Student Awards and Financial Aid
The Student Awards and Financial Aid Office is responsible for the administration of financial assistance programs for all students.
Associate Registrar: Student Finances and Client Services: Necia Martins, EdD, nmartins@wlu.ca
Financial Aid Officer: Pamela Woodburn, BA, pwoodburn@wlu.ca
Student Awards Officer: Nancy Helmond, BA, nhelmond@wlu.ca
Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Office Location: Service Laurier - First floor, Schlegel Building
General Inquires: servicelaurier@wlu.ca
Department Email: studentawards@wlu.ca or financialaid@wlu.ca
Laurier Student Awards Website: https://students.wlu.ca/registration-and-finances/financial-aid/index.html
Laurier Financial Aid Website: https://students.wlu.ca/registration-and-finances/financial-aid/index.html
- Entrance Grid Scholarships
- Laurier Scholars Award
- President's Gold Scholarships
- Stay Golden Scholarship
- In Course Scholarships
- Milton Founder's Scholarship
- Notes
- Definitions
- Entrance and Laurier Tuition Bursaries
- Milton Founder's Scholarship
These awards are offered based on your admission average; no application is required.
- Awards from the Entrance Scholarship Grid are available to students who are entering year 1 of any undergraduate program who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents or bearers of a valid student visa.
- Types of Entrance Grid Scholarships:
1. Entrance Scholarship Grid: Domestic students and students paying domestic tuition rates are eligible to receive the Entrance Scholarship Grid.
2. International Entrance Grid Scholarship: International students and students who are paying international tuition rates are eligible for the International Entrance Scholarship Grid. - Recipients must be registered full-time (2.0 credits minimum per term) and in order to receive the full entrance scholarship amount, and must be registered in two full time terms within their first academic year (academic year refers to the period from September through August). Students entering the Spring term (12-week) as a full-time student are eligible to receive half of their entrance scholarship amount if registered in a full-time course load.
- Transfer credits are not included in the determination of eligibility for an Entrance Grid Scholarship.
- The applicant admission average may or may not include required courses.
- Students may not hold more than one entrance scholarship from the entrance scholarship grid
- While the scholarship from the Entrance Scholarship is not renewable (with the exception of the President's Gold Scholarship, students in years 2 through 5 (of approved 5-year Double Degree programs) are eligible each year to be assessed for an automatic scholarship from the In Course Scholarship Grid
- International students or students paying international tuition are eligible for the International Entrance Scholarship Grid. Students who have a change of residency or citizenship status leading to domestic tuition rates may receive the Entrance Scholarship Grid for domestic students.
- The value of domestic and international Entrance Grid Scholarships are subject to change.
The Laurier Scholars Award is available to incoming year 1 students. Students are able to apply at the time of admission during a specific application window. The program provides up to $40,000 in funding, including $7,500 in scholarship annually for up to 4 years. Students have $10,000 as an experiential learning award.
Scholarship funding will be applied in two equal installments to the student account during full-time terms of study. The experiential funding is a maximum of $10,00 and requires approval from program administrators. . Students are required to develop a program proposal with budget, which will outline the total spending allocation of the $10,000. The experiential funding issued may be less than $10,000 with the remaining difference being forfeited.
Experiential funding must be spent during a student’s academic program. Experiential funding is no longer available once a student completes their undergraduate program.
Applicants must apply by the outlined and promoted deadline and complete all application requirements to be eligible. One scholarship is available per faculty. Decisions are made in collaboration with multiple campus partners and in review of the applicant’s application, which may include personal statement, reference letters, interviews, and high school grades. The application process and requirements will be outlined online and available to all potential applicants through Laurier’s website. Laurier reserves the right to alter funding values, and application requirements.
To receive the scholarship in year 1:
- Students must accept their Offer of Admission by the deadline outlined in the offer letter.
- Students must maintain a final admission average of 90% as of the target date for the OUAC to send all remaining final grades to Laurier (July).
- All admission conditions listed on the offer of admission letter must be met.
- Recipients of the award must be applying to Laurier direct from high school (or internation equivalent) or transfer students with fewer than 4.0 university credits or less than 1 year of a full-time college education will be considered.
- Transfer students or applicants who have attended post-secondary education at another institution are not eligible.
- The Laurier Scholars Award cannot be deferred. Applicants deferring their Laurier offer will automatically be considered for the Entrance Grid Scholarship. Incoming students or applicants may reapply in deferral year and are not guaranteed to be selected as part of a new application process.
- To receive the Laurier Scholars Award each year students must be registered for full-time studies (a minimum of 2.0 credits in a term is considered full-time) in two terms in an academic year (September through August), and complete a total of 5.0 credits in the academic year.
To renew the Laurier Scholars Award, students must:
- To maintain the Laurier Scholars Award, students must have completed at least 5.0 credits over at least two full-time terms (minimum 2.0 credits or more per term) in the previous academic year (September – August)
- A minimum grade point average of 10.5 must be achieved in the immediately preceding academic year. All completed courses completed in the preceding year will be used in determining the renewal GPA.
- Students who withdraw or register to study part-time for more than one academic term in the academic year are no longer be eligible to receive the Laurier Scholars Award.
- Recipients of the Laurier Scholars Award are not eligible for the Laurier’s Entrance Grid Scholarship, President’s Gold Scholarship, In-Course Scholarship, or Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship.
- By applying for the Laurier Scholars Award, students agree for their name and program of study to be used by the University to create and maintain a public record and feature recipients on Laurier's websites for the purposes of promoting and celebrating the Award program.
- If renewal requirements are not met, students will automatically be considered for Laurier’s In-course scholarship for the remainder of academic studies.
- Participation in the Laurier Scholars program is required. This is inclusive but not limited to the Scholars’ Colloquium, leadership development projects, and annual Scholars’ Conference. Scholars participation involvement will be reviewed annually.
Presidents Gold Scholarships are granted upon admission and are renewable for subsequent academic years per the following renewal requirements:
- Renewal of the President's Gold Scholarship is based on the achievement of a minimum of a 10.5 GPA in courses taken in the previous academic year, as well as the completion of a minimum of 5.0 credits (or 10 half credits) over their regular three terms of study in the previous academic year at Laurier.
- All credits completed in the previous academic year (September to August) will be considered as part of the student's GPA and used to determine if renewable requirements have been met.
- The student must complete at least two full credits (or four half credits) in at least two of the three terms. If this is not completed, the scholarship will not be renewed and students will not be eligible to receive the President's Gold Scholarship in a subsequent academic year (students would then automatically be assessed for eligibility under the in course scholarship grid).
- The President's Gold Scholarship can be renewed in years 2, 3 and 4 if renewable requirements listed above have been met. Only students in an approved five-year Double Degree programs are eligible to be considered on year four academic achievement:
1. BBA/BA Financial Mathematics and Data Analytics
2. BBA/BSc Computer Science
3. BBA/Bachelor of Computer Science (UW)
4. BBA/Bachelor of Mathematics (UW) - Transfer credits completed prior to attending Laurier are not included in the 5.0 credits that must be completed to maintain the President's Gold scholarship.
- The academic year is from September to August of each year. Exceptions to the terms of study based on academic terms of study are made for students participating in Laurier's work-integrated learning.
- Letters of Permission (LOP) courses are not considered in the assessment of the President's Gold scholarship. LOP required to complete your degree can be considered for credits in your assessment but not the GPA.
- Domestic students and students paying domestic tuition rates are eligible to receive the domestic President’s Gold value as indicated in their Entrance Grid Scholarship. International students and students paying international tuition rates are eligible for the President’s Gold at the value noted in the International Entrance Grid Scholarship.
- International students and students paying international tuition rates that have a change in their citizenship or residency status in Canada that led to a change in tuition to domestic tuition rates will receive domestic President’s Gold scholarship value of their cohort.
- The value of the President’s Gold Scholarship is subject to change.
- Up to a $20,000 scholarship over four years of study (or $25,000 for students in approved five-year programs).
- Guaranteed housing for four years of study.
- Students must be registered in their first term of studies in Fall 2024 or Winter 2025.
- To receive the Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship in your first year you must be registered for full-time studies (a minimum of 2.0 credits in a term) in two terms in an academic year (September through August), completing a total of 5.0 credits in this same period.
Note: Transfer credits do not count towards these credits. - Applicants who have received the International President’s Gold Scholarship are eligible to maintain this scholarship at its greater value.
- Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship recipients must be paying international tuition and incidental fees.
- The Stay Golden Scholarship cannot be deferred. Applicants deferring their offer will be automatically considered for the Entrance Grid Scholarship.
- You must be registered at Laurier for studies in a full-time course load over two, full-time academic terms in the current academic year, with Laurier as your home institution.
- You have completed a minimum of 5.0 full credits in the previous fall, winter, and spring terms (September to August) and maintained a 10.0 GPA.
- GPA is calculated using all courses completed at Laurier in the previous academic year (September through April).
- Students are assessed in their second, third and fourth year based on their previous year’s GPA. Students in an approved five-year program will receive an additional assessment in their final year of studies.
- If more than 5.0 credits are taken in an academic year, the GPA from all courses completed in an academic year will be used to determine renewal eligibility.
- If International President’s Gold recipients from the Fall 2024 cohort do not maintain the 10.5 GPA, they are eligible for the Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship renewal.
- Funding is for the maximum length of the approved program. Students will receive funding up to a maximum of $20,000 (or $25,000 for five-year programs). Students who require additional time to complete their program are eligible for the in-course scholarship.
- Students admitted to and entering combined undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible for funding during their undergraduate program only.
- Recipients must be assessed and paying international tuition and incidental fees during the terms they are eligible for the Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship. Students who are approved for domestic tuition and incidental fees forfeit the Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship and are eligible for Laurier’s in-course scholarship.
- Students who withdraw from Laurier for longer than one academic year, you are not eligible for the Stay Golden at Laurier Scholarship.
- Recipients of Stay Golden Scholarship are not eligible for Laurier’s in-course scholarship.
- Students participating in a graduate program, or the Bachelor of Education program are not eligible.
With the completion of 5.0 credits completed at Laurier during an academic year (September-August), students may be eligible for the in-course scholarship if the following conditions are met:
- Recipients must be registered full-time in an established program leading to a recognized undergraduate degree.
- Calculation of the potential scholarship amount is based on the GPA of all courses taken during the fall, winter and spring terms of the previous academic year. As a result, scholarship amounts may not be applied until after the fee payment deadline.
- Candidates must be currently registered with Laurier as their home institution and have completed a minimum of 5.0 full credits in the previous fall, winter and spring terms at Laurier. The student must complete at least two full credits (or four half credits) in at least two of the three terms. Co-op students may satisfy this requirement in any two of the previous fall, winter, or spring terms.
- With a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 10.5 to 10.99 you can receive an in-course scholarship amount of $1250 applied directly to your tuition. The award will be disbursed in two equal installments on the next full-time academic terms.
- With a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 11 to 12 you can receive an in-course scholarship amount of $1,500 applied directly to your tuition. The award will be disbursed in two equal installments on the next full-time academic terms.
- For students who were in class for the fall and winter terms only, evaluations will take place in July and successful recipients are notified by email late July.
- For all students who are registered in any spring/summer/intersession courses, evaluations will take place in early October and successful recipients will be notified by mid-October.
- To receive the funds for an in-course scholarship, candidates must be registered with Laurier as their home institution in a full-time course load (full time as defined by University Regulations) over two full time academic terms in the current academic year.
- Transfer credits completed prior to attending Laurier are not included in the 5.0 credits that must be completed to receive an in-course scholarship, or GPA
- Letters of Permission (LOP) courses are not considered in the assessment of the President's Gold scholarship. LOP required to complete your degree can be considered for credits in your assessment but not the GPA.
- In-course scholarships are available to first-entry undergraduate programs only.
- The value of in-course scholarships are subject to change.
Scholarship Conditions
If you are a recipient of the Milton Founders' Scholarship,
you must meet all conditions below to receive your award.
- There is no application
for this scholarship; eligible applicants will automatically be considered
and notified if they are successful recipients.
- You must accept your
offer of admission by the deadline outlined on your offer.
- You must meet all
conditions listed by the deadline on your offer of admission letter.
- Your studies must begin
in fall 2024. The Milton Founders' Scholarships cannot be deferred.
- You must be attending a
full-time undergraduate program at the Laurier Milton campus.
- To receive the Milton
Founders' Scholarship in your first year you must be registered for
full-time studies (a minimum of 2.0 credits is a full-time course load at
Laurier).
Renewal Requirements and Conditions
The renewal value of the Milton Founders' Scholarship is
$1,250 per year, up to four years. To renew the Milton Founders' Scholarship,
the following renewal requirements and conditions must be met:
- You must be registered
in a full-time undergraduate program at the Laurier Milton campus. If you
transfer to another campus, you will no longer be eligible to receive the
Milton Founders' Scholarship.
- You must be meeting all
program requirements and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0.
- To receive the Milton
Founders' Scholarship, you must be registered in a full-time course load
(min. 2.0 credits per term) in the current academic year (September to
August).
- The scholarship funds
will automatically be applied to your full-time academic term, if the
renewal requirements are met.
Appeals regarding an In Course or President's Gold Scholarship will be accepted through the Student Awards Office; exceptions to the above mentioned requirements are accepted in the event of extreme extenuating circumstances (i.e., medical). For information on how to proceed with an appeal, please contact the Student Awards Office directly.
All Award values are subject to change.
Grades of CR do not impact the required minimum overall GPA. You must still meet all other eligibility requirements.
If you have received any scholarship, award or bursary, the amount may be adjusted or revoked if you drop any course. Please reach out to studentawards@wlu.ca with any specific concerns.
Awards: An award is granted on a competitive basis for a combination of academic achievement and participation in extra-curricular activities such as volunteer work or involvement in campus sports or clubs. Awards always require the submission of an application form; recipients of awards must demonstrate financial need.
Bursaries: A bursary is a monetary gift based on demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement. Bursaries do not have to be paid back to the university.
Scholarships: A scholarship is granted on a competitive basis for outstanding academic achievement; scholarships may be granted automatically, based on recorded marks, or by application, in which other factors such as extra-curricular activities or volunteer work will be considered. Financial need is not a consideration.
Financial need-based assistance is provided in the form of bursaries through the following programs:
- Entrance bursaries (undergraduate)
- Laurier Tuition Bursary Program
- Donor-Supported Bursary Program
- First Generation Bursary Program
- Indigenous Student Bursary
- Extended Society Care Tuition Bursary
Students are required to report all sources of income, and this information will be used to assess financial needs. The value of Entrance and In-course Bursaries is subject to change.
Scholarship Conditions
If you are a recipient of the Milton Founders' Scholarship,
you must meet all conditions below to receive your award.
- There is no application
for this scholarship; eligible applicants will automatically be considered
and notified if they are successful recipients.
- You must accept your
offer of admission by the deadline outlined on your offer.
- You must meet all
conditions listed by the deadline on your offer of admission letter.
- Your studies must begin
in fall 2024. The Milton Founders' Scholarships cannot be deferred.
- You must be attending a
full-time undergraduate program at the Laurier Milton campus.
- To receive the Milton
Founders' Scholarship in your first year you must be registered for
full-time studies (a minimum of 2.0 credits is a full-time course load at
Laurier).
Renewal Requirements and Conditions
The renewal value of the Milton Founders' Scholarship is
$1,250 per year, up to four years. To renew the Milton Founders' Scholarship,
the following renewal requirements and conditions must be met:
- You must be registered
in a full-time undergraduate program at the Laurier Milton campus. If you
transfer to another campus, you will no longer be eligible to receive the
Milton Founders' Scholarship.
- You must be meeting all
program requirements and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 4.0.
- To receive the Milton
Founders' Scholarship, you must be registered in a full-time course load
(min. 2.0 credits per term) in the current academic year (September to
August).
- The scholarship funds
will automatically be applied to your full-time academic term, if the
renewal requirements are met.