How To Find Scholarships In Canada: 10 Ways To Do It 🍁💸

Hi, Thrivve family! Let's try to find an answer to one of the most common questions we receive: “How do I find a scholarship in Canada?”. Scholarships have the power to change lives, regardless of whether you're knee-deep in school work and snow (already in Canada) or you're dreaming of attending a prestigious Canadian university. 

Keep in mind that the key is to not only find these scholarships but to throw yourself at them as if you were trying to get that last slice of pizza 🍕after a crazy night out. Here are ten resources where you can find scholarships for Canada:

1. Government Websites: Starting your quest through the Government of Canada’s official website, or even the website from your home country, is always a smart idea. It’s like the main quest in your scholarship adventure – you don’t want to skip it. They have some popular offerings, from the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for doctoral students to more niche finds.

2. Universities and Colleges: The old but reliable “direct approach” method! Search for scholarship opportunities directly on the websites of your dream schools. They often have scholarship sections that are like secret menus – only the most determined find them. Alternatively, ask to talk to a Sales or Education representative from your region (LATAM or Europe for example) because, more often than not, schools have geography-specific scholarships that might not be on the school’s website.

3. EduCanada: The EduCanada website is a great guide you can use to understand different scholarships and their application processes. It’s packed with information on scholarships available for international students in Canada, making your hunt less time-consuming.

4. Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE): Think of CBIE as your secret informant, only this informant is actually a non-profit organization. CBIE is strongly involved with colleges and universities in Canada and has the best interest of international students in mind. Therefore, CBIE often has scholarships that might not be on the majority of applicant radars.

5. Scholarships Canada: A database you can only dream of! Scholarships Canada is like Tinder, but for scholarships – sounds easy enough, right? Go ahead and start swiping to find future opportunities!

6. Community and Non-Profit Orgs: Try looking for non-profit companies that could support students either from your region or your industry. It is not odd to find organizations with a specific mission that could support you. Take WUSC for example. The World University Service of Canada was founded in the 1920s as part of a global network that provided support to displaced students in post-war Europe.

7. Embassies or Consulates: Ahh this one is good! *insert smart meme or icon Your home country’s embassy or consulate can be a gold mine. Some countries have scholarship programs for their citizens studying abroad, so give them a call! Alternatively, your local Canadian embassy could offer some scholarships in collaboration with local companies or organizations.

8. Professional Associations: Groups like the Canadian Medical Foundation (CMF) offer scholarships for those in specific fields. If you’re diving into medicine or another specialized area, these are your peeps. But do your due diligence and try to find similar associations for the field of your interest. 

9. Social Media and Online Forums: Reddit, Facebook groups, and even TikTok and Instagram can be unexpected treasure troves. In this industry, it’s quite common for third-party services to offer discounts or scholarships in collaboration with particular institutions.

10. Your Own Backyard: Don’t overlook local organizations, clubs, or businesses in your area (or back home) that might offer scholarships to bright young students heading to Canada.

The Wrap-up 🎁

Finding scholarships in Canada might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but with these 10 resources, you can make this process less troublesome. Remember, the early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the early student gets the scholarship. So, gear up, start early, and apply to as many as your profile matches with – it’s a numbers game, after all.

And hey, when you land a sweet scholarship, maybe you can treat us to a coffee with your newfound wealth? ☕ Just kidding (kind of). Here’s to making your Canadian education dream a bit more affordable! 

Did you know that Thrivve can connect you to scholarships and lawyers to help you along your journey? Just send us a message here.