Student Funding at McGill University: Challenge and Innovation

By: Cara Piperni

The most important capital campaign in the history of McGill University is coming to a spectacular conclusion. It has been the University’s largest, most challenging and most formidable campaign effort to date. Of the $750,000,000 that has been targeted (and it will all be raised by the deadline), fully 30% (or $225,730,000) is dedicated to fellowships, scholarships and bursaries to attract and support top students.

In the current economic climate, McGill is working hard to provide the necessary funding to the thousands of excellent undergraduate students arriving every September from high schools all over the world and from the CEGEP system in Quebec. The capital campaign will help the scholarship and bursary programs tremendously by infusing some much-needed funding.

Furthermore, McGill has been incrementally building a comprehensive program of financial packages encompassing both merit-based scholarships and need-based awards. Implementation of a novel software system in the last three years will enable the compilation of scholarships, bursaries, loans, government aid, external awards and the work-study program based on assessments of individual student needs. Similarly, for students already enrolled at McGill, the University will coordinate a financial program comprising all the elements of financial need together with the in-course scholarships provided by every faculty to meritorious students. Students planning on conducting research on an international level, or reveling in the experience of an overseas internship or exchange, will benefit from McGill’s generous mobility funding program of over $2,000,000.

To complement institutional funding, McGill has established a central resource library for external awards. From local Montreal organizations to corporations, foundations and associations worldwide, a comprehensive database of funding opportunities creates advantage for Canadian and international students alike.

As a world leader in research and innovation, McGill University is industriously applying novel concepts and all available resources to ensure that the financial needs of its student body remain at the forefront of any campaign initiatives, and that students excel at their studies and activities without financial worries. For more information: http://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/