Scholarships in Canada for International Students
Canada remains a top-tier destination for international students seeking globally recognized degrees, robust research funding, and structured post-graduation work opportunities. Canadian institutions and government bodies provide financial support ranging from partial tuition entrance credits to fully funded doctoral packages that cover full tuition, health insurance, and monthly living stipends.
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This directory consolidates major scholarship opportunities available across premier Canadian institutions—including Western University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Waterloo, the University of Manitoba, and the University of British Columbia (UBC)—spanning undergraduate, master’s, and PhD study levels.
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Scholarships in Canada for International Students Summary
| SCHOLARSHIP | HOST INSTITUTION | STUDY LEVEL |
| Western National Scholarship Program | Western University | Undergraduate |
| University of Ottawa Scholarships | University of Ottawa | Undergrad & Master’s |
| Waterloo International Student Entrance Scholarship | University of Waterloo | Undergraduate |
| Guelph Arrell Scholarships | University of Guelph | Master’s |
| Arrell Food Institute Scholarships | University of Guelph | Master’s |
| UBC Entrance Scholarships | University of British Columbia | Undergraduate |
| Alberta Graduate Entrance Scholarship | University of Alberta | Master’s & PhD |
| University of Regina Entrance Scholarships | University of Regina | Undergraduate |
| GeniusCash Scholarship | GeniusCash | Undergrad & Master’s |
| Winnipeg President’s Scholarship | University of Winnipeg | Undergrad–PhD |
| Canada National Scholarship Program | Western University | Undergraduate |
| MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship | MPOWER Financing | Undergrad–PhD |
| Int’l English Academic Excellence Scholarship | University of Ottawa | Undergraduate |
| McMaster University Scholarships | McMaster University | Undergraduate |
| International English Admission Scholarship | University of Ottawa | Undergraduate |
| Dalhousie Computer Science Entrance Scholarships | Dalhousie University | Undergraduate |
| University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF) | University of Manitoba | Master’s & PhD |
| Vaccarino President’s Scholarship | University of Guelph | Undergraduate |
| Dalhousie University Scholarships | Dalhousie University | Master’s & PhD |
| Janine Williams Memorial Scholarship | Tropicana Community Services | Undergrad–PhD |
1. Western Undergraduate Admission Scholarships (National Scholarship Program)
Western’s international scholarships work through a school-nomination system, not a direct student application: each high school can nominate up to four students, plus one additional nomination specifically reserved for an international (visa) student. The specific named awards for international applicants are narrower than a general “up to $65,000” figure suggests — there are exactly 3 International President’s Entrance Scholarships at $100,000 each, and 1 Neen Hodgins President’s International Entrance Scholarship worth up to $80,000, paid as $20,000 annually over four years.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Western National Scholarship Program
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Western National Scholarship Program Application Process
2. University of Ottawa Scholarships
Ottawa runs several distinct international scholarships rather than one unified award, each tied to specific admission conditions — some automatic, some requiring a separate application. Because Ottawa offers both English and French-language programmes, some scholarships are language-track specific, so confirm which language stream your intended programme falls under before assuming a given award applies to you.
Scholarship Name ⇒ University of Ottawa Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate & Master’s
Click Here for University of Ottawa Scholarships Application Process
3. University of Waterloo International Student Entrance Scholarship
This is one of the more genuinely low-friction scholarships on this list: eligible students are automatically considered after admission, with no separate scholarship application needed. The $10,000 award applies specifically to your first year of study, and Waterloo offers additional scholarship opportunities beyond this base award depending on your programme and academic record.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Waterloo International Student Entrance Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Waterloo International Student Entrance Scholarship Application Process
4. University of Guelph Arrell Scholarships
At $50,000 a year, this is one of the largest single-award figures on this list, and the reason is specific: it’s not a general graduate scholarship, but funding tied directly to research addressing global food systems — healthier food production, agri-food economic growth, and reducing environmental and social harm within that sector. Recipients are expected to function as leaders within multidisciplinary teams working alongside community, government, and industry partners, not simply conduct independent academic research in isolation.
Scholarship Name ⇒ University of Guelph Arrell Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Master’s
Click Here for Arrell Scholarships Application Process
5. University of British Columbia Undergraduate Scholarships
UBC runs its international undergraduate funding as a cluster of separate awards rather than one scholarship — the International Major Entrance Scholarship (worth $10,000 to $25,000 annually), the UBC Okanagan Global Elevation Award, and the International Welcome Award are each distinct, with their own specific eligibility conditions. Because UBC operates two distinct campuses — Vancouver and Okanagan — some awards, like the Global Elevation Award, are campus-specific, so confirm which UBC campus your application targets before assuming a given award applies.
Scholarship Name ⇒ UBC Undergraduate Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for UBC Undergraduate Scholarships Application Process
6. University of Alberta Graduate Entrance Scholarship
This scholarship is genuinely open to both domestic and international students without a stated preference built into the funding pool, and it covers both course-based and thesis-based Master’s and doctoral programmes — meaning applicants pursuing a more professionally-oriented, non-research Master’s aren’t automatically excluded the way they sometimes are under research-specific funding. The stated stipend figures ($21,000 for doctoral, $17,500 for Master’s) sit alongside additional tuition support, so the total funding package typically runs higher than the base stipend alone.
Scholarship Name ⇒ University of Alberta Graduate Entrance Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for Alberta Graduate Entrance Scholarship Application Process
7. University of Regina Undergraduate Scholarships
Regina’s approach is unusually automatic for a scholarship advertising up to $80,000 in total value: students are automatically considered for several entrance scholarships based purely on academic performance when applying for admission, with no separate scholarship application required. The headline figure combines tuition support, housing assistance, and meal plans together rather than describing a single cash award — worth understanding, since a strong-but-not-top applicant is more likely to receive a smaller combination of these benefits than the full $80,000 package.
Scholarship Name ⇒ University of Regina Undergraduate Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Regina Undergraduate Scholarships Application Process
8. GeniusCash Scholarship
This is a domestic-only award — restricted to students already studying at Canadian universities or colleges, not incoming international applicants — and it’s built around a genuinely distinctive theme: rewarding strong academic performance alongside demonstrated engagement with financial literacy, specifically through the GeniusCash app. Applicants must submit a short reflection on how using the app has improved their personal finance habits, meaning this isn’t a scholarship you can apply to without first genuinely engaging with the platform.
Scholarship Name ⇒ GeniusCash Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate & Master’s
Click Here for GeniusCash Scholarship Application Process
9. Canada National Scholarship Program
Despite the generic name, this is specifically Western University’s own undergraduate scholarship programme (the same National Scholarship Program covered in entry #1), evaluated separately here because its top awards — up to CAD 100,000, renewable for up to four years — draw from a broader assessment than the international-specific awards above: academic excellence, creativity, leadership ability, and sustained community involvement together. This is genuinely competitive: Western nominates a limited number of students per school for consideration, and being nominated doesn’t guarantee winning any specific award within the programme.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Canada National Scholarship Program
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Canada National Scholarship Program Application Process
10. MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship
Unlike every other entry on this list, this scholarship isn’t tied to a specific Canadian institution at all — it’s run by MPOWER Financing, a private lender specialising in international student loans, and covers eligible universities across both the United States and Canada simultaneously. It’s also explicitly open to DACA recipients alongside international students, a genuinely uncommon eligibility combination among the scholarships covered here.
Scholarship Name ⇒ MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ USA / Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergrad–PhD
Click Here for MPOWER Women in STEM Scholarship Application Process
11. International English Academic Excellence Scholarship (University of Ottawa)
This scholarship is entirely automatic — Ottawa awards it directly to eligible, high-achieving international students admitted into English-language undergraduate programmes, with no separate application form to complete. Payment is split evenly across the academic year, $5,000 per term for a total of $10,000, rather than disbursed as a single lump sum.
Scholarship Name ⇒ International English Academic Excellence Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for International English Academic Excellence Scholarship Application Process
12. McMaster University Scholarship
McMaster’s international scholarship structure is genuinely varied — some awards are granted automatically upon admission, while others require a distinct, separate application, and eligibility depends heavily on your specific faculty and programme choice. The headline “up to $200,000 over four years” figure represents the absolute top tier of combined scholarship value, not a typical award most admitted international students should expect to receive.
Scholarship Name ⇒ McMaster University Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for McMaster University Scholarship Application Process
13. International English Admission Scholarship (University of Ottawa)
This is a separate, larger-value automatic scholarship from Ottawa’s Academic Excellence Scholarship above — awarded automatically to eligible students admitted from Winter 2026 onward, paying $7,500 per term for a total of up to $60,000 across a full four-year degree. Because both this scholarship and entry #13 share the “automatic, English-language, Winter 2026 or later” eligibility framing, it’s worth confirming with Ottawa directly whether a single student can receive both, or whether they’re mutually exclusive tiers within the same broader scheme.
Scholarship Name ⇒ International English Admission Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for International English Admission Scholarship Application Process
14. Dalhousie University Computer Science Entrance Scholarships
These scholarships are deliberately narrow in purpose: restricted specifically to students enrolling in Dalhousie’s Bachelor of Computer Science or Bachelor of Applied Computer Science programmes, with the explicitly stated goal of encouraging diversity in technology by supporting students from varied academic and social backgrounds. Beyond the direct financial award ($5,000 to $10,000), recipients gain access to networking, professional development, and academic support specifically built around the computer science student community.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Dalhousie Computer Science Entrance Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Dalhousie Computer Science Entrance Scholarships Application Process
15. University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF)
This is genuinely different in structure from most centrally-administered scholarships on this list: UMGF has no central application portal at all. Instead, you apply and gain admission to a full-time Master’s or PhD programme first, then your specific academic department nominates you directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies — deadlines and even award value and duration are set by individual departments, not university-wide. Current confirmed figures: Master’s fellowships pay $20,000 annually for up to 24 months (maximum $40,000 total); PhD fellowships pay $25,000 annually for up to 48 months (maximum $100,000 total).
Scholarship Name ⇒ University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF)
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for UMGF Application Process
16. Dr Franco J. Vaccarino President’s Scholarship
This is an unusually selective award for an entrance scholarship: Guelph grants it to exactly one international student each year, making it one of the most competitive single-award scholarships on this entire list relative to its applicant pool. Selection weighs strong academic achievement, leadership ability, and community involvement together, reflecting the values of the university’s own leadership rather than a purely grades-based assessment.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Dr Franco J. Vaccarino President’s Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergraduate
Click Here for Vaccarino President’s Scholarship Application Process
17. Dalhousie University Scholarships (Graduate)
Dalhousie’s graduate funding spans several genuinely distinct named awards rather than one scholarship — the Killam Predoctoral Scholarship, Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, and Dalhousie Research Excellence Scholarship each carry their own eligibility and value, with some reaching up to $40,000 annually. Because “Dalhousie University Scholarships” functions as an umbrella term here, your actual funding depends heavily on which specific award your department or faculty puts you forward for, similar in structure to Manitoba’s department-driven UMGF above.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Dalhousie University Scholarships
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Master’s & PhD
Click Here for Dalhousie University Scholarships Application Process
18. Janine Williams Memorial Scholarship
This is the only entry on this list not tied to a university at all — it’s a community-focused award, administered by Tropicana Community Services, a Toronto-based organisation dedicated to youth empowerment, and it’s specifically restricted to students pursuing science or health-related fields. Priority appears to sit with residents of the Greater Toronto Area, though international students are also named as eligible, so confirm the exact current eligibility split before assuming either group takes precedence.
Scholarship Name ⇒ Janine Williams Memorial Scholarship
Host Country ⇒ Canada
Study Level ⇒ Undergrad–PhD
Click Here for Janine Williams Memorial Scholarship Application Process
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these scholarships require a separate application, versus being automatic upon admission?
Waterloo’s International Student Entrance Scholarship, Ottawa’s International English Academic Excellence and Admission Scholarships, and Regina’s entrance scholarships are all automatic. Most others — Western’s National Scholarship Program, UMGF, Guelph’s Arrell and Vaccarino scholarships, and GeniusCash — require a distinct application, nomination, or departmental recommendation.
Which scholarships are administered through department nomination rather than a central portal?
The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship and several Dalhousie graduate awards both work this way — you apply and gain admission first, then your department nominates you directly, with deadlines and award value set individually by each department rather than centrally.
Are any of these scholarships tied to a specific field of study rather than open to any programme?
Yes — Arrell Scholarships and the Arrell Food Institute Scholarships (both at Guelph) are restricted to food systems and agriculture research, MPOWER’s scholarship is restricted to STEM fields, Dalhousie’s entrance scholarships listed here are computer science-specific, and Janine Williams is restricted to science or health-related fields.
Which of these has the smallest applicant pool, making it the most genuinely selective?
The Vaccarino President’s Scholarship at Guelph, awarded to just one international student annually, is the most exclusive single award on this list by recipient count.
Do any of these scholarships overlap or risk double-counting?
Yes — the Western National Scholarship Program (entry #1) and Canada National Scholarship Program (entry #11) both describe Western’s same broader scholarship scheme from different angles, and Guelph’s Arrell Scholarships and Arrell Food Institute Scholarships closely mirror each other in structure and value. Confirm directly with each institution which specific award applies to your citizenship and programme before assuming they’re entirely separate opportunities.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, 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 each scholarship’s official page before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with any of the institutions or organisations listed above.
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