in the FRQnet form. The supervisor will then have access to the letter of acceptance through the FRQnet portal in the section “As a Director, Supervisor or Mentor”. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their supervisor submits the letter of acceptance by the competition deadline.

In order for the Fonds to verify the authenticity of the submitted letters, supervisors must proceed themselves with the submission following the described procedure. Under no circumstances may the applicant create an account on behalf of a supervisor to submit a letter of recommendation themselves. If this is the case, their application may be considered as incomplete and, consequently, ineligible.

Additional document for the Short-term research or professional development component (V3, 3B, 3I, 3IS, 3W),

A letter of acceptance from the supervisor. To allow the supervisor to complete the letter of acceptance, the candidate must enter the supervisor’s account information in the FRQnet form. The supervisor will then have access to the letter of acceptance through the FRQnet portal in the section “As a Director, Supervisor or Mentor”. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that their supervisor submits the letter of acceptance by the competition deadline.

In order for the Fonds to verify the authenticity of the submitted letters, supervisors must proceed themselves with the submission following the described procedure. Under no circumstances may the applicant create an account on behalf of a supervisor to submit a letter of recommendation themselves. If this is the case, their application may be considered as incomplete and, consequently, ineligible.

Documents for Exception measures

Candidates wishing to benefit from an exception measure regarding the eligibility period (see section 3.3) must provide:

1. Justification for the request for an extension or exemption of the eligibility period (maximum 1 page): The applicant must justify the exception request and, in the case of an extension request, provide the dates and duration of the interruptions. This document must be attached to the “Other Documents” section of the form and will not be shared with the evaluation committee.
2. Supporting Documents: Documents supporting the exception request (e.g., medical certificate, disability recognition, child’s birth certificate, caregiver tax credit application, official document or letter from the employer, etc.) allow the FRQ to determine the length of the extension to be granted. They must be attached to the “Other Documents” section and will not be shared with the evaluation committee.

Benefits of Gouvernement du Québec foreign students Merit Scholarships 2026-2027

1. Master’s research scholarship—$20,000. The maximum amount that can be awarded is 6 installments (6 semesters) totalling $40,000.
2. Doctoral research scholarship—$25,000 for the first 9 sessions and $12,000 for the last 3 sessions if an extension is requested. The total duration of the scholarship is a maximum of 12 sessions (12 installments), with a maximum allowable amount totaling $87,000.
3. Postdoctoral scholarship—$35,000. The maximum amount that can be awarded is 3 installments (one year) totalling $35,000.
4. The value of a Short-term research or professional development scholarship is $3,000 per month. The maximum amount that can be awarded is 4 installments (4 months) totalling $12,000.
5. MES also offers all scholarship recipients an exemption from paying the higher tuition fees required for foreign students and covers medical insurance offered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).

How to Apply

Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to Gouvernement du Québec on frqnet.frq.gouv.qc.ca to apply

For more details, visit Gouvernement du Québec scholarship webpage

Application Deadline

December 2, 2025

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Gouvernement du Québec foreign students Merit Scholarships 2026-2027