Grants and Writing Resources for the University of Ottawa

A second-year uOttawa law student was named Top 2L Mooter at the Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot in February 2026, a result that earned uOttawa automatic entry to the Oxford International IP moot the following year. The same student finished runner-up for Top Oralist, one of the results the Faculty of Law listed in its roundup of the 2026 mooting season.

Admission Scholarships for Graduate Study

Students admitted to a doctoral program with an average of 8.0/10 or higher may receive the doctoral admission scholarship. It has two parts. The first pays $9,000 a year, at $3,000 per term for 12 consecutive terms. The second, at least $9,000 a year for four years, comes from the academic unit through assistantship contracts or other internal scholarships, for a minimum of $72,000 over four years. Holders must stay enrolled full-time without interruption. A student who also holds an outside scholarship keeps the first part, and the second becomes optional while that award runs.

A second admission scholarship goes to students admitted with an average of 8.0/10 or more on the academic unit's recommendation. It is worth at least $15,000 for one year: $7,500 from the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, matched by at least $7,500 from the unit. The MBA, MEd, MEng, MEng (Engineering Management), MHA, MPH and MCI are excluded.

Undergraduate Research in Science

The Faculty of Science lists its research opportunities for students in one place. It offers 16 Undergraduate Research Scholarships of $11,500 each, which put students to work with scientists before their university studies begin. The Undergraduate Science Research Opportunity Program is open to full-time second, third and fourth-year science students and has taken the place of UROP while that program is suspended.

In fourth year, students in an honours bachelor's program can complete an Honours Research Project, which runs two semesters.

The Academic Writing Help Centre

Undergraduate and graduate students book one-on-one appointments with writing mentors at the Academic Writing Help Centre, on the first floor of Morisset Library. Mentors help with reading assignment instructions, building an outline, organizing ideas into paragraphs and citing in Chicago, MLA or APA style. They give feedback on a draft along with tools for editing it. Graduate students can join writing circles for quiet working time and peer support.

The Centre also runs academic integrity sessions. A professor or faculty can refer a student under Academic Regulation A-4, and any student who wants to learn more may attend. Its FAQ collects the questions mentors hear most often in appointments.

Thesis Rules and uOResearch

Theses submitted after September 1, 2023 fall under Academic Regulation C-7. A thesis takes one of three forms: a monograph, a thesis by articles, or a non-traditional thesis such as a performance, artifact, invention or public resource. Each program sets which formats it accepts. In a thesis by articles, every article must be written while the student is enrolled, and the program sets the minimum number. A non-traditional thesis still needs a written component.

The student is responsible for the accuracy of the thesis contents, and sources are cited to the standards of the discipline. Master's theses go to two to four examiners; doctoral theses go to four to seven, with at least one external examiner. The approved final version is submitted electronically to uOResearch, where it is freely available online and the student keeps copyright. No student can be recommended for graduation until that version is approved and deposited.

Before a thesis goes to the jury or a paper goes to a professor, our editors can give it a final check for grammar, consistency and format. See our University of Ottawa dissertation and thesis editing and University of Ottawa essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• ESL Academic Writing: Overcoming Common Grammar Habits
• How to Avoid Academic Dishonesty: Citing and Quoting Sources
• From Dissertation to Publication: The Final Scholarly Synthesis