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Laurier Scholars Award Program
The prestigious Laurier Scholars Award offers high-achieving students the opportunity to participate in a dynamic learning environment that will foster innovative thinking and ethical, visionary leadership.
Since 2021, Laurier continues to welcome seven scholars annually, each of whom will receive a $40,000 scholarship over a four-year period. Award recipients join a community of scholars from across the disciplines and receive mentorship, networking, research and experiential learning opportunities throughout their degree. Laurier’s commitment to academic excellence and community engagement, including social innovation and sustainability efforts, provides Laurier Scholars with a strong foundation to create new ideas and make meaningful change.
Laurier Scholars are required to meet all conditions to receive and renew their scholarship on an annual basis over a four-year period.
Laurier Scholars Award Conditions
The award includes $7,500 per year for up to four years and an experiential learning award of $10,000.
Funding will be applied in two equal installments to your student account during your full-time terms of study. The experiential award of $10,000 may be used to fund a summer research assistantship, international exchange or another hands-on learning opportunity that connects in-class knowledge to learning experiences outside the classroom.
*The award values, number of recipients, and criteria are subject to change.
If you were selected as Laurier Scholar, you must meet all of the conditions outlined below to receive your award:
- You must accept your Offer of Admission by the deadline outlined in your offer.
- You must maintain a final admission average of 90% as of the beginning of July (for current Ontario high school applicants) or as of the middle of July (for all other applicants).
- You must meet all conditions listed on your offer of admission letter.
- Participation in the Laurier Scholars program is required. This is inclusive but not limited to the Scholars’ Colloquium, leadership development projects, and annual Scholars’ Conference. Your involvement will be reviewed annually.
- You must be applying direct to Laurier from high school or as an international student entering your first year. Transfer students or applicants who have attended post-secondary education at another institution are not eligible.
- The Laurier Scholars Award cannot be deferred. If you are seeking to defer your offer of admission, you can reapply for the Laurier Scholars Award and will be considered amongst all other applications. Applicants deferring their offer will automatically be considered for the Entrance Grid Scholarship.
- To receive the Laurier Scholars Award each year you must be registered for full-time studies (a minimum of 2.0 credits in a term is considered full-time) in two terms in an academic year (September through August).
- To maintain your Laurier Scholars Award each year you must have completed at least 5.0 credits over at least two full-time terms (minimum 2.0 credits or more per term).
- You must achieved a minimum grade point average of 10.5 in the immediately preceding academic year.
- If you withdraw or register to study part-time for more than one academic term in the academic year, you will no longer be eligible to receive the Laurier Scholars Award.
- Recipients of the Laurier Scholars Award are not eligible for the Laurier’s Entrance Grid Scholarship, the President’s Gold Scholarship, or the In-Course Scholarship.
- By applying for the Laurier Scholars Award, you agree to allow your name and program of study to be used by the University to create and maintain a public record and feature recipients on Laurier's websites for the purposes of promoting and celebrating the Award program.
- If you do not meet renewal requirements, you will automatically be considered for Laurier’s in-course scholarship for the remainder of your academic studies.
If you are a current Laurier Scholar, you must meet all of the conditions outlined below to renew your award:
- You must achieve a minimum of a 10.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) in courses taken in the previous academic year (September through August).
- GPA is calculated using all courses taken during the fall, winter and spring terms of 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 Laurier Scholars Award must be registered full-time in two of the three terms from September through August (therefore a minimum of 2.0 credits per term, in at least 2 of the 3 academic terms in the prior academic year).
- You must be registered with Laurier as your home institution.
- To receive the funds in the current year, you must be registered in a full-time course load over two full-time academic terms in the current academic year.
- Participation in the Laurier Scholars program is required. This is inclusive but not limited to the Scholars’ Colloquium, leadership development projects, and annual Scholars’ Conference. Your involvement will be reviewed annually.
- If the renewal requirements are not met in each academic year, the Laurier Scholars Award will not be renewed and cannot be renewed in a subsequent academic year.
- If you do not meet renewal requirements, you will automatically be considered for Laurier’s in-course scholarship for the remainder of your academic studies.
- If you withdraw or register to study part-time for more than one academic term in the academic year, you will no longer be eligible to receive the Laurier Scholars Award.
Fall and Winter Terms
Evaluations will take place in July.
Successful recipients are notified by email in early August.
Spring/Summer/Intersession
Evaluations will take place in October for students registered in Spring term courses.
Successful recipients are notified by email in mid-October.
The Laurier Scholar Experience
We are continuously developing our Laurier Scholars Program with the current and future needs of students in mind. While details are subject to change, the following information provides a general overview of what award recipients may expect as a Laurier Scholar.
Over the course of your undergraduate studies, you'll build networks with your cohort of scholars through formal and informal gatherings. You'll engage in both independent and collaborative projects, choosing from different experiential learning offerings that focus on three key areas:
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Academic Development
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Career and Leadership Development
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Community Engagement
Supports and Opportunities
A sample of the types of programs supports and opportunities that will help you grow in the areas of academics, career and leadership, and community engagement.
Across all four years of your degree, you will be mentored by a designated professor from your faculty. Your faculty mentor will provide ongoing academic and professional guidance to help you excel throughout your university career.
As a first-year Scholar, you will be paired with a senior Scholar from your faculty to help with your transition to Laurier. In the final years of your degree, it will be your turn to be a mentor. You and your cohort of scholars will provide mentorship to first-year scholars and help facilitate the colloquium.
These periodic meetings of the Laurier Scholars focus on academic skills development and enrichment, customized to you and your fellow scholars. The colloquium features guest moderators from across the university, including faculty, librarians and academic support staff. The colloquium will also connect you to resources that will help you develop career, teaching, research and wellness skills.
At least once during your degree, you will participate in a community service initiative, an international project or exchange, a community-oriented course, a research project or a conference. These experiences can be supported by your experiential learning award. You will develop a budget and project proposal with the support of the program coordinator and feedback from your fellow scholars.
In addition to this concentrated experience, you will have many unique opportunities throughout your time at Laurier to develop your skills as an advanced writer, thinker, presenter and researcher as you build your professional network and your resumé.