Frequently asked awards questions

Awards are granted throughout the year and all applicants are informed of award decisions via an email to their University of Waterloo email address.

Many award decisions require Student Awards & Financial Aid (SAFA) to consult with departments or committees. If you have applied for an award, please be aware that decisions may not be made for several weeks or even months after the advertised deadline.

Normally awards are paid only during terms in which you are a registered full-time student. Exceptions may be made for certain types of awards such as research awards or travel awards which are intended to support a student during a non-academic term.

The first charge against any award is to pay outstanding University fees including tuition and incidental fees and other university-related fees.

If you have paid your fees in full from other personal funding, the award will be refunded to you. Effective Fall 2019, refunds will only be issued by direct deposit to a personal bank account at a Canadian bank. Your refund will be held on your student account until you have had an opportunity to add your Canadian banking information on Quest.

If you are receiving award funding for an upcoming study term, it will normally be listed on your Quest account as Anticipated Aid (once tuition fees have been assessed). If you wish to use these funds to help pay your fees, you will need to complete the Promissory Note. The Promissory Note process allows you to leave a balance owing on your student account that is equal to the amount of financial aid you will be receiving during the term. Please refer to the information provided by Student Financial Services for full details.

Undergraduate scholarship, bursary, and award amounts indicated as Anticipated Aid, will be automatically applied to your student account balance provided your registered status is Fees Arranged as follows:

• in early-October for Fall awards
• in early February for Winter awards
• in early June for Spring awards.

Award decisions made after the above dates, will normally be applied to the student account on a weekly basis during the applicable term.

If you used this award funding to make your Fee Arrangement, then the awards will be used to clear up the outstanding balance that may be showing on your account.

If you have not yet made a fee arrangement, please refer to the information provided by Student Financial Services for full details.

If you've paid your fees in full from other personal funding, the award will be refunded to you. Effective Fall 2019, refunds will only be issued by direct deposit to a personal bank account at a Canadian bank. Your refund will be held on your student account until you have had an opportunity to add your Canadian banking information on Quest.

The timeline for award refunds is as follows:

• by mid-October for Fall awards
• by mid-February for Winter awards
• by mid-June for Spring awards.

Award decisions made after the above dates will normally be issued weekly during the applicable term.

Awards may be adjusted if you enrol in less than 100% course load, if there is a change to your program or plan, or if you withdraw from studies.

Certain renewable scholarships require you to maintain a particular average. Please contact SAFA if you have questions about maintaining your scholarship.
 

OSAP applicants/recipients:

• SAFA reports award funding to your OSAP file unless you have already done so. As a result, award funding may affect your assessment.

Out-of-province student loan applicants/recipients:

• It is your responsibility to report awards on your application. As a result, award funding may affect your assessment.

We would love to hear from you! Students who have received donor-funded awards are asked to complete our simple webform and to provide more information that are shared with the donor of their award.