Scholarships and Financing

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Entrance Scholarships

If you're admitted to full-time first-year degree studies at UW and you're beginning post-secondary studies for the first time in fall, if your mid-May admission average is 85% or more, and if you meet the conditions listed below, you'll be awarded one of these scholarships (no application is necessary):

Admission Average*Scholarship NameAmount
95%+President's Scholarship of Distinction

$2,000 Entrance Scholarship

$1,500 International Experience Award* or

$1,500 Research Award*, or both

*Note: These awards are available in your upper years if you choose to claim them. The International Experience Award is available only to Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

90 - 94.9%President's Scholarship$2,000 Entrance Scholarship
85 - 89.9% Merit Scholarship $1,000 Entrance Scholarship
demonstrated academic merit
Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarship $500 Entrance Scholarship

*Based on your mid-May marks. For eligibility or for more information about your admission average and how it's calculated.

Additionally, a small number of named Entrance Scholarships specific to the Faculty of Science can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.  There are a number of university-wide scholarships available to students who meet certain criteria. For more information, visit the Find Out More site.

International Students Entrance Scholarship

Several at $10,000 each

To be eligible you will need to meet the following criteria:

  • Open to international students admitted to Year One of a full-time, undergraduate degree programs at Waterloo
  • Academic performance (minimum 90% admission average)
  • Admission information form
  • Results of Euclid Mathematics Contest (Mathematics and Computer Science applicants)
  • Results of Accounting & Financial Management Admissions Assignment (Accounting & Financial Management applicants)

Bursaries

Entrance bursaries are awarded to assist students who have financial need. Close to 1,000 entrance bursaries, valued at approximately $500 to $4,000, are available each fall for students entering first-year programs at the University of Waterloo, Renison College, and St. Jerome's University.

After you've developed a preliminary budget for your first year of university, you may discover that your financial resources fall short of meeting your education-related expenses. If you're in this situation, the entrance bursary program might be for you.

To be eligible for this bursary, you must have lived in Ontario for at least 12 months prior to beginning your post-secondary education and you must demonstrate financial need.

Bursary Applications for the upcoming school year should be available in February - all applicants will receive an email reminder to apply for the bursary. The application deadline is usually in mid-April.

Part-Time Employment

The University of Waterloo employs over 4000 of its undergraduate and graduate students every year. Each term, a number of jobs are available in such areas as: the Federation of Students (and it's affiliated operations), the faculty snack shops, the Engineering Society, Food Services, the residences, Athletics, the Library, Bookstore, Audio Visual, Theatre Centre, Visitors Centre and Office of Development. Students earn anywhere between $9 and $18 an hour. For a more detailed list of the opportunities available on campus, click here.

OSAP

Some students will be eligible for OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program). This is a provincially funded program to aid financially deficient students in paying for their post secondary education. For more information, including how to apply for OSAP, click here.

Last reviewed: January 6, 2012
Content maintained by: Erin Bresser.