Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship

• Valued at up to $45,000 per year for two years
• International Graduate Differential Fees, if applicable
• Recipients will receive a certificate acknowledging their scholarship
• Scholarship start dates must be either May 1, 2026 or September 1, 2026
• Funding for the second year is subject to meeting eligibility requirements, and submission and approval of the renewal request via the GSMS Awards Portal six weeks before the end of the first year of funding

Honourary status 
If a student wins an external scholarship, the student is required to accept the external award. Accordingly, the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship may become Honourary: the stipend will be of reduced or zero value depending on the value of the external award. Review the Scholarships and Awards Manual for more information.

• Offered to outstanding students registered full-time in, or admissible to, a doctoral program
  • applicants must have completed at least 12 months of graduate work (master's or doctoral level) before the start of the award tenure (May 1, 2026 or September 1, 2026)
  • applicants must have completed no more than 48 months in their doctoral program as of December 31, 2025
  • as the Killam is offered for a two year period (subject to review after the first year), applicants must have at least 18 months of full-time registration left in their doctoral program after May 2026
  • for students who transferred from a master’s program to a doctoral program, the number of months completed during the master’s program will count towards the doctoral Program
• No restrictions on citizenship. All fields of study are eligible for funding
• Applicants should have first class academic standing (equivalent to a 3.5 GPA). The GPA for current graduate students is calculated using the current graduate program graded course work. For newly admitted graduate students or current graduate students who have no graded course work to date, the admission GPA (AGPA) will be used
• The Killam Scholarship can be held only once

This is the most prestigious graduate award administered by the University of Alberta. Every effort is made to honor the criteria set out in the will of Dorothy Killam. It was Mrs. Killam's desire that those awarded scholarships and fellowships be likely to contribute to the advancement of learning or to win distinction in their profession. Killam scholars should not be one-sided and their intellect should be complemented by a sound character.

Applicants must complete the following, and ensure any requirements are submitted to their Department by the Departmental deadline to be considered for both the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship and the Dorothy J Killam Memorial Graduate Prize. Applicants are to refer to the 2026 Izaak Walton Killam Scholarship Department Memo for information on their department's nomination quota.

Once nominations have been submitted to GPS, revisions will not be permitted. Incomplete nominations, including those submitted with missing transcripts, will not be considered. It is both the student’s and Department’s responsibility to ensure that the application package is complete in every respect before such is nominated to GPS via GSMS.

A complete Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship Application includes:

1. Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship Application Form: completed application form signed by the student; additional attachments will not be accepted.

• Students are encouraged to review GPS’s Scholarship Application Tips and How to Write a Strong Research Proposal guidance on scholarship applications and research proposal writing.

2. Two Letters of Reference: Applicants are required to have their referees complete the Letters of Reference to Support Application for Graduate Awards Form. This form is mandatory and must be completed and signed by each applicant's referees. An additional confidential letter of reference (2 pages maximum, free form) may be attached to the Letter of Reference Form, but must not replace the form template:

1. Supervisory Appraisal: one reference should be from the applicants’ supervisor. For applicants who also have a co-supervisor, only one letter of reference should be by either the supervisor or co-supervisor. Current U of A doctoral students should ensure that one referee is their current graduate program supervisor.
2. Academic Reference: the second reference should be from an academic reference other than the supervisor (or co-supervisor).

• As reference letters are confidential, the Letters of Reference to Support Application for Graduate Awards Forms must be submitted by the referees directly to the student's department.
• It is highly recommended students give their referees a deadline at least one week prior to any application deadline to allow sufficient time and to avoid any possible delays/changes. 
• Applicants are responsible for providing the Letter of Reference Form to their referees. Nominations submitted to GPS with missing Letter of Reference forms (i.e. letters only), or forms with attached letters exceeding the 2 pages maximum  will not be considered.
• Students are encouraged to review GPS’s Preparing Your Reference Letters tips on how to request reference letters for a successful scholarship application.

3. Up-to-date transcripts: of all undergraduate and graduate studies must be included with the application (includes all transfer credit, even if transferred to the U of A, and incomplete work/non degree study/qualifying years, etc). With the exception of the U of A, all other institutions must be copies of the official transcripts. Missing or illegible transcripts may deem students' applications as incomplete and will not be reviewed. Applicants are encouraged to order required transcripts as soon as possible, where required. Up-to-date transcripts include (but is not limited to):

1. U of A Transcripts: U of A unofficial transcripts (printed from BearTracks) will be accepted:
   • Unofficial UofA transcripts must be up-to-date and show current full time registration (courses/thesis in progress) if the applicant is currently registered (i.e.. both Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 terms). 
   • Applicants are responsible for providing a current transcript with their application for departmental review. Nominations submitted to GPS with outdated U of A transcripts will not be adjudicated and will be rejected.
   • For newly admissible students (i.e.. recommended for admission to a doctoral degree program starting May 1 or September 1, 2026) and who have no prior U of A record, refer to step b).
   • Newly admissible students with a prior U of A record may also provide an unofficial transcript. Students who no longer have access to BearTracks are to contact their admitting department.
   • GPS will not generate an updated U of A transcript for applicants, nor for a department nomination submitted incorrectly.
2. Other Institution Transcripts: copies of official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies from other institutions attended are required (must show all completed coursework and grades, and conferral of any degrees). Opening and scanning a paper transcript, or providing a copy of an official e-transcript will not render the transcript unofficial:
   • Transcripts must be up-to-date; students are responsible for obtaining official transcripts and appending a copy to their application by their department deadline
   • GPS does not provide copies of transcripts from student records held at the U of A (includes transcripts from other Canadian/international post-secondary institutions, and transcripts included in former, recent, or in progress admission/award applications). 
   • One copy of the legend (reverse of each transcript) must be included.
   • Self-produced transcripts or mark sheets from institutions’ self-served student systems are considered unofficial and will not be considered.

Departments must submit eligible nominations to GPS via the GSMS Awards Portal by GPS's nomination deadline of Thursday, February 19, 2026. Departments are to review the 2026 Izaak Walton Killam Scholarship Department Memo for complete details and instructions.

The GPS Graduate Scholarship Committee adjudicates the competition; GPS will notify winners directly. Final decisions will not be released to students and Departments until after the Killam Trustees meeting in May – early June.

Application Deadline: each Department sets its own internal deadline for receipt of applications; applicants must contact their Department directly for the Departmental deadline and nomination quota. Applicants are encouraged to apply early and order required transcripts as soon as possible. 

GPS Nomination Deadline: the Deadline for Departments to submit nominations to GPS (via the GSMS Awards Portal) for university review and final adjudication is Thursday, February 19, 2026. Departments are to review the 2026 Izaak Walton Killam Scholarship Department Memo for complete details and instructions. 

Effective January 1, 2023, eligible holders of the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship (graduate-level) may apply for a parental leave. This benefit is intended to support recipients who do not have access to other paid parental leave support through Tri-Agency or external scholarship funding. Recipients must meet the eligibility requirements, apply for an approved leave of absence from their program, and request funding by submitting the Graduate Award Interruption Request form online to GPS Award Services via our Contact us page. Please review the documents below:

Parental Leave Eligibility

Graduate Award Interruption Request Form