University of Toronto launches $100 million scholarship program targeting PhD talent, Life in canada

The University of Toronto says it’s launching a new $100 million scholarship program designed to attract PhD talent to Canada.

The institution says the Presidents’ Impact Scholarship Program will provide $80,000 funding per year for 50 scholars for a total of $320,000 of funding over four years.

The school says the program is the largest of its kind in Canada and is comparable to scholarship funds in other world-leading research universities in the United States and United Kingdom.

It says a Canadian family foundation with a long history of supporting the university and high education in the country provided a $50 million endowed gift for the program and the university matched its annual payout to create the $100 million fund.

The school says a total of 12 or 13 new scholarship recipients will receive four years of funding each year starting in September 2027.

The program will have a total of 50 scholars by the beginning of its fourth year and that number of recipients will be maintained in perpetuity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2026.

Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.