Global Affairs Canada scholarships
The following Global Affairs Canada scholarships help facilitate students from eligible countries to undertake short-term study or research at Canadian institutions. These scholarships support students to come to UBC either through UBC’s inbound exchange (UBC Vancouver | UBC Okanagan) pathway or through the Visiting International Research Students program (UBC Vancouver | UBC Okanagan).
Students wishing to undertake coursework as Inbound Exchange students must be from existing UBC student mobility partner institutions. For a list of UBC mobility partners, please visit the partner universities page.
Applications are currently being accepted until Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST.
| Scholarship Name | Student candidates eligible to apply | UBC internal deadline |
| Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development – Phase 2 (SEED-2) | Students who are citizens of one of the following countries:
| Thursday, March 5, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST |
| Study in Canada Scholarships | Students who are citizens of one of the following countries/territories:
| Thursday, March 5, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST |
| Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program | Students who are citizens of one of the following countries/territories:
| Thursday, March 5, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST |
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- These awards are available to international students to undertake research or study at UBC for a period of four to six months.
- These awards are available to international students from eligible countries.
- For undergraduate or college students, stays of 4 months or one academic term are available.
- Graduate students (Master’s or PhD) may apply to stay for either a 4 month or 5–6 month research stay via the Visiting International Research Student program. Graduate students coming to UBC through the Inbound Exchange program and who are nominated by their home university may apply for 4 months only.
- The candidate’s study or research may commence as early as September 1, 2026 and no later than February 1, 2027.
- For undergraduate students conducting coursework, a signed Student Mobility Agreement between UBC and the student’s home institution must be in place at the time of application.
- Students must have adequate funds to cover the initial eight weeks at UBC as the award is not distributed until after arrival. Candidates are asked to connect with their home institution should bridging funds or loans be needed.
Please visit the respective EduCanada program page for a comprehensive list of eligibility criteria.
SCHOLARSHIP CONDITIONS
Selected candidates agree to:
- Engage in full-time studies or research as defined by the Canadian institution
- Abstain from clinical training or clinically-oriented research involving direct patient-care
- Focus primarily on full-time studies or research during their stay in Canada
- Return to their home institutions after the scholarship period to complete their studies
- Failure to meet these conditions may result in the cancellation of the scholarship
Program Changes to ELAP and SICS in 2026
UBC is responsible for managing the selection and administration of scholarships for both the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) and Study in Canada Scholarships (SICS).
This requirement means that UBC has set Thursday, March 5, 2026 as the internal deadline. Complete applications should be sent to go.global@ubc.ca by this date.
Due to the funding cap and maximum scholarship amounts set by Global Affairs Canada this year, UBC expects to be able to nominate up to 15 ELAP and up to 12 SICS applicants. The total number of applicants selected will ultimately be determined by the total amount of funding awarded by Global Affairs Canada.
Important note regarding geographical diversity and equitable gender representation
Due to the limited funding available and Global Affairs Canada’s requirement that Canadian institutions ensure geographic diversity in selected candidates, it is expected that no more than three scholars will be selected from each eligible country. As a result of this requirement, applicants from countries or territories with a high number of applications faced particularly strong competition in previous years.
Canadian institutions are also required by Global Affairs Canada to ensure equitable gender representation in their selected recipients (ELAP and SIC) and ranked applications (SEED-2).
Application Information
All applications must be submitted by UBC directly on behalf of the student. Applications submitted directly by the student or home institution will not be accepted. Go Global plays a coordinating role on all applications submitted on behalf of the University.
The deadline to nominate and submit application documentation for the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), Study in Canada Scholarships (SICS) and Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development - Phase 2 (SEED-2) is Thursday, March 5, 2026. A complete application must be submitted to go.global@ubc.ca by this date in order to ensure that it can be considered.
UBC is also asked to provide a ranking for all applications submitted to Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development – Phase 2 SEED-2.
Selection criteria for applications
Applications will be evaluated by a cross-campus UBC committee following UBC’s internal deadline based on the following criteria:
- Merit of the proposed research or studies to be undertaken in Canada
- Candidate motivation, including candidate’s rationale for choice of program and institution, and relevance to future educational and career goals
- Anticipated benefits of how their research and studies will benefit their home country, home institution, and peers
- Geographical diversity and equitable gender participation
- VIRS only: Benefit to the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers, and commitment from the UBC supervisor to support and mentor the candidate
- VIRS only: UBC Faculty rankings for VIRS where multiple VIRS applications are submitted by one faculty (where applicable)
- Exchange students only: partner rankings where multiple students are nominated by the candidates' home university (where applicable)
Application Forms
- 2026 Candidate Form (SEED-2)
- 2026 Candidate Form (Emerging Leaders in the Americas and Study in Canada Scholarships)
- Privacy Notice Statement (PDF)
- UBC VIRS form for Global Affairs Canada Scholarships (SEED-2, ELAP and Study in Canada)
Additional information
- Only applications submitted directly by Canadian institutions via the EduCanada portal can be considered.
- Scholarships cannot be deferred and are not renewable.
- Scholarships are subject to availability of funding from the Government of Canada.
- Scholarships are not taxable for either the Canadian institution or the scholarship recipient.
Contact information
Lucy O'Regan
Program Manager and Advisor, Go Global
Email: go.global@ubc.ca