University of Ottawa Scholarships 2026/2027 in Canada
The University of Ottawa runs one of the more generous automatic tuition-reduction systems among Canadian universities for international undergraduates, and the genuinely useful thing about it is how little effort it takes to access: no separate scholarship essay, no extra portal, no waiting for a committee decision months after you’ve already accepted your offer. If you’re admitted with strong enough grades, the reduction shows up on your tuition bill automatically.
This guide breaks down exactly what’s available, what requires an actual separate application versus what triggers on its own, and clears up a detail that trips up a lot of applicants: not every uOttawa undergraduate faculty is covered by the flagship English-language scholarships, so it’s worth checking your specific programme before assuming you qualify.
About the University of Ottawa Scholarship
The University of Ottawa is Canada’s largest bilingual university, and its scholarship structure reflects that bilingual identity directly, with separate award tracks that exist for students studying in English and students studying in French, alongside faculty-specific awards layered on top.
The two flagship English-language scholarships, the International English Admission Scholarship and the International English Academic Excellence Scholarship, are both entirely automatic: eligible students are identified and notified at the point of admission, with no separate scholarship application needed at all. Beyond these two, a range of faculty-specific and circumstance-specific awards exists, some automatic and some requiring you to actively apply.
University of Ottawa Scholarships Summary
| Scholarship Name ⇒ | University of Ottawa |
| Host Country ⇒ | Canada |
| Study Level ⇒ | Undergraduate |
| Benefits ⇒ | Up to $60,000 (depending on scholarship) |
| Funded by ⇒ | University of Ottawa |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | All Countries |
| Application Deadline ⇒ | No fixed deadline for automatic awards, tied to your admission and enrolment. Faculty-specific application-based awards (e.g., Engineering Memorial Scholarship) carry their own separate deadlines |
What the Two Flagship English-Language Scholarships Actually Pay
International English Admission Scholarship
- $7,500 per term, up to $60,000 total over a four-year degree
- Renewable for up to 12 instalments, provided you maintain the required academic standing
- Requires a minimum admission average of 80%
- An unlimited number of awards are given to every eligible student who receives it; this isn’t a capped competition
- Awarded automatically to eligible international students with a valid study permit, newly admitted to an approved English-language undergraduate programme
International English Academic Excellence Scholarship
- $10,000 total, paid as $5,000 per term across your first two terms
- Not renewable beyond that, but can be combined with the Admission Scholarship above, meaning a top-performing student could receive both
- Requires a minimum admission average of 90%
- Also awarded automatically, with no separate application
Combined, a student meeting the 90%+ threshold could realistically see up to $70,000 in tuition reduction across their degree between these two awards together.
What Faculties These Two Scholarships Actually Cover
This is the detail worth checking closely before assuming you’re eligible: these two flagship awards apply specifically to students admitted into Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences, or the Telfer School of Management. If your intended programme sits outside these six areas, you’ll need to check for a separate, faculty-specific award instead, since the flagship English scholarships don’t automatically extend university-wide.
What Else Is Available Beyond the Two Flagship Awards
- Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship — for international Francophone and Francophile students studying in French or the French Immersion Stream, significantly reducing tuition, awarded automatically upon enrolment
- Faculty of Arts Dean’s Merit Scholarship — renewable for up to three years for students entering the Faculty of Arts, provided academic performance is maintained, awarded automatically
- Faculty of Engineering Memorial Scholarship — reserved specifically for seven female engineering students (excluding Computer Science), requiring a separate application, historically carrying a deadline around 31 March
- Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Excellence Award — for top international students entering Social Sciences, requiring a minimum admission average of 92%
- Education Bursary for International Students with Disabilities — supports students with permanent disabilities unable to take more than 12 units per term; requires contacting the Academic Accommodations Service directly, with a fresh application needed each term
Required Documents
- Your University of Ottawa undergraduate admission application
- A valid study permit
- The academic records you submitted for admission
For the automatic scholarships, these are simply your admission documents; there’s nothing additional to prepare specifically for scholarship purposes. For application-required awards like the Engineering Memorial Scholarship or the Disability Bursary, check the specific faculty or service’s page directly for what else they require.
What the Application Process Requires
- Apply for admission to an eligible programme at the University of Ottawa
- Confirm which faculty your programme falls under, and check whether the flagship English scholarships apply, or whether a faculty-specific award is the relevant one instead
- Once admitted, eligible students are automatically identified and notified of the flagship scholarships at the time of their offer; no separate action is needed
- For faculty-specific awards requiring an application, such as the Engineering Memorial Scholarship, submit that separate application by its specific deadline
- Enrol full-time to activate your automatic scholarship; tuition fees are reduced immediately by the scholarship amount once you’re enrolled
Application Deadline
- The two flagship automatic scholarships have no separate application deadline; they’re tied entirely to your admission and enrolment timeline, so applying for admission within uOttawa’s standard intake windows is what matters
- Faculty-specific, application-required awards carry their own individual deadlines. The Engineering Memorial Scholarship, for instance, has historically closed around 31 March for the relevant intake, meaning this cycle’s window has already passed
- Third-party listings sometimes cite a general “30 April” or “31 March” deadline for uOttawa’s international admission scholarships broadly, but this typically reflects individual faculty or programme-specific entrance scholarship dates rather than the flagship automatic English scholarships, which don’t carry a fixed cutoff of their own
What to Do When Applying
- Apply for admission as early as possible within uOttawa’s standard intake cycle, since your admission timeline, not a separate scholarship date, is what determines your scholarship consideration for the automatic awards
- Confirm your specific faculty is one of the six covered by the flagship English scholarships before assuming eligibility
- If you’re aiming for a faculty-specific award requiring an application, such as the Engineering Memorial Scholarship, check that faculty’s page directly for the current cycle’s exact deadline rather than relying on a prior year’s date
- Keep your admission average clearly in mind, since the 80% and 90% thresholds are hard cutoffs determining which of the two flagship awards, or both, you’ll receive
- If you have a permanent disability requiring a reduced course load, contact the Academic Accommodations Service directly and early, since that bursary requires a fresh application each term
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to apply separately for the International English Admission Scholarship?
No. It’s awarded automatically to eligible international students upon admission and full-time enrolment, with no separate scholarship form required.
Can I receive both the Admission Scholarship and the Academic Excellence Scholarship?
Yes. The Academic Excellence Scholarship can be combined with the Admission Scholarship if you meet both thresholds, potentially bringing your total tuition reduction close to $70,000 across your degree.
Does the English-language scholarship cover every undergraduate faculty?
No. It specifically covers Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences, and the Telfer School of Management. Other faculties may have separate, faculty-specific awards instead.
Is there a fixed application deadline for these scholarships?
Not for the two flagship automatic awards, since they’re tied to your admission and enrolment rather than a separate scholarship date. Faculty-specific, application-required awards do carry their own individual deadlines.
Can students studying in French access these same scholarships?
Not the same ones — French and French Immersion students are covered instead by the Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship, a separate automatic award specific to Francophone and Francophile students.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details and figures in this post are verified from official University of Ottawa sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official University of Ottawa Fees and Financial Support page. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
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