Scholarships

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Scholarships

At St. Jerome’s, we are proud to offer a variety of scholarships and bursaries, to ensure your university education is as accessible as possible.

Entrance scholarships and bursaries

Each year, St. Jerome's University offers several entrance scholarships to students who are co-registered students at St. Jerome's and are entering their first year of undergraduate studies directly from high school. Incoming students who have accepted their offer of admission to St. Jerome's University at the University of Waterloo will automatically be assessed for entrance scholarships that do not require an application (President's Scholarship of Distinction, President's Scholarship, and Merit Scholarship).

Bursaries are awarded based primarily on financial need.

Entrance Scholarships and Bursaries
Name of Scholarship Criteria Value Application Required
Board of Governors’ Scholarship Awarded to the highest achieving incoming Faculty of Arts student at St. Jerome’s University. Up to $5,000 Not applicable

Founders’ Scholarship

 Awarded to the highest achieving incoming Faculty of Arts student at St. Jerome’s University from each of our partnering Roman Catholic High Schools. $1,000 Not applicable
John Sweeney Memorial Scholarship Awarded to one student from one of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board's high schools or continuing education sites. $1,000 Not applicable
Bishop Reding Awarded to the highest achieving incoming Faculty of Arts student from a high school in the Diocese of Hamilton $2,000 Not applicable
Red Seal Scholarship Awarded to students graduating from one of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Wellington School Board with a Specialist High Skills Major. $500 Not applicable

CEFO Catholic Student Awards

 Awarded to students beginning studies at St. Jerome's University in the Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business program in fall 2025; or beginning studies at the University of Waterloo and living in residence at St. Jerome’s University beginning in fall 2025. $500 Not applicable
Roslyn and Hubert Dietrich Memorial Scholarship Awarded to an incoming co-registered St. Jerome’s University student who has completed or is completing high school and is beginning full-time first year studies. The student must demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST): respect for the dignity of all persons, a commitment to social justice, and thoughtful contribution to the common good of society, and identify how the funds will help them achieve their long-term goals and aspirations. $10,000 Application required see form below
Suzanne Forth Bursary

Awarded to an incoming co-registered St. Jerome’s University student from a secondary school within any of the Ontario Catholic District School Boards (4 total scholarships available).

- The student must be nominated by a teacher or guidance counsellor from their respective high school.		 $5,000 Application required see form below

Entrance scholarship deadlines by term

Term Date
Winter Term March 31, 2025

Other Entrance Scholarships Application Form
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Incoming St. Jerome’s students may also apply to additional scholarships and awards via this webform. These awards range in value from $1500 -$2500.

Have you applied for OSAP?

 

Application Essay Instructions:

  1. In a minimum 500 word essay, critically reflect on your community, leadership, and learning experiences both in and outside of high school, and the impact that they have had on you. What have you learned about yourself, your values, your communities, and/or social justice?
  2. What barriers or challenges have you faced in your life? What have you done to overcome these challenges? Please also identify how this scholarship will help you to overcome any challenges you are currently facing.

Please consider the following when responding to the questions below. GenAI can be a helpful tool, but please ensure all work you are submitting is your own work and your own reflection. You can refer Waterloo’s Academic Integrity webpage for more information on using GenAI.

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Please attach your resume to this application form as well. Instead of listing the points and accomplishments that are captured in these documents, consider the impact they have created.

Students will be scored on the variety of interests / activities described what they have learned about themselves, and the impact of their personal contributions to the community.

Students will also be scored on the quality of their written responses. Students’ responses should be thoughtfully crafted, well-written, reflective, persuasive, organized and clear. 

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Apply to the Suzanne (Kuntz) Forth Bursary
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Terms and Conditions
By submitting this application, you are providing consent for this application to be shared with St. Jerome’s University and confirm that the information included is accurate and correct.

Apply to the Roslyn and Hubert Dietrich Memorial Scholarship

Apply to the Roslyn and Hubert Dietrich Memorial Scholarship

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The Roslyn and Hubert Dietrich Memorial Scholarship is an entrance scholarship valued at $10,000, that will be provided to one selected recipient who has completed or is completing high school and is beginning full-time first year studies. The student must be co-registered with St. Jerome’s University. The student must demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST), and identify how the funds will help them achieve their long-term goals and aspirations.

Applications are due by March 1, 2025.

Criteria:

  1. The student demonstrates an understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of Catholic Social Thought (CST) in the following areas:
     
    • Life and Dignity of the Human Person
    • Call to Family, Community, and Participation
    • Rights and Responsibilities
    • Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
    • The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
    • Solidarity
    • Care for God's Creation
  2. Student identifies their long-term goals and aspirations, challenges they may have faced, and communicates how the funds will support their plans.
  3. Student presents a record of extra-curricular activity, community contributions, and/or leadership experiences that show how they have positively contributed to the community (locally and/or globally).
  4. Student provides a letter of reference from a school counselor, a coach, a teacher, or a school Chaplain.

GenAI can be a helpful tool, but please ensure your response to each of the questions below is your own work and your own reflection. You can refer to Waterloo’s Academic Integrity webpage for more information on using GenAI.

  1. Share with us your most notable leadership experiences, extra-curricular involvement, community service, and how you have contributed positively to the community (both locally and globally). Please include specific dates of your involvement, and the name of the organization(s) you were involved with.
  2. As you reflect on the themes of Catholic Social Teaching (CTS) listed at the top of this application form, how have your experiences and contributions reflected an understanding and commitment to living these 7 principles?
  3. As you look to the future, what are your long-term goals and aspirations? How do you imagine your education at St. Jerome’s University playing a key role in your achievement of those goals? 
  4. What barriers or challenges have you faced in your life? What have you done to overcome these challenges? Please also identify how this scholarship will help you to overcome any challenges you are currently facing.
  5. How will you contribute positively to the common good, show respect for the dignity of all persons, and be a champion for social justice during your time at St. Jerome’s University?

 

You must provide a letter of reference from a school counselor, coach, teacher or Chaplain to support your candidacy for this scholarship. This letter must be submitted no later than March 1st, 2025. Staff can email their reference letter to Serena Catania, St. Jerome’s University Registrar, at sjuoutreach@uwaterloo.ca.

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Upper-year scholarships and bursaries

We offer several upper-year scholarships to students who are co-registered students at St. Jerome's University and are in their 2A term or beyond.  In addition, we are pleased to offer awards to eligible Waterloo students and students who live in one of our residences. These scholarships are funded through the generous support from our alumni, community partners and donors.

Bursaries are awarded based primarily on financial need. Note: students on their co-op term are not eligible to receive scholarships until their next academic term.

Upper-year scholarships and bursaries are awarded to eligible students based on the following criteria.

Average Value
75% to 79.9% $1,000
80% to 84.9% $1,500
85% to 89.9% $2,000
+90% $2,500

Application deadlines

Term Date
Winter Term February 3, 2025
Spring Term June 2, 2025

Upper-Year Scholarship Application Form
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Application Essay Instructions:

In a minimum 500-word essay, critically reflect on your community, leadership, and learning experiences at St. Jerome’s, the University of Waterloo, and beyond, and the impact that they have had on you.

What have you learned about yourself, your values, your communities, and/or social justice?

Please consider the following when responding to the questions below. GenAI can be a helpful tool, but please ensure all work you are submitting is your own work and your own reflection. You can refer Waterloo’s Academic Integrity webpage for more information on using GenAI.

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Please attach your resume to this application form as well. Instead of listing the points and accomplishments that are captured in these documents, consider the impact they have created.

Students will be scored on the variety of interests / activities described what they have learned about themselves, and the impact of their personal contributions to the community.

Students will also be scored on the quality of their written responses. Students’ responses should be thoughtfully crafted, well-written, reflective, persuasive, organized and clear. 

One file only.
100 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

University of Waterloo awards, financial aid, and entrance scholarships