How to Apply for Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarships?

Please follow the following application instructions to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarships:

1. Learn about your university’s internal selection process deadlines: Each university has a different internal deadline, so make sure that you apply on time.
2. Register: When the competition opens, register for an account on the Foundation’s application portal. You will receive a username and password by email within 4 business days of registering (please check your spam folder if you do not see it). If you already have an account from a previous scholarship competition, you can login using your existing login credentials or request a password reset.
3. Fill out the application: Once you log in, you can apply by completing the application form in the “Ébauche / Draft” section of the portal. Please also fill out your contact information in the “Coordonnées / Contacts” section of the portal.
4. Get recommendation letters: While filling out the application form, you will be asked to enter the name and email address of your two referees in the box provided. An email will automatically be sent to the referees, asking them to upload their reference letter in PDF format directly to our portal. We advise that you follow up with your references to ensure they submit on time.
5. Upload transcripts: Upload transcripts covering all of your post-secondary education in one PDF document. Any candidates who attended CEGEP in Quebec should not include their CEGEP transcripts.
6. Contact your university: Please inform the awards officer responsible for the PETF Scholarship competition at your university to let them know you’ve applied. This ensures that your application will be included in your university’s selection process.
7. University nominations: The Foundation is asking all applicants to apply directly to via its application platform . Universities are not required to nominate their preferred candidates. All candidates who submit completed applications by the November 17th, 2025 at 4 p.m. EST deadline will be reviewed and assessed by the Foundation. Despite this process, the Foundation remains committed to regional representation, linguistic representation, a plurality of perspectives and disciplines, as well as other forms of diversity.

8. Academic excellence and intellectual curiosity

   Do you have a record of strong academic performance attested to by your transcripts and other forms of educational achievement (e.g., publications, conference presentations)? Are you committed to excellence in research and knowledge dissemination? Are you an original thinker who can engage in constructive critical thinking about society?

    

   Commitment and openness to engaging with a plurality of perspectives

   Are you willing to engage with a plurality of people, cultures, institutions, forms of knowledge, ideologies, and perspectives? Can you collaborate respectfully across differences, including with those who hold different opinions and ideologies, to pursue your goals?

    

   Leadership and engagement

   Are you engaged in activities and organizations within and beyond academia? Do you aspire to take on more significant leadership roles in your community or organization(s)? Do you have the potential to take your research beyond academia to benefit the wider public?

    

   Participation in Foundation community events

   Are you committed to fully participating in all Foundation activities, whether conferences, masterclasses, or seminars, and to engaging respectfully and actively with all participants? 

    

   Core values

   We expect our community members to be interested in improving their capacities in both official languages.

   We also encourage our members to learn from their peers, Fellows, and Mentors and act authentically and with integrity. 

   The Foundation is committed to selecting diverse scholars based on perspectives and disciplines.

9. Eligibility Criteria

   1. You are: 

   • A Canadian student studying at a Canadian university
   • A Canadian student studying at an international university
   • An international student studying at a Canadian university

   NOTE: Students from international universities that are living outside Canada are not eligible. 

    

   2. At the time of application, you must:

   • Be in the first year of a doctoral program
   • Be in your second year of a doctoral program

   NOTE: Candidates in the final year of their master’s degree are no longer eligible for the 2026 scholarship competition.

    

   3. Your field of study is broadly related to the humanities and social sciences or human sciences and is directly relevant to the future of Canada.

    

   4. Your doctoral work must relate to at least one of the Foundation’s four general themes: 

   • Human Rights and Dignity
   • Responsible Citizenship
   • Canada and the World
   • People and their Natural Environment.