Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships      Merit awards based on grades, community service, or on other unique criteria.

Bursaries            Based mainly on financial need.

Student loans     May be accessed through provincial government agencies, financial institutions or Financial Aid Offices at individual universities. May offer advantageous payment options such as low interest rates.

Some parents set aside savings, or pay into a Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP) for their children from a young age. For others, for all sorts of reasons, saving for later education just did not happen. It is never too early, or too late, to start saving and researching financial assistance opportunities to help pay for post-secondary education. Your SISIP Financial advisor can be a good resource for information on saving for your child’s education. 

High school Guidance Counsellors are usually the students’ first resources when looking into financial assistance for post-secondary education. In addition to the resources below, students should also look into awards being offered by their employer or their parents’ employer as well as their volunteer or sports and leisure organisations. Local or provincial, as well as private organisations may also offer unique opportunities through contests or competitions allowing students to earn financial awards.

Universities and colleges’ financial assistance offices and websites offer a large array of admissions and programme specific scholarships as well.

There are many student scholarships, bursaries, student loans and grants available to assist with the financing of future studies. No scholarship is too small! It is helpful if your dependent child has some key items at the ready when the time comes to apply. If these are done in advance, it helps to reduce some of the potential stress during their very busy graduating year: a current cover letter and résumé; a compilation of academic, athletic and service oriented awards/accomplishments; a record of community service hours; reference letters or at least reference contacts who have agreed and are at the ready to provide any needed signatures, fill in forms or provide letters.

The following compiled information is provided solely as a courtesy to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their families and is not meant as an endorsement or recommendation of any of the listed organisations. This list contains information on university, college, government and private sources of financial assistance for students who intend to pursue post-secondary education in Canada or abroad.

CAF-SPECIFIC

• Support our Troops (SOT) - “…families of currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and veterans.”
• Judge Daniel F. Foley Memorial Scholarship -“…available to direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great grandchildren) of members of The Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada attending ANY year of University or College courses"
• Royal Canadian Legion - Poppy Trust Fund - “…for children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Canadian ex-service personnel (war veterans or post-war service)"
• The War Veterans Family Award - Specific to students attending Memorial university of Newfoundland. Bursaries and Awards Office, Room 408 University Centre (709) 864-3956 - “…financial assistance to Canadian and Newfoundland War Veterans who served overseas and their families.”
• Military Families Fund - Sens Foundation Bursary - “…supports students in full-time diploma programs at all three Algonquin College campuses."
• Veterans Affairs Canada - "… for children whose parent died as a result of their military service or were in receipt of a disability benefit of 48% or more when they died.”
• Canadian Heroes Fund - “…help the children of fallen soldiers pursue a post-secondary education…”
• Financial assistance for reservists - “If you are a reservist and a full-time post-secondary student, you will not be charged interest or have to start paying back your student loan while you are serving in designated operations"
• European Fund Academic Program - “…recognize the academic accomplishments of students graduating from high school who are dependents of European Fund Members…”

CANADA WIDE

• Schoolfinder.com - Find schools, programs, scholarships and careers
• Scholarships Canada - Find scholarships for colleges and universities.
• Scholar Tree - “ScholarTree saves students weeks of time searching for scholarships that they qualify for."
• Scholarship Portal - “Find and compare scholarships for college students, college grants, fellowships, federal financial aid and other forms of student funding to cover expenses for international Bachelors…”
• Scholarship Partners Canada - “…offers unmatched scholarship services for over fifty years"
• Student Financial Assistance – Government of Canada - “Information and tools designed to help you save, plan and pay for post-secondary education.”
• RBC Royal Bank Scholarships - “…we’ve developed a diverse set of scholarship programs worth over $500,000 a year to help address the critical need for students funding across Canada.”
• TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership "...designed to recognize the achievements of youth who are making a difference and help them realize their educational goals.”
• Loran Scholarship - “…grant undergraduate awards based on a mix of academic achievement, extracurricular activity and leadership potential.”
• Provincial and territorial student financial assistance offices - List of financial assistance offices in each province and territory as per Employment and Social Development Canada – Education.
• Yconic - “Offering free scholarship matching & peer-to-peer support…”