Getting a Scholarship as an International Student

There are many awards and scholarships that can help fund your studies in Canada!

Many Canadian university students rely on scholarships and bursaries to help fund their educations — and international students have the opportunity to do so, too. In many cases, students with high grades are automatically considered for scholarships and awards when they apply — there are no extra forms to fill out. But automatic consideration doesn't mean these scholarships are easy to get; competition is steep, as there are always more high-performing students than there are awards. Typically, students find out if they were awarded these types of scholarships when they receive an offer of admission.

Applying for Scholarships

Other scholarships, awards and bursaries require that you apply for them in a separate application. Every school offers its own menu of scholarship options. At Concordia University, international students can search for scholarship programs that are open to them with the Awards Search function on the university's Financial Matters page.

Starting in the fall of 2020, Concordia University launched two new scholarship programs specifically for international undergraduate students: the Concordia Presidential Scholarship, and the Concordia International Scholars award. Each of these scholarships will be awarded to two incoming international students from any faculty.

Tracking Deadlines

It's important to remember that scholarship programs often operate on differing schedules, which means application deadlines vary widely. Concordia University maintains a month-by-month list of scholarships that are currently accepting applications, with information on how to apply. This list is updated continuously, so you can check back month to month and see what new opportunities have popped up.

Most universities invite students to apply for both "internal" and "external" scholarships. Internal scholarships are meant for students applying to particular universities, while external scholarships are open for students from all over, regardless of which Canadian school they're applying to.

Concordia University offers an Entrance Bursary that's open to incoming international students. Applications open on February 1, and will close on April 30th.

How Are Scholarships Paid?

Scholarships and awards come in all sizes, from covering full tuition, to awards of several hundred dollars. Some scholarships are applied automatically to students' tuition, and some are paid to students directly. There's always competition for scholarship money; who doesn't want help paying for their education? But students shouldn't be discouraged. Just like with university, the only way to be considered is to apply!