Scholarships

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Make sure you visit before searching for scholarships. This will tell you what to expect regarding scholarships and information you should have before you start searching.

The Scholarships listed are categorized into the month they are due, and a few have no due dates and accept applications at any time.

*Disclaimer*

Do not assume that the information provided on this page is totally accurate and up-to-date. This database is based on information compiled by the Career Exploration Office and is updated as it is received. It is the responsibility of the student to do his/her research early in order to meet deadline or criteria changes. Contacting the source directly for the most up-to-date information is always recommended!

Scholarship Basics

Scholarships are grants of financial aid awarded to a student, as for the purpose of attending post-secondary education. (There are a small percentage that are awarded for persons not attending post-secondary education). Scholarships generally are gift awards and do not need to be repaid.

There is a natural flow of steps when considering scholarships and the sooner you start, the better your chances of finding something for you:

First you need to find scholarships that you may apply for. If you do not know of any scholarships, how can you receive any.
Second, when you have found scholarships, you need to determine which ones you can and cannot apply for. There are many different possible requirements scholarships consider. There are awards where academic performance is not a consideration, but a high percentage do.
And third, you need to apply for the scholarship in order to be considered for any awards.

Where Do I Find Scholarships?

Scholarships can come from anywhere and anyone, it's a matter of finding them. Here are a few ideas:

This web-site has a few scholarships categorized into the month they are due.

Businesses/organizations/clubs

Many businesses have scholarships for their employees and their children. Sometimes these scholarships are exclusive to employee's children, eliminating competition.

Clubs such as legions, religious groups, and sport clubs may offer some type of scholarship. Most of the time you need some connection with the club to be eligible.

There are a few web-sites dedicated for scholarships and have a data base in which you can search for scholarships and/or enter information about yourself. The data base then can give you a list of scholarships that fit your answers.

Studentawards.com (Canadian)

ScholarshipsCanada.com (Canadian)

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (Canadian)

Scholarships.com (American)

Finally, ask around. Ask neighbors, friends, family, politicians, teachers, coaches, etc. to see if they know of anything that you might be able to apply for

Which Scholarships Can I Apply For?

Scholarships can have a wide rage of requirements in order to apply. So instead of making yourself fit the requirements, apply for scholarships that fit you!

Know Your Armoury. It's important to know what you have in the way of strengths. To know what you can get from a scholarship, you have to first know what you have in the way of assets.

Do you:

participate in any extracurricular activities?

participate in school events?

get involved in sporting events?

help out in your community at all?

work on student council?

volunteer anywhere?

Have you ever:

been in a play?

worked on a farm?

run for office?

been on an exchange program?

grown vegetables?

written a play?

Are you:

part of a visible minority?

part of a religious group?

physically disabled?

diagnosed with a genetic disorder?

or your parents/grandparents part of a club or community group?

You get the idea. Anything that makes you different from the other students when applying for scholarships is very important.

You also want to make sure that the scholarship is for students that fit your category. That is, if you are entering post-secondary for the first time, you cannot apply for a scholarship intended for students in their second or third year.

How Do I Apply?

For most scholarships, you need to fill out an application form (which you can usually get from the scholarship's web-site, or contact them for an application form to be mailed to you). You may need to add any extra material and/or documents they require. Some awards have an online application where you fill out a form on their web page, and no paper copies are needed. Then you just need to mail in the material on time and follow up with any other documents needed at a later date, or respond to any material you receive from the scholarship committee.

Here are a few pointers for applying:

Make sure you do in fact fill all the requirements.

Fill out all questions that pertain to you.

Spelling, grammar and sentence structure is very important. Make a draft copy if you need to before filling out the form.

Keep answers positive.

You are competing with others for the scholarship, what can you say to make your application more deserving than anyone else?

Be honest about your abilities and experiences, do not lie.

Get your application to the destination on time. If you have to mail your application to Toronto, mail it at least a week before it is due. Any late applications will not be considered.

Take the time to figure out who will be reading the application and any letters. If possible, address the letter to them directly.

If appropriate, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for the administrator to use to reply to you.

*Some of the information used on this page has been adapted from the Scholarships.com and Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada websites.