Scholarship opportunities

On this page:

Here you will find awards where the recipients are decided by committees external to the university.

Successful recipients who hold their scholarship at Waterloo will also receive the President's Graduate Scholarship.

If you have any questions, please contact our Graduate Co-ordinator.

Scholarships Term
Tri-Agency CGS M Fall
OGS and QEII-GSST Winter
McCall MacBain Scholarship Fall
Rhodes Scholarship Spring
DIALOG Scholarship Winter
Laura Bassi Scholarship Winter
Leclair Decor Design Education Scholarship Spring
Ages Foundation Fellowship & Bursaries 
(PDF)		 Winter
Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship Fall
Niagara Society of Architects Michael Zuberec Scholarship Winter
CSA Group Graduate Scholarship

Application Deadline: March

International scholarship opportunities for non-Canadians

 Various

For detailed information about scholarships, awards, and bursaries, please visit Graduate Studies and Postodoctoral Affairs (GSPA) Awards and Funding.

International Experience Awards 

Several international experience award funds are available to University of Waterloo graduate students who participate in: an academic exchange, a study term related to their research (field work) or an academic requirement (placement), work, or volunteer experience. Award selection is based on a variety of factors such as academic achievement, financial need, duration, location, nature of experience and whether it is an applicant’s first time travelling to a destination etc. Only one application is required in order to be considered for any of the International Experience Awards.

Value:

The value and number of awards vary. International experience awards are not intended to fully cover all expenses but rather to provide assistance to as many eligible students as possible based on the available funds.

Please visit their web page for full details on the award, including eligibility and deadlines. 

Financial Need Awards - Deadline October 1

Open to students of Engineering Faculty

The following awards are based either partially or solely on demonstrated financial need.  Applicants must meet the following criteria (except for Inch Engineering Research Award):

  • have applied to OSAP (unless restricted from doing so),
  • be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada and;
  • be Ontario residents over the last 12 months.

In order to be considered for these awards, carefully read the eligibility criteria as outlined in the Awards and funding database descriptions and use the Graduate Student Award Application which when completed can now be uploaded online (no signatures required), along with all other required documentation through the Graduate Student Bursary/Award Submission Form.

Dr. M. Chandrashekar Memorial Award in Sustainable Energy

Purpose

The purpose of this award is to provide financial support for graduate students in the Faculty of Engineering who are working in the field of sustainable, environmentally benign energy-such as solar energy, wind energy, and biomass energy---or in obtaining a deeper understanding of how energy usage affects our environment, with a goal toward mitigating that effect.

Architecture students interested in the Dr. M. Chandrashekar Memorial Award in Sustainable Energy should submit applications to the department graduate coordinator by September 12, 2022

Hira and Kamal Ahuja Graduate Engineering Award

An award, valued up to $6,000 will be awarded annually to a graduate student registered full time in a Master’s or Doctoral program in the Faculty of Engineering. Students must be in good academic standing with demonstrated financial need as determined by the University of Waterloo. 

Eligibility

Inch Engineering Research Award

NOTE: This award is open to international students as well and as such these students do not have to have lived in Ontario for 12 months or have applied to OSAP.

An award valued at $4500 will be awarded annually to a female graduate student registered full time in a master's or doctoral program in the Faculty of Engineering. The student must be conducting research in the areas of clean energy technology or other technology for climate change mitigation or adaptation.

Eligibility

Open to students University-wide

Due to the limited number of awards available, only those with substantial financial need who meet all eligibility criteria will be awarded. However, students should also be seeking out other financial need funding, specifically the Full-Time Bursary through Student Awards and Financial Awards (SAFA) for domestic students and the Graduate Student Contingency Bursary through GSPA for international students.

James & Elise Devitt Graduate Scholarship

Two scholarships, valued at up to $5,000 each, will be awarded annually to full-time University of Waterloo graduate students in any University of Waterloo graduate program. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of scholastic excellence and financial need and a demonstrated interest in graduate studies. Recipients must be an Ontario resident.

Eligibility

Sharon & David Johnston Award

Awards will be given annually to students registered full time at the University of Waterloo who have achieved a minimum overall average of 80% and have documented financial need. Candidates must be Canadians/permanent residents and a resident of Ontario.

Eligibility

David Zaharchuk Memorial Bursary

Full-time graduate students registered in any discipline at the University of Waterloo may apply. The students need to be in good standing with proven financial need.

Eligibility