Apply now to join the 2025-2026 cohort!
Please read the instructions below and follow them carefully to submit your application.
For any questions or problems, you can contact the Student Affairs Administrator at studentadmin.ihsp [at] mcgill.ca.
Application Deadlines
Application deadline: July 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm
Letters of reference submission deadline: July 14, 2025
Eligibility
- Graduate students who have completed at least 1 year of their program and are enrolled in McGill Master's, PhD or LLM (having previously completed a bachelor's degree) programs for the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Available to attend in-person meetings Thursdays, 11:30-1 at 2001 McGill College Avenue every other week from September through April.
- Current or proposed dissertation topics are interdisciplinary and connected to understanding how social conditions impact population health and welfare. Priority may be given to students with a strong equity or ethics focus in their thesis or dissertation topics.
To Apply
Please submit your application via this form: R2I Scholars Application. The form only accepts one application per student. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
The following documents are required for your application to be considered:
- Cover letter. Your cover letter should be a maximum of 2 single-spaced pages, font size 12, and must include the following sections:
- A description of your research;
- Its relevance for social policy (see the "What is social policy?" section below);
- An explanation of how the R2I Scholars Program will enhance the policy impact of your research. e.g., Why are you interested in learning from policy practitioners and academics with policy experience? How will you benefit from trainings on how to write op-eds and policy briefs? How will taking part in an interdisciplinary cohort enrich your perspective on your work?
- Current CV.
- Transcript(s) for your current and/or most recent degree program.
- An official transcript is not required. Unofficial copies must clearly indicate the source of information (e.g. Minerva).
- Proof of enrolment letter for the 2025-2026 academic year. (Instructions for generating proof of enrolment letter)
- One letter of reference (academic and/or employment), in English or French. References should email their letters to studentadmin.ihsp [at] mcgill.ca with the subject line "[Applicant's Name] Letter of Reference - R2I"
Please ensure that your cover letter, CV and transcripts are submitted via the application form by the deadline. Incomplete applications, late applications, and applications sent via email will not be considered. Application documents can be in either French or English.
What is social policy?
For the purposes of this program and your cover letter, please consider "social policy" to be broadly defined as:
"Social policy is concerned with the ways societies across the world meet human needs for security, education, work, health and wellbeing. Social policy addresses how states and societies respond to global challenges of social, demographic and economic change, and of poverty, migration and globalisation. Social policy analyses the different roles of: national governments, the family, civil society, the market, and international organisations in providing services and support across the life course from childhood to old age." (London School of Economics)
Selection Criteria
Applications are evaluated based on:
- Completion: The applicant submitted a complete application on time.
- Fit for the program: The applicant shows how participating in this program will enhance their own research and expand its policy potential and impact. Priority may be given to students with a strong equity or ethics focus in their thesis or dissertation topics.
Interdisciplinarity is a crucial factor for the R2I Scholars Program. The disciplinary balance of the cohort is taken into consideration when sending offer letters.
Review Process
All complete applications will be reviewed by the Student Affairs Administrator and faculty members sitting on the DEEP Student Affairs Committee.
The Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy is committed to equity and diversity in recruitment. We highly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, women, people with disabilities, people of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and those who are the first generation of their family to attend post-secondary studies. If you would like to, please feel free to tell us about your lived experience in your cover letter so that we can consider these factors while reviewing your application.
*Note that this award may impact any funding packages offered by your home department. For example, offer letters for many McGill departments include statements like the following: "Should you receive funding from another source, internally or externally, your funding package may be reduced in the interest of distributing financial support as broadly as possible to our student community."