![Piggy bank wearing a graduation cap on a pile of books](/the-centre/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/uploads/images/external-awards.png?itok=wk1rbXsi)
The Student Awards & Financial Aid office (SAFA) regularly receives award notices from external agencies and organizations. Discover what opportunities are available and learn how to apply the funding to your Waterloo account once you've received it.
External award payments (for recipients of external funding)
The University of Waterloo regularly receives and processes award payments on behalf of external organizations. Awards from external organizations are typically provided by cheque and should be made payable to the University of Waterloo. Be sure that your name and student ID number are on the cheque. The external organization may also include a letter with more detail about the purpose of the funds.
Submit your external award cheque promptly! Do not hold it for a future term or the cheque may expire. Cheques expire in 6 months from issue date or even sooner if indicated on the cheque face. Send the cheque to us and we will deposit the funds and hold for your next study term.
Cheques can be mailed to the Student Awards and Financial Aid office or dropped off in person at our Student Service Centre in Needles Hall.
Mailing address for external award cheques:
Student Awards and Financial Aid
1st Floor, Ira Needles Hall
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo ON N2L 3G1
Questions about external award payments:
If you have questions about this process or about the status of an external award that has been sent to UW, please contact Student Awards and Financial Aid by email.
T4A Tax Forms for External Awards
The University of Waterloo has an obligation to issue a T4A tax form for all scholarship, award and bursary payments made through the University, including payments made on behalf of a third party.
T4A’s are produced each February for awards issued during the previous calendar year and will be available to access on line.
Note: the University of Waterloo is unable to exclude specific scholarship/award payments from our T4A reporting processes. In the event that the external award provider has also issued a T4A for the same funds, you will need to ask them to revise their T4A form so that the award is not double-reported to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
External award opportunities
The Student Awards & Financial Aid office (SAFA) regularly receives a variety of award notices from external agencies and organizations. These award opportunities are listed alphabetically on the following PDF:
External Awards Spreadsheet (PDF)
Once you access the company's website, a bit of digging will be required on your part to find information on the award itself. Here are some helpful hints:
- try a keyword search from their homepage for "award," "scholarship," or the award name, or
- look for links or headings with the following words: Awards, Community, Scholarships, Education, Careers, etc.
In most cases, all necessary information is available online, including award criteria and application forms. A few awards may require you to contact them directly. Others may require an endorsement from our office; if that is the case, please email us to book an appointment with one of our Financial Aid officers. Please ensure you allow at least two weeks for processing before the submission deadline.
Note: this information is updated only as information is received by the University. In some cases, awards may be discontinued or the deadlines or criteria may have changed without notice. Since this information is provided only as a courtesy to our students, our office cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions listed on the spreadsheet.