Canadian University Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial issues can impact directly on your studies; therefore, financial planning is an important part of assuring academic success in post-secondary education. It is especially difficult to find this information when you are applying to a university in another country.

At many universities, when you apply for admission by the specified admissions deadline, you are automatically considered for their Entrance Scholarships. In other cases, you will need to apply separately for scholarships at the institution through a separate application form by a separate, specified deadline. You will need to do careful research to determine how and when you will need to apply for these scholarships in order to be considered by each institution. There is a range of amounts that are offered by institutions for individual entrance scholarships and some awards are renewable for each of your four years of study. At most institutions, after each year of study, more scholarships will be available by application by qualified students.

External funding opportunities are also available to students each year. You may wish to pursue externally offered scholarships in addition to individual, instutitional scholarships. Some helpful web links for additional external resources include:

www.scholarshipscanada.com
www.studentawards.com
www.bcartscouncil.ca
www.nstalenttrust.ns.ca
www.aucc.ca
www.cfuw.org

Additionally at many post-secondary institutions Travel Subsidy applications are often available during the first month of each semester for travel related to courses or academics within the same semester. Many students use these funds to attend conferences, conduct research and collaborate on their work outside of the city or town in which they are studying.

Many universities also maintain financial aid programs to assist students who are unable to meet the full cost of their educational expenses from other sources. Grants are awarded primarily to assist students encountering situations due to unanticipated financial need. Small financial aid grants may be given once or twice during a student’s attendance at university.