I want to apply for scholarships or grants
Find the right calls in time, read them closely, and write applications a reviewer from another field will understand.
In short
Start here, today. List every funding source you could apply to in the next 12 months. Check your graduate studies office's awards page, your research office, your national research councils and two professional associations in your field, and write down each deadline. This takes about 30 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
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Look in more than one place
Your graduate studies office and faculty list internal awards, the research office often hears about larger calls, government research councils run national scholarships, and professional associations offer travel grants and student prizes. Foundations, community organisations and industry partners fund students too. Ask senior students what they applied for, since they often know the small awards nobody advertises well.
Read the criteria like a marking scheme
Highlight every criterion in the call and its weighting, if one is given. Check eligibility closely: year of study, citizenship or residency, field, and whether you can hold this award alongside other funding. Then make sure each criterion is answered somewhere obvious, using the call's own words in headings where the format allows.
Write the research statement for a non-specialist
Picture a smart reader from a different department. Open with the problem and why it matters, then your question, your approach and what will be different when you're done. Cut jargon, show that the plan is realistic for the time and money, and have someone outside your field read it before you submit.
Ask referees early and make it easy
Ask at least four weeks ahead, and earlier for major national awards. Send a short pack with the call and its criteria, your draft statement, your CV, the deadline and how to submit, and a few points you'd like them to speak to. Add each request to your Waiting-For list with a reminder date.
Keep a funding calendar
Most awards run on an annual cycle, so once you've found the deadlines you can plan a year ahead. Put each one in the Milestone Map. Note internal deadlines as well, because some universities set earlier cut-offs for awards they nominate students for.
Build a reusable kit
Keep a folder with your research summary at a few lengths, a current CV, a list drawn from your Wins log, unofficial transcripts and past applications with any reviewer comments. The next application then starts from a draft rather than a blank page, and each one gets a little better.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You hear about scholarships after the deadline has passed.
- You're not sure whether you're eligible, so you don't apply.
- Your research statement makes sense to your supervisor and almost nobody else.
- You've asked referees for letters a week before the deadline.
Why this happens
Funding applications are their own genre. Reviewers often read a large stack of them in a short window, often outside their own speciality, and they score against published criteria. A brilliant project explained in specialist language can lose to a solid one explained clearly.
Much of the work isn't writing at all. It's finding calls in time, checking eligibility, gathering transcripts and letters, and fitting your project to what the funder asks for. Students who apply well over a PhD tend to treat it as a regular task with a calendar, not a scramble each time. And once you've written one strong application, a lot of it can be reused.
Worth a look (1)
- MitacsFor students in Canada: funded research internships with partner organisations.
When to bring someone in
Your graduate studies office often runs information sessions before major scholarship deadlines and may review drafts. The writing centre can help with a research statement, and the research office can advise on larger grants. Ask your supervisor or a recent award winner whether they'd share a successful application. It shows you the level of detail and the tone reviewers expect.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify