Merit scholarships from the Québec government

The Merit Scholarship program for international students is offered at the university level, in technical training at the college level and in vocational training. The program’s aim is to encourage recruitment of the best international candidates into programs with good job and research prospects. The Merit Scholarship program allows recipients to benefit from: 

• a scholarship 
• an exemption from the differential tuition fees paid by international students 
• health insurance and hospitalization coverage provided by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) 

For doctoral research programs: The scholarship is $25 000 per year. The maximum duration for this scholarship is three years, with a possible extension of up to 12 months. In the case of an extension, a monthly allowance of $1 000 is provided. 

For post-doctoral fellows: The scholarship is $35 000 for one year and is non-renewable. 

For short-term research stays or professional development: The scholarship is $3 000 per month, for a period of up to four months. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible, students must pursue studies or research activities at a Québec university, in a doctoral or post-doctoral fellowship program or as part of a short-term research stay or professional development.  

For more information, refer to the Merit scholarship program for international students page on the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies website . 

Process 

Universities are responsible for preselecting candidates, whose applications are then submitted to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT). 

To submit an application, contact the university you are interested in. 

The merit scholarships are valued at $14 000 per year. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible, students must pursue full-time studies in a technical training program at the college level leading to a Diploma of College Studies (DCS).  

For more information on the eligibility criteria, refer to the Bourses d’excellence page  of the Les Cégeps du Québec website (in French only). 

Process 

To submit an application, contact the CEGEP or private college that you are interested in. Note that the maximum duration of the scholarship is three years and you must re-apply for it each year.

The merit scholarships vary between $14 000 and $26 600, based on the duration of the training program.  

Eligibility 

To be eligible, students must successfully pursue full-time studies in a vocational training program leading to one of the following: 

• Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) 
• DVS followed by an Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS) 

Priority is given to international students from leading markets in Asia (China, India and Japan) and the Americas (Brazil and Mexico), and from member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.  

Please note that students from France are not eligible for this program, since they already benefit under the provisions of an agreement between Québec and France. 

Process 

For more information or to submit your application, refer to the Merit Scholarships page of the Québec métiers d’avenir website .