5 Types of Scholarships For Canadian Students

If you’re exploring options for funding your post-secondary education, scholarships are a great place to start. You may be wondering what types of scholarships are available. To help you get started on winning, here are the types of scholarships available for students. 

Entrance Scholarships

Entrance scholarships are provided by individual universities and colleges for incoming students. These awards can range from a few hundred dollars to paying for your entire tuition! 

When you apply to a university or college, they usually automatically consider you for some entrance scholarships based solely on your academic merit. The better your grades are, the higher the scholarship amount will be. 

Other entrance scholarships, sometimes called prestige awards, require an additional application. These scholarships typically take into account your academics as well as your leadership merit and extracurricular experiences. They’re almost always highly competitive, so the more high-impact volunteer experience you have, the better!

High School Scholarships

The first type of scholarship you should explore are high school scholarships. High school scholarships are offered by your high school or school district. These awards are great as they are available to a smaller pool of students than other scholarships. This means less competition for you! 

Every student entering Grade 12 should make sure to talk to a school counsellor or principal to find out what scholarships are available and how to apply for them. They may not be well-publicized, and the application may only be available for a short period, so it is essential to be proactive.

University and College Scholarships

The scholarship process doesn’t end in Grade 12! There are lots of scholarships available for students in university and college. These scholarships are usually distributed based on academic merit and extracurricular involvement. Continue to be involved in your community through student groups or volunteering to have the best chance of receiving one of these scholarships. 

If you’re a current university or college student, try looking at your university’s website for more information. You can also get in contact with a faculty member, a counsellor, or an advisor to find out what is available and how to apply. 

External Scholarships

External scholarships are the broadest range of scholarships. They are not associated with a specific school and are offered through third-part or community groups. These can include companies, organizations, and foundations. 

The dollar amount of external scholarships can range from a few hundred dollars to full-ride scholarships that cover your tuition and/or part of your living expenses. The great thing about these scholarships is that they also range in their awareness in the community. Some scholarships, like the TD Community Leadership Scholarship, are greatly publicized. Others may be less-known, often because they are only open to students in a particular city or town. 

Affiliate Scholarships

Another great type of scholarship to look into are affiliate scholarships. Affiliate scholarships are a type of external scholarship eligible to students through their affiliation with the company or organization providing the scholarship. For example, the RCMP National Scholarship is only available to students who are the direct dependents (e.g. children) of current or former RCMP members. These scholarships are great as they tend to have less competition. 

Knowing these five types of scholarships will help you kickstart your journey to winning!

With so many types of scholarships available, research is everything. This is where GrantMe can help. We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching all types of scholarships in Canada and compiling them in our database. Not only do we help you find scholarships, but we also provide tailored scholarship matches. This helps you to save time and apply for scholarships you have the best chance of winning. We also offer essay editing and mentorship from past winners to maximize your scholarship success. Learn more and start winning scholarships today.