Applications must be submitted directly to the university where the candidate is registered. Each university sets its own procedures and deadlines. It is the student's responsibility to get the proper information.

A complete application file must include:

● Le formulaire de candidature pour la bourse Arbour – Doctorat dûment complété incluant le consentement sur la politique de confidentialité de la Fondation Arbour (à télécharger sur le site de la Fondation et à compléter sur un navigateur web ou avec Acrobat Reader – attention au respect du nombre de mots maximum indiqué);

● The following supporting documents:

All official university transcripts in French, English or Spanish

Letter of support from a academic sponsor (details in the Letters of support section)​

Letter of support from a non-academic sponsor, with no family ties to the candidate (details in the Letters of support section)

CV

List of publications (if applicable)

Two letters of recommendation must be included in the nomination file.

● The first letter of recommendation must be written by an academic sponsor, preferably the candidate's research director, highlighting the candidate's academic performance as a mandatory theme and, as an optional theme, his/her social involvement in the academic community.

● The second letter of support will come from a non-academic sponsor who will discuss the candidate’s merits outside the academic community.

Letters of support must be on the official letterhead of the organization and signed by the sponsor with a mention of their title and contact information.

The value of the PhD Arbour scholarship is $20,000. Scholarships are disbursed by your university in two equal instalments – one in the fall semester and the second in the winter semester – upon presentation of a full-time registration proof. PhD Arbour scholarships are renewable once. See the guidelines for renewals for more details.

* Important note for potential scholarship recipients who speak little or no French.

The mission of the Arbour Foundation is first and foremost to contribute to Québec’s economic growth through education. For this reason, it is important for international and Canadian students with no or little French skills to acquire this competence to fully participate in Québec’s society and economy. The Arbour Foundation is currently working to facilitate their integration with a mentoring program, networking events and various other activities geared towards the same goal.

Since French is a key element in Quebec’s cultural integration. the Arbour Foundation wishes to encourage all the students with little or no knowledge of the language to take French lessons on a regular basis. To this end, the Arbour Foundation will offer French-language learning courses to selected scholars.

The following protocol applies to new and returning scholars:

● The Arbour selection committees evaluate the French skills of each candidate during the selection interview.

● The same conditions apply for renewal applications for a second year.Candidates getting a scholarship whose level of French is deemed inadequate are personally notified by the Arbour Foundation. They receive the first instalment of their scholarship in the fall semester (October), but the second instalment (February) is conditional to attending French lessons AND receiving a positive evaluation from their instructors.

● The same conditions apply for renewal applications for a second year.

● Students are encouraged to participate in weekly lessons during both semesters (fall and winter).

● There is no charge for these lessons, as they are fully subsidized by the Arbour Foundation.

● Training is tailored to the needs of each student and is offered on an individual basis. Lessons can take place at different times of the week, depending on the agreement between the student and the instructor.

● There is no written exambut simply an ongoing evaluation by the instructors. This evaluation is sent to the Arbour Foundation at the end of December of the current year and again at the end of June of the following year. If the December evaluation is positive, the second installment (February) of the scholarship is disbursed as planned.

● If the June evaluation is positive and, if it is possible for the student - according to the rules established by the Arbour Foundation - to apply for a one-year renewal of the scholarship, then the student may submit his application (Note: a positive evaluation does not grant automatic renewal; the regular selection criteria will also be applied by the Arbour selection committees).

● Should the evaluation be negativethe Arbour Foundation reserves the right to cancel the second instalment (February) and may not allow a student to submit a renewal application. In the event the payment of the second part of the scholarship is cancelled, the student and his or her home university will be notified as soon as possible. It should be noted that the Arbour Foundation makes no judgment on the improvement of the scholar’s level of French and relies exclusively on the recommendation from the French instructor.

*PLEASE NOTE* If the student decides to take a French course at his home university (or any other university in Quebec), he or she will not be required to take the French lessons offered through the Arbour Foundation. The second installment will therefore be conditional on successfully completing the French course and submitting his/her transcript to the Arbour Foundation upon receipt of his/her grade for the course.