Post-secondary education in Canada can be expensive, and amidst the frenzy of balancing school work in high school, clubs, extracurriculars, volunteering and more, finding a way to finance your education can feel like a daunting task.
That’s where we come in! Here at Studentosity, our team aims to ease the transition from high school to post-secondary education by providing students with curated resources and tools that bring them one step closer to success.
In this article, we will be covering what a scholarship is, as well as where to look in order to find scholarships that interest you.
Written by Sanchit Kaushal
What is a scholarship?
Many of you reading this article probably have a general idea about what a scholarship is. Free money? Close, but not quite. Scholarships are a form of financial assistance awarded to students in order to help pay for their education, and unlike loans, they don’t need to be paid back.
In Canada, there are thousands of scholarships available to students applying to university. The criteria for each scholarship varies, but many scholarships are based on academic achievement, volunteering, extra-curriculars, athletic skill, financial need, & more.
In order to navigate the various scholarships available to Canadian students, we have categorized this article by where the scholarship can be found, ie. university-specific, workplace/organization, community and Internet.
University-Specific
When it comes to scholarships, the first place to look is the university that you are interested in. Many, if not all, universities in Canada offer entrance scholarships to incoming students based on academic merit, ie. having an average above 80, 85, 90%, etc. These scholarships are often automatically applied and require no additional information or supplemental application.
Many universities also offer major admission awards and scholarships that are of greater value and are awarded on the basis of superior academic ability and all-around excellence. Such scholarships often require an additional application, which may involve listing extracurriculars, employment, providing grades, references, etc. There may also be additional components such as essays, writing prompts and more. To learn more about these scholarships, we recommend visiting the university’s website for details.
Organizations & Communities
Another great place to look for scholarships is in your own community! Whether it be scholarships offered by your town, your school board, organizations in your community or anything in between, we’re sure that you can find one that interests you.
There are also many prestigious scholarships offered to Canadian students across the country by various organizations. These national scholarships are often competitive, but very rewarding. Some of these scholarships include the Schulich Leadership Scholarship, Loran Award, TD Scholarship & many more.
To learn more about these scholarships and how to apply, contact your guidance counselor / school advisory team or visit the scholarship’s webpage for more details.
Workplace
Although the scholarships mentioned earlier are a great place to start, there are many lesser-known scholarships that you should also be on the lookout for. We strongly recommend that you reach out to your friends, family and others in your circle and ask about any scholarships that they know about. For example, your parents’ workplace may offer a scholarship exclusively available to children of employees. These scholarships can be niche, but are nonetheless effective in financing one’s postsecondary education.
Internet
Lastly, the Internet is one of the best places to find scholarships. There are dozens of websites that curate scholarships for you, and can prove to be extremely valuable if you dedicate the time to set up a profile and regularly revisit the website to apply.
Here are some websites that the team at Studentosity has found helpful:
Conclusion
We hope that you found this article helpful and have a better idea on where to start when it comes to applying for scholarships. For more information about scholarships and applying to university, check out Studentosity’s Instagram page and follow us for more content like this.
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