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Scholarships and Awards
In-Course Scholarships
The in-course scholarship program recognizes academic excellence by assessing your marks taken at Laurier that were attained in the previous academic year. You do not have to apply for an in-course scholarship!
To be eligible for assessment you must be:
- Full-time undergraduate student leading to a recognized degree,
- Not in the first year of your program, and
- You must meet all elgibility requirements listed below.
Successful recipients are notified by email once grades have been finalized for the appropriate term or year of study.
|
GPA |
Award Amount |
|---|---|
|
10.50 to 10.99 |
$1,250 |
|
11.0 to 12.0 |
$1,500 |
Note: Scholarship values are subject to change. This in-course scholarship grid is valid for eligible students beginning in September 2024 and after.
In-course scholarship funds are applied equally to fees for the next two full-time academic terms.
To be eligible for in-course scholarships, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- You are registered in a full-time course load over two, full-time academic terms in the current academic year, with Laurier as your home institution.
- You have completed a minimum of 5.0 full credits in the previous fall, winter and spring terms (September through August).
- Note: Transfer credits do not count towards these credits.
- You must have completed two full time terms, therefore at least 2.0 credits in minimum two of the three terms in the previous academic year from September through August. (Co-op students may satisfy this requirement in any two of the previous fall, winter or spring terms).
Your GPA is is calculated using all courses taken during the fall, winter and spring terms of the previous academic year (September through August).
Double-Degree Students
Only students in an approved five-year Honours double degree program are eligible to be considered on year four academic achievement:
- BBA/BA Financial Mathematics
- BBA/BSc Computer Science
- BBA/Honours Computing and Computer Electronics (UW)
- BBA/Honours Mathematics (Waterloo)
International Exchange Students
International exchange students may be eligible to receive an in-course scholarship.
If applicable, students who participate in an international exchange through Laurier International are encouraged to contact the Student Awards Office upon completion of the exchange to determine eligibility.
Non-Eligible Programs
- Students in the two year Faculty of Education program are not eligible to receive an in-course scholarship.
- Graduate students. Refer to Graduate Funding and Awards for other scholarships and awards you may be eligible for.
Dropping Courses Consequences
If you drop any course and have received any scholarships, awards or bursaries, the amount may be adjusted or revoked.
Reach out to Service Laurier with any specific concerns.
Fall and Winter Terms
Evaluations will take place in July.
Successful recipients are notified by email late July.
Spring/Summer/Intersession
Evaluations will take place in early October.
Successful recipients will be notified in mid-October.
Student invoices are static documents that will not change if you receive an award. You may not see your award on your invoice if you have received it after your invoice has been released.
To see the details of your scholarship:
- Log in to LORIS.
- Select the Student Awards and Financial Aid tab.
- Select View my Student Aid/Funding.
- Select the current academic year, if prompted (i.e. 2020-2021 Aid Year).
To see if your award has been applied to your fees and for your most up-to-date balance:
- Log in to LORIS.
- Select the Student Services tab.
- Select Student Account Summary.
- Select Account Summary by Term.
President’s Gold Scholarships are granted upon admission and are renewable for subsequent academic years if all of the renewal requirements are met:
- You must achieve a minimum of a 10.5 GPA in courses taken in the previous academic year (September through August).
- You must have completed a minimum of 5.0 credits (or 10 half credits) in the previous academic year at Laurier (September through August).
- If more than 5.0 credits are taken in an academic year, the GPA from all courses completed in an academic year will be used to determine renewal eligibility.
- To be eligible for renewal, recipients of the President's Gold Scholarship must be registered full time in two of the three terms from September through August (therefore a minimum of 2.0 credits pert term, in at least 2 of the 3 terms in the prior academic year).
- You are registered in a full-time course load over two, full-time academic terms in the current academic year, with Laurier as your home institution.
- If the renewal requirements are not met in each academic year, the President's Gold Scholarship will not be renewed and cannot be renewed in a subsequent academic year. However, students would then automatically be assessed for an in-course scholarship.
Competitive Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries
Laurier offers a wide range of competitive scholarships, awards and bursaries for all students, whether you're an undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time, domestic or international.
To be considered, you must complete two profiles through LORIS:
General Student Award Profile
This profile is your application for competitive opportunities open to all Laurier students.
Faculty-Specific Award Profiles
This profile is the application for competitive opportunities that are specific to your program of study. For example, if you are in the BA Global Studies program, you can complete the Faculty of Arts profile.
Important: You must submit your General Student Award Profile at least one day before the deadline to access the Faculty-Specific profile.
Once you've submitted both profiles, the Student Awards Office will automatically assess your eligibility for all available awards based on your program, year of study, interests, and background. By completing these profiles, you have applied to all eligible opportunities.
These profiles open in late July and close in early fall each year.
Review the important dates and deadlines to give yourself plenty of time to complete and submit your profiles.
The student budget section is essential for assessing your eligibility for various financial aid opportunities.
While the budget section of your profile is optional, we strongly encourage you to fill it out. Many of our awards are hybrid and include a financial need component. This means that even if it is assessed that you have a financial need of $1, it could significantly increase your chances of receiving additional funding throughout the year.
Use the Student Awards Search Engine to discover all scholarships, bursaries and awards through the student award profiles.
Recipients of competitive opportunities are notified via their @mylaurier.ca email between October and March.
All decisions regarding awards are at the discretion of the Student Awards Office. Decisions on recipients for all competitive opportunities are made on an ongoing basis. The stated value of scholarships is subject to change. Scholarships offered by the university are tenable only at Laurier.
If you complete the profile, there is no guarantee that you will be the successful recipient of an award. The profiles are competitive opportunities, and the most eligible candidate(s) is chosen as the recipient.
If you do not receive an award this year, this does not mean that you will not be eligible in another year. By filling out the profile(s) every year, you will have the best opportunity to receive an award!
You must complete the General Student Profile to access the Faculty-Specific Profile(s).
Dropping Courses Consequences
If you drop any course and have received any scholarships, awards or bursaries, the amount may be adjusted or revoked.
Reach out to Service Laurier with any specific concerns.
External Scholarships
Organizations (cultural groups, foundations, religious groups, etc.) and companies often offer scholarships, which are external to Laurier and are open to students from other universities or colleges.
External scholarships are processed by the Student Awards office.
How to Submit
Make sure the organization makes the cheque payable to Wilfrid Laurier University, and that the cheque includes your name, and Laurier ID.
Further, they must include a letter indicating the following:
- Which term the cheque should be applied to (i.e. is the full amount for your fall term, or is it split between fall and winter terms?).
- Whether the organization will be issuing a tax receipt for your scholarship, or Laurier is to issue the tax receipt.
The organization can send the cheque to: ATTN: Student Awards, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
The criteria which determined the first Rhodes Scholars in 1902 still guide them today:
- literary and scholastic attainments (academic excellence)
- energy to use one's talents to the full (as demonstrated by mastery in areas such as sports, music, debate, dance, theatre, and artistic pursuits, particularly where teamwork is involved)
- truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship
- moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one's fellow beings.
The detailed eligibility criteria varies slightly depending on which constituency you are applying for. You can use our eligibility checker tool to find out if you meet the criteria and are eligible to apply for the Scholarship.
Visit the Rhodes Scholarship webpage to learn more
Application Process
The Laurier endorsement process is now open. Those who apply during the 2024/2025 academic year, intend to start at The University of Oxford in Fall 2026.
You must have completed (or will have completed) your undergraduate degree by June/July of 2025.
The McCall MacBain Scholarships is a postgraduate award supporting exceptional Canadian and international students at McGill University. This award is intended to be awarded to those who are interested in making a "positive impact in the world." As a McCall MacBain Scholar, you’ll be able to pursue a fully funded master’s or second-entry professional undergraduate program at McGill University.
The scholarship covers:
- Tuition and fees for the full normal duration of the master’s or professional program
- A living stipend of $2,000 per month during academic terms
- A one-time relocation grant for moving to Montréal
You'll join an interdisciplinary cohort of scholars from around the world, dedicated to purposeful leadership and action grounded in integrity, empathy, and courage.
Visit the McCall MacBain Scholarship webpage to learn more.
Application Process
The McCall MacBain Scholarship application will be available online from June to September 2025 for Summer / Fall 2026 admission. It is separate from McGill admissions, and two reference forms are required. Find out more about the application.
After you apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarship, you will need to apply to your intended McGill programs. You will need to apply to McGill by the program’s deadline, or by December at the latest if you are selected for McCall MacBain Scholarship final interviews.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 2000 by a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge; this is the largest ever single donation to a UK university. The first class of scholars came into residence in October 2001. Since then, the Trust has awarded over 2,000 scholarships to scholars from more than 100 countries.
Each year Gates Cambridge offers c.80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.
The selection criteria are:
- outstanding intellectual ability
- reasons for choice of course
- a commitment to improving the lives of others
- leadership potential
Who Can Apply?
You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are:- A citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom.
- Applying to pursue one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge:
- PhD (full-time or part-time*)
- MLitt (full-time)
- One year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions.
- For October 2023 entry, Gates Cambridge is piloting a scheme which allows applicants to apply for funding for a part-time doctoral degree.
To be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you must complete the section to apply for admission to a course and a College place and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section. Gates Cambridge has access to the full application for admission and funding when reviewing applications.
Check your Dates and Deadlines
Complete your award profiles and applications so that you don't miss out on awards, scholarships and bursaries you may be eligible for.
Check the awards important dates and deadlines to give yourself enough time to gather your required documents and make sure you apply for an award on time.