President’s International Scholarship of Excellence 2027 – York University | How to Apply

York University’s President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE) puts $180,000 CAD toward four years of undergraduate study, paid out at $45,000 a year, and it’s reserved for international high-school applicants entering their first year at York. The university has already published the next round of dates: students must submit by January 27, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. EST, with the nomination and reference letter due a week later, on February 4, 2027.

Every applicant needs a school nomination – no more than two students per school get put forward, a minimum final admission average of 80%, and a track record of leadership, volunteering, and extracurricular involvement outside the classroom. If you’re weighing York University against other Canadian destinations, this guide walks through what the award pays for, who qualifies, how the selection process actually works, and what to prepare for international applicants.

About the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE)

York University created the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence to bring high-achieving international students into its undergraduate programmes without the tuition burden that usually comes with studying abroad. Recipients carry the title “President’s International Scholar” and join a cohort drawn from dozens of countries – past scholars have come from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kenya, Vietnam, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and beyond, spread across Schulich School of Business, Lassonde School of Engineering, the Faculty of Science, Glendon College, and other faculties.

Unlike need-based aid, PISE is merit-based: York isn’t asking how much you can pay; it’s asking what you’ve already accomplished. Alongside the funding, scholars get matched with mentors from day one, gain free access to York’s annual Career Ready Conference throughout their degree, and are invited into networking opportunities with senior faculty that aren’t open to the general student body. The scholarship renews automatically each year it’s held, provided the recipient stays in good academic standing, which is why the four-year total is quoted upfront rather than as a one-time entrance award.

President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE) Summary

Eligibility Criteria – Who Can Apply

York sets five conditions, and missing any one of them disqualifies an application before it’s reviewed:

• You must be an international high-school student entering the first year of an undergraduate degree at York in Fall 2027.
• You must hold international student status and be subject to international tuition fees during your studies at York – Canadian domestic and permanent-resident applicants aren’t eligible for this specific award.
• Demonstrate strong academic performance, leadership skills and active involvement in volunteer work and extracurricular activities.
• Have a minimum final admission average of 80% (A) or equivalent on your school’s grading scale.
• Be officially nominated by a guidance counsellor, principal or senior school official. A maximum of two nominations per school in each year are accepted.

Each school can put forward a maximum of two nominees per year, so if your school has strong candidates, talk to your school counsellor or head early about who gets the nod.

You cannot self-nominate. If your school already has two students it plans to put forward, a third strong candidate is out of the running for that cycle regardless of grades – so this is a conversation to have with your counsellor months before the deadline, not weeks.

Benefits for the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE)

PISE isn’t a lump sum – it’s a renewable award spread across your entire undergraduate degree, and it comes with a set of non-financial perks that don’t show up in the headline dollar figure but matter just as much once you’re on campus.

• $45,000 CAD per year, for four years – $180,000 CAD in total. The award renews automatically each year you remain in good academic standing, so you don’t reapply annually; you just need to keep your grades up.
• Applies toward your overall cost of study. York quotes this as a flat amount rather than itemising tuition, housing, and living expenses separately, so you’ll still need to budget the gap between the award and your actual costs using your own financial profile.
• A mentor from day one. Every scholar is matched with a mentor who helps with the transition to university, answers questions in the first term, and connects you to campus resources before you have to go looking for them yourself.
• Free entry to York’s Career Ready Conference, every year of your degree – a paid event for most students, but complimentary for PISE scholars throughout their four years.
• Access to a cohort of peers from dozens of countries – past scholars have come from India, Nigeria, Vietnam, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe, among others, spread across Schulich School of Business, Lassonde School of Engineering, Glendon College, and York’s other faculties.
• Direct networking with senior faculty and university leadership, through engagement opportunities built specifically for international scholars rather than the general student body.

The Nomination and Selection Process

The President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE) runs on a two-track system: you apply, and your school nominates you, and both pieces have to land for your application to count.

1. You apply to York University for undergraduate admission first. This generates a York University Reference Number, which is what unlocks the separate scholarship application portal – you can’t access the PISE application without it.
2. Once admitted, the application is in, you complete the online scholarship form, which includes a personal statement, extracurricular and awards lists, and a financial profile (details below).
3. After you submit, York emails your nominated counsellor directly with instructions to confirm the nomination and upload a signed reference letter on school letterhead.
4. Your file isn’t considered complete – and won’t move to review – until both your application and your nominator’s confirmation and letter are in, so a missed step on your counsellor’s end can cost you the scholarship even if your own submission was flawless.

This two-track structure is where most incomplete applications fall through: students submit everything on their side and assume they’re done, without confirming their nominator actually completed the second half by the separate February deadline.

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Documents You Need to Apply for the Scholarship

PISE doesn’t ask for transcripts or test scores directly in the scholarship portal — that’s handled through your York admission application. What the scholarship form itself needs is a set of written and supporting materials that prove your case for leadership and community involvement, plus your nomination paperwork. Have these ready before you start:

• A personal statement, capped at 500 words. This has to speak to your goals, your leadership experience, and your record of volunteering or extracurricular activity. York enforces the word limit strictly, so write and trim it in a separate document before pasting it into the portal – you don’t want to lose your strongest points to a last-minute cut.
• A list of up to three extracurricular activities or community involvement examples. Pick your most substantial three rather than trying to list everything – quality of detail matters more than quantity here.
• A list of up to three previous awards or honours. Academic, leadership, or community awards all count.
• Contact information for your nominator – a guidance counsellor, principal, or senior official at your high school who agrees to nominate you and submit a reference letter on your behalf.
• An optional second reference letter, focused specifically on your community involvement, if you have someone who can write one.
• A financial profile estimating the total funding you’ll have available to support your studies over the next three to four years. This isn’t used to disqualify you — York reviews it alongside your merit application, not instead of it.

On your nominator’s end, separately, they’ll need to submit:

• A signed reference letter on official school letterhead, addressing your academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and contribution to your community.
• Confirmation of the nomination itself, completed through a link York emails them once your application is submitted.

Your file isn’t considered complete until both halves land: your submission and your nominator’s confirmation and letter – and they’re due on different dates, one week apart. Confirm early that your nominator has received York’s email and understands their deadline falls after yours, not on the same day.

How to Apply for the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence (PISE)

STEP 1: Confirm your Eligibility

York University sets five conditions and ensures you check and meet all criteria as listed above before you apply.

STEP 2: Apply to York University Admission

To access the International Scholarship Application, you must first apply for admission to an undergraduate program at York University for the Fall 2027 term. Once your application is received, you’ll be assigned a York University Reference Number, which you’ll use to log in to the scholarship application portal.

Apply for Admission Now

Before you apply for admission, find an undergraduate program at York University for the Fall 2027 term, and check for guides on how to apply for admission.

STEP 3: Complete the Scholarship Online Application Form

Use your York University Reference Number to access and complete the online application. The following information must be provided in the application:

• A personal statement that explains why you are an exceptional candidate for the PISE. Your statement must speak to your personal professional goals, leadership skills, commitment to volunteer work and/or extracurricular activities. The maximum word count for this statement is 500 words.
• A list of Extracurricular Activities & Community Involvement (maximum of 3).
• A list of Previous Awards (maximum of 3).
• Contact information for a guidance counsellor, principal, or senior official at your high school who will nominate you for this award and submit a reference letter.
• (Optional) Additional reference letter highlighting your community involvement.
• A financial profile indicating the estimated total amount of funding you will have to support your studies over the next three to four years.

The scholarship application is currently closed – check back again and on the official website on when is is open

Deadline for fall 2027 intake is – January 27, 2027 at 11:59 PM EST

STEP 4 – Ensure Submission of Nomination and Reference Letter

Once your scholarship application is submitted, York University will email a link to your nominator with instructions to complete the official nomination form and submit a reference letter in support of your application.

See more details about how to apply for the scholarship

How to Nominate a Student

1. Select up to two students from your school to be nominated for the PISE award.
2. Review the scholarship requirements and deadlines with your nominees.
3. Ensure nominees apply to York University and obtain their York Application Reference Number.
4. Have nominees complete the online scholarship application by January 27, 2027, including your name, title, and email address.
5. You will receive an email from York University with a link to submit the nomination confirmation and Reference Letter. Complete this step by February 4, 2027.

Nomination and Reference Letter Requirements

• The nominator must be a guidance counsellor, principal, or senior official at the student’s current high school.
• Once the student submits their scholarship application online, an email is sent to the nominator with instructions to confirm the nomination and submit a reference letter.
• The reference letter must be signed and appear on the school’s official letterhead. It should highlight the candidate’s academic achievement as well as their extracurricular involvement and contributions to the community.

Application Deadline

Students should have their application ready to submit by January 27, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Nominators then have until February 4, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. EST to confirm the nomination and upload their reference letter – a gap of exactly one week, so counsellors need warning rather than a same-day request.

Because both halves of the process depend on each other, the practical move while the portal is closed is to secure your nomination commitment now, draft your personal statement early, and confirm with your counsellor that they understand the separate, later deadline that applies to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the President’s International Scholarship of Excellence still accepting applications?

York has confirmed the next student deadline as January 27, 2027, with nominations and reference letters due February 4, 2027.

Can I apply directly, without a school nomination?

No. A nomination from a guidance counsellor, principal, or senior school official is mandatory, and each school can only put forward two students per year, so this is worth discussing with your school early.

Does PISE cover living costs or only tuition?

York quotes the award as a flat $45,000 CAD per year toward your overall cost of study rather than itemising tuition, housing, and living expenses separately, so you should budget the remainder of your costs against your own financial profile.

Can Nigerian or other African students apply for this scholarship?

Yes. Recent President’s International Scholars have come from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda among other countries, and eligibility is based on international student status rather than nationality, so there’s no country restriction to check.

Do I need a specific course or programme to qualify?

No. PISE is available across York’s faculties — past recipients have studied business, engineering, science, health, and the arts — so eligibility depends on your admission average and nomination, not your chosen programme.

What happens if my nominator misses the February deadline?

Your file won’t be considered complete without their confirmation and reference letter, so it’s worth confirming with your counsellor well ahead of time that they’ve received York’s email and understand the separate deadline.

Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of August 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official President’s International Scholarship of Excellence website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with York University.

Official Application Portal