Studying in Canada can prove to be expensive for many African students. However, there can be ways to part-finance or, if you are an exceptional candidate, fully finance your studies abroad by getting a scholarship to study in Canada.
Many colleges and universities in Canada offer partial entrance scholarships based on academic merit. These awards cover a certain percentage of your tuition fees (which will vary from institution to institution and may also depend on how outstanding your previous academic grades are).
However, there are also a number of institutional and government scholarships that are available and that you should be aware of. There are scholarship program specifically for students from developing countries, and commonwealth scholarships. These are often competitive and have many candidates for fully funded places.
MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program
The MasterCard Foundation is a 500 million dollar initiative designed to help more than 50,000 young, intelligent people to access higher education at universities in Canada (and the USA). Three of the most renowned universities in Canada (McGill, University of Toronto, and UBC) work with the Foundation to provide opportunities for outstanding candidates. See https://mastercardfdn.org/all/scholars/ for more information.
Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award
The University of British Columbia (or UBC for short) offers this scholarship to brilliant students from around the world. The students must demonstrate their academic and leadership skills in their communities beyond a reasonable doubt. In addition to that, a student must show recognized achievement in fields such as sports and art. Further information on the eligibility criteria can be found at https://you.ubc.ca/financial-planning/scholarships-awards-international-students/international-scholars/.
University of Windsor Scholarships
Seed partner school, the University of Windsor, offers international students a number of different scholarships. Applicants to certain awards are automatically assessed based on their past academic record and extracurricular activities. Scholarship awards available include Outstanding Scholars Award and the University of Windsor Women In Engineering Award. Further information about both of these awards and more can be found at https://www.uwindsor.ca/international-student-centre/236/scholarships-bursaries-awards-international-students.
MMMF Scholarship for Women
The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) solely provides financial grants to women from developing countries to improve their leadership and academic skills. This will help improve the lives of women and children in developing countries.
The MMMF awards grant the selected women approximately $12,000 each. For one to qualify for this scholarship, they must be currently enrolled at an accredited university in the US or Canada. Visit https://www.mmeg.org/ for details.
What are the next steps?
So, you have outstanding academic grades and you think you deserve a scholarship? Do your research – spend time going through the eligibility criteria for each award to see if you meet those requirements and, crucially, check the application deadlines. As a rule, scholarship awards are issued early so you need to be organized and apply early to stand a chance!
Many Canadian universities offer under graduate students and those taking a master’s degree, financial aid. Working with Seed Educational Consulting can help you achieve a scholarship for students in Canada. Please note, we do not deal with PhD scholarships.
