2026 Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program – Government of Canada

Location: Canada

Program: Short-term study or research

Eligibility: International students

Duration: 4–6 months

Deadline: March 31, 2026

JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP & GET UPDATES ON SCHOLARSHIPS WORLDWIDE

The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) is a prestigious Canadian Government scholarship initiative established by Global Affairs Canada in 2009 to support the short-term academic mobility of students from Latin America and the Caribbean to Canada, with the twin objectives of fostering the development of human capital and the next generation of leaders in the Americas region, while simultaneously strengthening Canada’s institutional partnerships and deepening people-to-people ties with its neighbours in the Western Hemisphere.

Canada is one of the world’s most internationally respected and welcoming destinations for higher education, home to some of the globe’s leading research universities and colleges across disciplines ranging from engineering, technology, and natural sciences to business, social sciences, arts, and health. The ELAP programme provides students from 44 eligible countries across the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America with the transformative opportunity to experience the Canadian academic environment first-hand gaining exposure to world-class teaching and research, building lasting professional and personal networks with Canadian academics and peers, and returning to their home countries as stronger, more internationally experienced emerging leaders in their fields.

Benefits of the Scholarship

This scholarship will provide the following to its recipients:

CAD $8,600 scholarship for 4 months (one academic term) of study or research at the college or undergraduate level
CAD $8,600 scholarship for 4 months (one academic term) of study or research at the graduate level (Master’s and PhD)
CAD $12,400 scholarship for 5–6 months of study or research at the graduate level (Master’s and PhD)
Full tuition fee waiver — tuition is not charged by the participating Canadian host institution
Scholarship funds disbursed directly to the student by the host Canadian institution
Maximum total project funding of CAD $150,000 per participating Canadian institution
CAD $500 per implemented scholarship provided to the Canadian institution to cover administrative costs (including employer compliance fees where applicable)
Other benefits

Also Check:

2026 University of Bologna Thesis Abroad Postgraduate Scholarships – Italy

2026 Developing Solutions Masters Scholarship – University of Nottingham, UK

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this scholarship, applicants must meet the following:

Must be a citizen of one of the 44 eligible countries and territories
Must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country or territory at the time of application
Must be paying tuition fees to their home institution at the time of application and for the full duration of their mobility in Canada
Must be able to complete all project activities no later than September 30, 2027
Must be identified and nominated by a participating Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI) — direct applications from individuals are not accepted
Must not hold or have a pending application for Canadian citizenship or permanent residency
Must not already be enrolled in a degree, diploma, or certificate programme at a Canadian post-secondary institution
Must not already be holding another grant or source of funding from Global Affairs Canada (through any legal name including DFATD) or from a Canadian federal granting agency (NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR)
Must sign the Privacy Notice Statement for non-Canadian participants as part of the institutional nomination process

Note: Kindly check the official webpage for full and detailed requirements

Also Check

2026 Sabancı University Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships for International Students – Turkey

2026 James Buchanan Fellowship at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University USA

Selection Criteria

The ELAP scholarship selection process operates at two levels the institutional level and the individual student level reflecting the programme’s updated 2026/27 delivery model in which Canadian post-secondary institutions bear full responsibility for both project application and student selection. At the institutional level, Global Affairs Canada evaluates participating Canadian Designated Learning Institutions on the basis of the completeness and quality of their Management and Accountability Framework (MAF) a document that outlines the specific measures and procedures each institution will implement to ensure a fair and transparent selection process for scholarship recipients.