Scholarship Opportunities

SURFING FOR DOLLARS

There are many opportunities on the Internet to find financial assistance to attend a post-secondary institution or training program.

1. School Based
Each “school” has its own awards for students who go to school there.
Primary links for the major Manitoba institutions are as follows:
University of Manitoba: http://umanitoba.ca/student/fin_awards/
University of Winnipeg: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/services-awdsinfo
Red River College: http://me.rrc.mb.ca/Catalogue/AvailableAwards.aspx

Schools outside Manitoba will also have a section for their financial awards on their web page. For example, if you are thinking of going to Ryerson in Ontario, go to

http://www.ryerson.ca/financialaid/awards/entrance/entrance.html

2. General Scholarships
Payable to any Post Secondary Institution which Qualifies
These awards are usually tied to something which defines YOU rather than the school you will be attending. Criteria are as numerous as the awards. E.G..
• Icelandic heritage (or Italian or Ukranian or …)
• Your parent works for their company
• You work for their company e.g. Wendy’s
• You play a certain sport e.g. McDonald’s basketball scholarship
• You are pursuing a certain career – e.g. agriculture
• Parent or grandparent was a member of Canada’s military
• You did volunteer work/are on student council (check the Terry Fox award)
• You read a book by Ayn Rand and will write an essay outlining how ……
And so on…… They will gather info about you and walk you through the process. A few good ones are

http://www.studentawards.com/
www.scholarshipscanada.com
http://www.finaid.org/
http://www.aucc.ca/
http://www.milleniumscholarships.ca/

3. Student Loans and Government Financial Aid
Information on borrowing money to finance your education is available at the government of Manitoba site:

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/learning/canada_student_loan/index.shtml
http://manitobastudentaid.ca
http://www.canlearn.ca/

Some funding through student aid does NOT have to be repaid. Check out this site re funding for students with permanent disabilties (e.g. hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical disability, learning disability eg ADHD, etc) or students from low income families. This pays for accommodations, tutoring, etc.

http://www.gov.mb.ca/educate/sfa/pages/ourprogram/funding.html#anchor4

4. Private Financial Institutions
Most banks and credit unions have what they call a “Student Credit Line” e.g.

http://www4.bmo.com/personal/0,2273,35649_36829,00.html
http://www.royalbank.com/student
http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/student

5. Specific Group Scholarships
National Association of Disabled Students: http://www.neads.ca/
Canada’s National Aboriginal News Source: http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada: http://ainc-inac.gc.ca/

6. Financial Information Sites
Advice on financing post-secondary studies and avoiding debt is available at http://www.debtfreegrad.com/from Money Smarts by Murray A Baker.

Information on budgeting, credit, investing and banking services is available at http://yourmoney.cba.ca/from Canadian Bankers Association.

7. Deadlines for Scholarship Applications

June 8 is the deadline for the Royal Bank Scholarship for graduates who are new Canadians i.e. born somewhere else. Information is in the red binder or can be found online at http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/scholarships/

June 22, 2008  Grade 12 students with Filipino heritage who have participated in a provincial or national competition and have an average of 90% or greater are invited to apply for the Knights of Rizal Scholarship. See counsellors to provide information and be nominated.

June 30, 2008  Students registering at the University of Manitoba are eligible to apply for the Student Council Scholarship. You must have an average of 80 and be active in your school and community. See counsellors for details and applications.

July 15  Deadline for H.C. McGregor Entrance Scholarship at Red River College. Twenty $750 scholarships to be awarded.

July 15  Deadline for Women in Trade Bursaries.  Two $1500 bursaries will be awarded on the basis of financial need.

July 15, 2008   Fairfax Financial Holdings is offering 3 - $5,000 scholarships renewable for up to 4 years – to students entering the University of Manitoba in the fall of 2008 Applicants must demonstrate financial need (based on a MB student loan application), have a minimum average of 80% on the courses used for admission and write a letter with their application detailing their extracurricular involvement. Applications are available in the counselling office.

July 15, 2008  SCHOLARSHIP NOTICE FOR GRADE 11 STUDENTS: If you are considering attending the University of Alberta in Sept. 2009, the “early bird” deadline for the Academic Excellence Scholarship is July 15, 2008. See counsellors or go to www.registrar.ualberta.ca/awards

July 31  Training for Tomorrow Awards: There are eighty $1250 awards from the Manitoba Status for Women Program. 60% are based on financial need. 40% are based on academic achievement and an essay submission. This award is to encourage women to consider math, science and technology careers. It is open to females in an eligible 2 year diploma program at a Manitoba college. Eligible program list and applications are available in the counselling office, and at www.gov.mb.ca/wd/programs/t4t.html

August 8 Grads of Italian origin - two $1,000.00 scholarships and one $500.00 scholarship are available.

October 1 Interested in forage seed production & planning on attending Faculty of Agriculture? - $500 scholarship.

MTS Scholarship: Cash, employment & more. Visit  http://www.mts.ca/scholarships 

The MANITOBA SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION is presenting two bursaries to graduating students who have demonstrated highly successful competitive experience at the national, provincial and/or regional level. Approximate values of the two bursaries are $500 and $250. See yellow binder in the counselling area for information & application.

Softball Canada presents the Ethel Boyce Achievement Award – two annual awards of $1000 - to one female and one male recipient who have exhibited leadership traits and skills in softball. The award can be used to defray the costs of education and/or playing softball. See yellow binder in the counselling office for information & application.

 Students of African Heritage are invited to apply for the Horace Patterson Foundation Scholarship. See the red binder in the counselling area or go to www.hpfdn.com

The Bank of Montreal offers an Aboriginal Scholarship Program for Aboriginal students. This includes a paid summer internship and employment after graduation. See the red binder in the counselling area or go to www.ccab.com/faay

** This information is provided as a service to students. J H Bruns and its staff in no way endorse any particular school, website or financial institution. Where specific names are used, it is only to cite examples.