Scholarships are a great way of financing your academics in Canada. Most international students aspiring for a chance to study in one of the Canadian Universities find it difficult to pay the tuition fee. This is where scholarship comes in handy. In this article, we would be looking at the scholarships for international students in Canada that you can apply for.
The question now remains, what does getting a scholarship entail? Scholarships are basically non-refundable financial aids given to a person/student for mainly educational purposes.
Scholarships on the other hand can be handed out through different mediums. A scholarship can either come from a person, an organization, or the university you are applying to.
The Bottom line is, you would not need to pay back whatever is offered to you. Scholarships can also be referred to as grants.
If you are going to understand how to look for scholarships in Canada offered to international students and how to apply for them, there are certain things you need to know first.
Here is the breakdown of what we would be discussing in this article:
- Home-based scholarships
- Do your research
- Contact the University Admission Board
- Top 3 Universities that offer scholarships for international students
Home-based scholarships
If you are going to be looking for scholarships in Canada, you should start in your home country. Applying for home-based scholarships would help you understand what it entails, the procedures, and the requirements.
Even though the requirements are not the same, the goal is to familiarize you with how it all works. If you are going to be applying for scholarships in Canada, you should at least know the basics of how to start your application.
With over 250,000 applicants looking for scholarships each year in Canada, it would be a great idea to stay ahead of the vast majority of the competition.
Having this locked down, the next thing for you to do is lay the groundwork for your Scholarship application in Canada. You do this through research.
Do your research
Research is an important part of your journey to applying for scholarships in Canada. It may very well be the difference between finding the right scholarship opportunity for you and the wrong one.
Learn more about scholarships offered by the Canadian government, state government, private foundations or individuals, and non-profit organizations.
It would also help you understand the requirements for getting these scholarships. This stage would determine what your next move would be.
Contact the University’s Admission Board
If the scholarship opportunity you found is offered by a Canadian university, it would be ideal to contact their admission board.
They would be able to give you detailed information on requirements and procedures on how to apply for the scholarship.
Top 3 Universities that offer scholarships for international students
In this section, we would be looking at some of the top 3 universities that offer scholarships for international students. This short list would determine where to start your scholarship application journey.
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is the first on the list offering scholarships to international students through the Leader of Tomorrow’s Award.
This award was established by the university as part of its program to cover part of the tuition fees. This is not a fully funded scholarship.
Students would still be required to pay half of the tuition fees. Another program that has been set up by the University of British Columbia is the Donald A Wehrung International Award.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto has established a program called the Pearson’s International Scholarship Program.
This program was established to recognize the high level of intelligence that is displayed by international applicants in academics.
The scholarship of offered to strictly applicants outside Canada. It is also a fully funded scholarship unlike the University of British Columbia.
It covers the whole year of your studies after your first year; you can still reapply provided you meet all the requirements of the scholarship.
The scholarship award is worth between $10,000 and $15,000 for the first year.
York University
York University is one of the most prestigious universities in Canada that offers scholarships to international students.
This is a fully funded scholarship offered to students who are still in high school or have graduated not more than 2 years after high school.
York University holds numerous scholarship programs including the International Entrance Scholarship which is renewable for up to 3 years. It is worth a total of $35,000 for the full program and about $14,000 per year.
Further Tips
Below are some of the helpful resources that you would need in your for a scholarship program in Canada.
- Perre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships
- Government of Canada International Scholarships Program