For those of you in high school who are planning to apply to universities or have already applied, you may know about the grind of applying to different scholarships to get some extra cash for university (costs can really add up over the years!). As a Canadian myself, this post will be geared towards Canadian major scholarships, as well as some key resources and tips to maximize the amount of scholarships you get. There are really two main categories of scholarships, entrance scholarships from specific universities, and other scholarships that you can apply to online.
Entrance scholarships will either be given to you automatically based off of your application or your grades, but for some universities, you may need to submit a supplementary application. For these ones, keep an eye out while you are applying to different universities. All other scholarships are not affiliated with universities, and are ones that you apply to separately, online.
Major Scholarships
There are 3 main major Canadian scholarships that are essentially a full ride: Loran Award, Schulich Leader Scholarships, and TD Scholarship and Community Leadership. While there are other substantial scholarships, there are the most notable ones based on their value and accessibility.
1. Loran Award (Home - Loran Scholars Foundation - Fondation Boursiers Loran) Valued at $100,000, the Loran Award is one of the largest scholarships in Canada. This scholarship really values community service, leadership, and character. It is extremely competitive and the selection process is really rigorous --- only 36 people get it! However, it is worth applying to nonetheless --- you never know what could happen.
2. Schulich Leader Scholarships (Schulich Leader Scholarships | Creating the next generation of technology innovators)
The Schulich is specifically for high school students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) who have an entrepreneurial spirit. This scholarship is awarded to around 100 students, and half are valued at $100,000 for engineering scholarships and half are valued at $80,000 for science and math scholarships. If you’re interested in STEM, definitely check this one out!
3. TD Scholarship and Community Leadership (Community Leadership Scholarships - TD Canada Trust) This scholarship, valued at $70,000 also highly values initiative and community service, similar to the Loran. This scholarship is for students who “have demonstrated consistent and outstanding dedication to solving a community problem or making their community a better place”. This award is available to students pursuing any degree, so if you’re involved in your community, don’t miss this one out!
Smaller Scholarships
Now, onto the smaller scholarships. There are so many scholarships available that people just miss. I’ve seen scholarships for the most specific things, like being tall, or being part of a specific organisation. Dedicate some time to searching on the internet for these smaller scholarships valued from $500 to $10,000, whether you excel academically, at community service, or at being tall. There’s something for everyone. Two great scholarship sites are ScholarshipsCanada - Find Scholarships, Student Awards, Bursaries & Financial Aid and https://scholartree.ca/scholarships. You can enter some information about yourself, and these websites will automatically suggest a list of scholarships that you can go through and decide on which ones you want to apply to. I found that making a table of scholarships helped me stay organized with deadlines
Don’t underappreciate the amount of scholarships are available, and don’t underestimate your chances. You never know what will happen, so don’t procrastinate applying to scholarships!
