Joyce Scholars Award Application

Three awards, valued at up to $20,000 each over eight academic terms, will be awarded annually to deserving undergraduate students entering Year One of any program, in any faculty at the University of Waterloo. To be considered, students must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protected persons, as well as residents of Ontario who have graduated from high school within the last three years.  Preference will be given to students from the Region of Waterloo.

Selection will be based on a combination of demonstrated financial need, as determined by the University of Waterloo, a statement describing the impact this award will have on their ability to pursue their educational goals, and a reference letter from an individual who is aware of the student’s personal circumstances and can speak to their resilience in the face of adversity and potential for success in their post-secondary studies. Selected students must commit to working with a mentor throughout their undergraduate studies. Interested students must complete this application form as well as the University of Waterloo Entrance Bursary online application.

This fund is made possible by a generous donation from The Joyce Family Foundation, which is committed to providing access to education for youth who face significant financial barriers and have demonstrated the ability to overcome obstacles and adversity.

Application deadline: April 15.

Note: There are a number of requirements to be considered for this award. Read all of the application questions before you begin to ensure you meet the criteria and that you are able to complete the form at this time.

Questions

Contact Student Awards and Financial Aid if you have questions about specific award requirements, completing the form, or award decisions.

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Personal information
(8 digits)
Resident of Ontario
Are you a resident of Ontario?
Citizenship status
Are you a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person in Canada?
High school graduation status
Will you graduate from high school this academic year, or did you graduate within the last three years?

Based on your response to the eligibility questions, you are not eligible for this award.

Return to the Forms for undergraduate students web page.

Academic information
Indicate the program(s) you have applied to and/or been accepted to at Waterloo.
Award criteria
Financial need
This award is limited to students who are facing significant financial barriers and lack the resources to attend post-secondary studies. In order to assess financial need, you must also apply for the University of Waterloo Entrance Bursary program by completing the online application by April 15. Have you submitted the entrance bursary application?

Refer to our entrance bursary web page for details on how to apply.

Reference letter

A reference letter is required from an individual who is aware of your personal circumstances and can speak to your resilience in the face of adversity and potential for success in your post-secondary studies. This may be a teacher, guidance counsellor, coach, social worker, etc., but should not be a relative or friend.

Provide the name and email address of a person who will be able to provide a letter of support. By submitting this form, an email will be automatically sent to them with a request for the reference letter. The referee will have until April 25 to submit their letter.

Important: If you need to contact your referee first, wait to submit this form until you have had a chance to connect with them, but not later than the April 15 deadline.

Provide their first and last name.
Reminder: An email will be sent to this address automatically after submitting this form.
In the area below, provide a statement (up to 1,000 words) describing the impact this award will have on your ability to pursue your educational goals.
Mentor support
Recipients of this award must commit to working with a mentor throughout their undergraduate studies. A mentor can provide guidance, motivation, and emotional support. There are a variety of mentorship and peer support programs at the University of Waterloo to help you meet this requirement. If you are selected as a recipient, will you commit to working with a mentor?

If you are not interested in working with a mentor during your undergraduate studies, then we are unable to consider you for this award.

Declaration and consent
Indicate you have read and understood the statements below by checking each box.