Trudeau Foundation Scholarships
Independent and non-partisan, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was established in 2001 by the family, friends, and colleagues of the former Prime Minister as a living memorial. In 2002, the Government of Canada endowed the Foundation with a donation of $125 million to honour the great humanitarian spirit of the former Prime Minister.
The Pierre Ellliott Trudeau Foundation offers scholarship funding to students from Canada who wish to undertake doctoral study (or are part-way through a doctoral course) at any Canadian or overseas institution. Universities are not guaranteed awards but in past years, at least one Oxford student has been funded through the Foundation. Oxford holds an internal competition to select up to eight nominees (the maximum number of nominations permitted) for the scholarship, prior to the external competition held by the Trudeau Foundation.
Am I eligible?
Candidates must be applying into the first year of a DPhil, or must be registered in the first or second year of such a programme. If you are not currently an Oxford student at Master’s or DPhil level, please apply for this scholarship through your current or previous institution.
Candidates must apply to subjects in the Social Sciences and Humanities. The programmes of the Foundation focus on four themes that shaped the life and career of the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and give voice to a wide variety of perspectives in domestic and international contexts: human rights and dignity; responsible citizenship; Canada in the World; people and their natural environment.
Please ensure you meet the requirements for entry to your course, including English language requirements. See the Course Guide for more information.
The scholarship is open to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants pursuing full-time doctoral studies in Canada, and exceptionally to Canadians pursuing full-time doctoral studies at foreign institutions. Candidates will be considered by the Foundation only if they have been nominated by a university. A candidate must be enrolled in or must have completed a degree programme at the nominating institution, or must be enrolled in or applying to a doctoral programme there. If you are not currently an Oxford student at Master’s or DPhil level, please apply for this scholarship through your current or previous institution.
What does it cover?
The value of the scholarship is $40,000 (Canadian Dollars) per year
Awards are made for the full duration of, or the remainder of, a student's fee liability for the agreed course.
How do I apply?
Complete the Trudeau application form and send this by email or post to the Graduate Admissions & Funding Office, together with all required supporting materials. Failure to apply in full by the deadline will mean that you will not be considered for the scholarship. The deadline for receipt of applications is 30 November 2011 (5pm GMT).
Email for applications: Trudeau Scholarship Manager
Address for applications: Trudeau Foundation Scholarship Manager, Graduate Admissions & Funding, University of Oxford, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD
The following internal guidance may be of use when completing your application:
- Candidates need to explain how their research fulfils one or more of the Trudeau criteria. Ticking the boxes on the form to indicate which criteria are being met is not sufficient. Candidates ought to be explicit about the connection between the criteria and their proposed research.
- Candidates need to read the eligibility provisions with care to ensure that their application will be eligible for consideration
- Referees should make some attempt to show how the candidate meets the Foundation’s criteria. References designed primarily to support applications for PhD programmes may not do this adequately.
- Research proposals should be clearly written, stating the goal of the research, methodology, and possible outcomes and how that will all meet the Trudeau objectives.
- UPDATE: The Trudeau Foundation have recently confirmed that original copies of transcripts are required (photocopies are not acceptable). They also prefer original, signed, hard copies of references on letterhead paper. These should be posted to the address above and must reach Oxford before the deadline.
How will I know if I have been successful?
We will post a notice on this website when nominations for this scholarship have been made. We will contact all applicants by 18 December 2011 to inform them of the outcome of their application. In the event that you are selected to attend an interview in Canada, the University will not be able to cover travel expenses.
Further information
If you have any questions about this scholarship which are not answered above, please email us through the Ask a Question facility.