Canada is a country offering numerous possibilities. Every year approximately 500.000 international students apply for Canada student visa for studying in Canadian universities and colleges.

To study in Canada means investing in your future as the Canada student visa and Canada immigration programs offer tremendous benefits. Being an international student, Canadian Government, Canadian universities and colleges, and institutes help international students to fund their education by providing scholarship programs.

Applying for Canada student visa to pursue a course in Canada could be overwhelming yet expensive. The international students who are taking up courses in Canadian universities and colleges are provided with a wide range of scholarships.

These scholarships help the international students in Canada to fund their courses. There are scholarships, bursaries and grants offered by the Government of Canada, few private organizations and a couple of public organizations.

Before applying for these scholarships, one must take note of its eligibility criteria and the documents required to submit along with the scholarship application.

Few scholarship programs may require a personal essay or letter of recommendation/reference from your previous employer or teacher. It is mandatory to note the deadline for the scholarship program before applying to the same.

While study in Canadian universities and colleges, students fail to apply for these scholarships, which help them to support their international education. It is necessary to repay the loan; the advantage of gaining a scholarship award is that you do not have to repay the amount.

Applying to the Canadian scholarships does not include in the admission application. Both forms are different.

For applying to the particular Canadian scholarship, the student must do prior research of available Canadian scholarships and which scholarship suits them. They need to take extra effort to go through the rules of each Canadian scholarship.

To ease the financial burden of studying in Canadian universities and colleges, one must be aware of specific Canadian scholarships.

Application criteria for Canadian scholarships

The critical criterion for availing Canadian scholarships is to have an excellent academic score. It depends on your stream, subjects chosen and educational level.

Few scholarships also consider your score in extracurricular activities, social service and other such activities. If you have a good score in these activities, it will act beneficial for availing the Canadian scholarship.

How much amount can one avail from the Canadian scholarship?

The amount of each scholarship varies depending on the organization or the institution. Availing the scholarship in Canada is a competitive process, and hence it is mandatory to apply for scholarships before time.

Usually, one must apply for the scholarships 8-10 months before you start your course in a specific Canadian university or college.

Overview of a few popular Canadian scholarships an Indian student can apply –

1. Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute - This offers numerous fellowships for students pursuing graduation and to the students pursuing the post-doctorate course. It also provides scholarships to students pursuing research and training fellowships.
2. Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan – This scheme identifies students having high intelligence from Commonwealth countries who apply to the courses of advanced studies and research at the Master level as well as Ph.D. level. The scholarship includes travel, living budget and the compulsory educational costs.
3. National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) – Research internship is offered to the students having a master’s degree in engineering and also to students holding a Ph.D. degree in engineering stream or natural science.
4. Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s Program (CGS M) – This program accepts applications from international students who are on permanent resident status for supporting their research.

Numerous Canadian universities and colleges have their scholarships designed exclusively for international students. The students should start applying for these Canadian scholarships once they apply for Canada student visa.

Steps to find appropriate Canadian scholarship

Once you have applied for Canada student visa for pursuing a course in Canadian university or college, then there is no turnaround. It is because Canadian universities and colleges offer world-class education having various facilities for students such as offering scholarships.

Mostly, the primary objective of an individual is to be a permanent resident in Canada after completing the education.

Once you get your Canada student visa, you are all set to fly for Canada. But what before that? How do you manage the tuition fee?

The answer is easy. There are various Canadian scholarships designed for international students. You need to follow these steps when you have applied for your Canada student visa.

Step 1: Start the search.

Start exploring the different Canadian scholarships available in the university province for which you have applied. Check the university website and join the university Facebook group for keeping yourself up to date.

Start checking for other funding available as well. The Government, private and public organizations provide the funding for international students.

Step 2: Communicate with your Canadian university or college.

Contact the administration or the finance department of the university or the college where you have applied. Ask for information about scholarships or grants available for international students. Also, ask for the guidelines and scholarship application end date.

Once you have the list of specific scholarships, search on the internet for its eligibility criteria and check if it is the best fit for you.

Step 3: Additional Research

Check for scholarships offered by the Government, province, not-for-profit organizations and private industries.

Few helpful resources

Check for Government of Canada International Scholarship Program (https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/educationfunding/scholarships.html)

On behalf of the Government, the committee of Canadian Global Affairs has the authority in essential international scholarship programs. This website helps students to search for scholarships based on country of origin.

The value allotted in these programs depends on the level of education and the duration of the course. Usually, for this program, students receive scholarships between the range of $7,200 to $14,700.

Check for Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (https://vanier.gc.ca/en/home-accueil.html)

This scholarship is named after Major-General Georges P. Vanier, who was the first francophone Governor General of Canada. Under this program, up to 166 scholarship awards are granted every year. One can find detailed information on the mentioned website.

In a bottleneck

Yes, it is not a difficult task to avail scholarship in Canada once you are on Canada student visa. One must spare time and explore as many Canadian scholarships as he can and get to know them in detail.

Keep in mind that the admission application and scholarship application are two different applications. You need to apply for a scholarship in advance to avail the same.

If you gain a particular scholarship, it will be like the cherry on the cake. It means studying in Canada is undoubtedly making your future bright, and availing a scholarship means spending less for making your future bright.