Awards Month

Scholarships & Bursaries

Scholarships & BursariesApply on AwardSpring

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Featured Awards

Eligibility: To be awarded to the student who has completed the penultimate year of any four or five-level program at the most recent spring review, and who ranks highest in scholarship, leadership and influence. 

Value: The Chancellor’s Gold Medal 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: A variable number of scholarships to be awarded to students who, in the judgment of the School of Geography and Earth Sciences, demonstrate an interest in the field of mining and have completed at least Level 2 of a B.Sc. program in the School of Geography and Earth Sciences. 

Value: $2,500 x 2 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to undergraduate students enrolled in Level 2 or above of the Sustainable Chemistry program who graduated from a high school in the City of Hamilton, or the regions of Halton, Niagara, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Wellington, or Waterloo, and demonstrate involvement in extracurricular or volunteer activities in their community. 

Value: $2,500 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to students enrolled in a Level 2 Engineering program with a high average and who, in the judgement of the Faculty of Engineering, demonstrate a commitment to automotive mechatronics and electronics testing technology.  The scholarship is tenable for up to three years provided the student remains enrolled in 24 units or more and achieves a Fall-Winter Average of 9.5. 

Value: $5,000 for 3 years 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to undergraduate students enrolled in Level 2 or above in an Earth and Environmental Sciences program who attain high averages, are Canadian Citizens, and who demonstrate a strong interest in studying Earth Sciences. 

Value: $5,000 x 2 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student enrolled in a program in English who, in the judgment of the Department of English and Cultural Studies, has submitted an essay on Irish literature that demonstrates the highest degree of analytical skill and critical insight. 

Value: $1,000 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to an Honours Arts and Science student who has completed Level 3 and who, in the judgment of the Arts and Science Program, has demonstrated exceptional qualities of leadership and service at McMaster University or in the community, as well as notable academic achievement. 

Value: $1,000 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a graduating student in Honours Religious Studies with demonstrated excellence in Western Religious Thought who, in the judgment of the Department of Religious Studies, has achieved notable academic standing and intends to pursue graduate studies. 

Value: $1,000 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student graduating from an Honours program in the Department of Health, Aging and Society who, in the judgment of the Department of Health, Aging and Society, has demonstrated notable academic achievement. Preference will be given to a student who has completed a thesis or course paper on issues relating to Alzheimer’s disease. 

Value: $5,000 x 3 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student who is enrolled in Level 2 of an Honours Economics program who, in the judgment of the Department of Economics, has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and an interest in the study of ethics. Tenable in Level 4 provided that the recipient maintains a Grade Point Average of 8.0 or greater. 

Value: $10,000 x 3 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: Two scholarships (one to a male and one to a female) to be awarded to students who have completed Level 3 of an Honours Geography program and who, in the judgment of the School of Geography and Earth Sciences (Faculty of Science), have achieved notable academic standing and demonstrated qualities of leadership at McMaster or in the community. 

Value: $3,000 x 2 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to the student who is enrolled in Level 3 or above of an Honours program in Theatre & Film Studies who, in the judgment of the School of the Arts, has achieved notable academic standing and has made a significant contribution to theatre on campus. 

Value: $1,000 x 7 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to one or two students in Theatre & Film Studies who, in the judgment of the School of the Arts, have attained notable academic achievement and demonstrated the ability to make a strong contribution to the study of dramatic performance. 

Value: $5,000 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

These non-monetary awards go on your transcript to recognize your extracurricular work and community involvement.

  • Open to full-time and part-time undergrads in second year and above.
  • International students can apply for the same awards as domestic students.
  • Maximum of three Community Contribution Award applications per student per year.

Make sure you read each award’s description carefully to make sure it’s right for your extracurricular achievements!

 

Eligibility: One or two awards to be granted to students enrolled in a program in Arts and Science who, in the judgment of the selection committee, have made a notable contribution in the community-at-large through participation in extra-curricular activities. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: A variable number of awards granted to students who have completed Nursing I and who, in the judgment of the School of Nursing, have demonstrated notable involvement in extracurricular activities. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to the part-time student who, in the judgment of a selection committee, demonstrates enthusiasm for life-long learning and/or had an influence on the lives of part-time students. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student enrolled in a program in the Department of English and Cultural Studies who, in the judgment of the selection committee, has made a notable contribution to campus and community life and demonstrates a lively interest in English studies. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student enrolled in the Faculty of Humanities who, in the judgment of a selection committee, has demonstrated one or more of the following: service to McMaster or the community-at-large; superior leadership or innovative skills; outstanding athletic or artistic participation. Preference will be given to a student enrolled in Art and Art History. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to students enrolled in the Nursing program who display superior leadership or innovative skills. Preference to be given to students who are working in under-resourced communities and who must travel long distances to participate in the program. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student enrolled in any program who demonstrates commendable service to the community-at-large. Preference to be given to a student enrolled in an Environmental Science Program. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to a student enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering who is involved in activities displaying superior leadership or innovative skills. Preference will be given to a student enrolled in Materials Engineering. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: To be awarded to students entering Level 3 or 4 of the Honours Art Program at McMaster who, in the judgment of the selection committee, have demonstrated outstanding achievement or promise in the area of printmaking, and who have contributed significantly to the School’s cultural presentations within the community. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Eligibility: A variable number of awards to be granted to students enrolled in a program in the Department of English and Cultural Studies who demonstrate a lively interest in English/Cultural Studies, involvement in extra-curricular activities and service to the University or community-at-large. 

Deadline: April 29, 2022 

Apply on AwardSpring

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I’m having problems with AwardSpring, who can help me?

Have technical questions about AwardSpring? Ask us here!

Not technical? Reach out to our Student Services Professionals.

Can I apply for the bursaries if I don’t receive OSAP?

The work program is for students who have financial need. In most cases, OSAP is used to demonstrate financial need.

You will be assessed a need score based on the information provided on their award spring application.

If you demonstrate need, you will be able to apply for needs-based aid in AwardSpring.

How do I combine multiple documents into one pdf to upload to AwardSpring?

How to Combine PDFs:

  1. Software that is capable of combining PDFs
  2. Scan all your documents together to create one pdf.
  3. Take screenshots, paste them into a Word document and save as a pdf.

Please do not password protect your pdf documents.

Why did my pending aid disappear from my account summary in Mosaic?

Once our office initiates the deposit of the award with  Accounts Receivable, the value of the award will disappear from Pending Aid. Over the course of a day or two, the pending aid is removed and the deposit is completed. Please allow sufficient time for the transaction to complete and the funds to display on the student account.

How can I stay up-to-date about aid & awards and my applications.

Be sure to check your dashboard and ‘@mcmaster.ca’ email regularly for aid & awards information/updates, including those sent directly from AwardSpring. You are also able to forward your ‘@mcmaster.ca’ emails to other email addresses used more frequently, such as your Medportal email (Medicine students).

What do the status fields on the Scholarships tab in AwardSpring mean?

No status –  The scholarship is not open yet.

Complete Follow-Up – There are additional requirements for you to complete. Navigate to your dashboard and click the button on the associated scholarship.

Not Qualified –  You do not meet all the criteria to apply.  Please review the opportunity qualifications under the “qualifications” tab and ensure you have completed your Award Spring application completely and accurately.
Closed – The application deadline has passed. If you’ve already applied, find your specific awards status in your dashboard.

When will I see the scholarship opportunities I am matched with?

You will be matched with the scholarships you are eligible for when applications open on Jan 1.

Until then, you can browse all of the scholarships McMaster has to offer on AwardSpring.

Why aren’t I matched with any need-based opportunities?

To be eligible for need-based aid such as bursaries and the work program, your  OSAP/government aid assessment must show an entitlement of at least $1. Once your application has an assessment, you’ll be able to review and apply for needs-based aid on AwardSpring within two business days.

Why does the application status  say “Closed” after I’ve submitted my application?

Once the application deadline date has passed, the status of an award will be listed as “Closed” as applications are no longer being accepted.

You can find all the applications you’ve submitted under “Applied Scholarships” on your Dashboard, listed with their specific applied, awarded, or denied status.

Monitor your dashboard regularly and be sure to add awardspring.ca to your ‘safe senders’ list to receive status updates via email.