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| Scholarships &
Financial Aid in Canada |
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Limited
financial assistance is available for international students
coming from abroad. However, some schools may offer scholarships
(based on academic merit) specifically for foreign students.
It is best to ask the student advisor at your school to see
what is available. However, keep in mind that many people
apply for these awards, and scholarships do not cover the
entire cost of study.
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| Types of Scholarships |
The Commonwealth
Scholarship and Fellowship Plan |
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
enables Commonwealth students of high intellectual
promise to pursue studies in Commonwealth countries.
Awards comprise of travel, a living allowance, and
all compulsory tuition fees.
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Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute |
Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute offers a number of
fellowships at various levels from graduate to post-doctorate
and from research and training fellowships to lectureships.
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Ontario
Graduate Scholarship Program |
Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program scholarships
are available to graduate students in a wide variety
of disciplines. Students must have been accepted to
a Ontario university, and obtained a valid student
authorization. Social Science and Humanities Research
Council is Canada's funding agency for university
based research and graduate training in social sciences
and humanities which embrace a wide range of disciplines
and fields of knowledge.
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NSERC |
National Science and Engineering Research Council
is a national instrument for making strategic investments
in Canada's capability in science and technology.
NSERC supports both basic university research through
research grants and project research via partnerships
of universities and industry.
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National
Research Council Of Canada |
National Research Council of Canada Research Associate
ships are offered to masters degree holders in engineering,
and Ph.D. holders in natural science or engineering
disciplines.
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Quebec
Provincial Government Scholarships |
Quebec Provincial Government Scholarships are available
to those studying in Quebec .Teaching/ Research Assistantships
are assessed in the general application .Financial
assistance is frequently available to students studying
at the masters level and above, the amount of funding
is likely to increase with the level of study. Full
funding, tuition and expenses, is more common at higher
levels of studies, however, each application is assessed
individually on the basis of merit.
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Top |
| University Funding |
Graduate Courses |
Students at the graduate level may qualify for teaching
and research assistantships based on their academic
abilities. Applications for this type of assistance
are made through the university's financial aid office.
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Types
of Assistance
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Merit based assistance is awarded in many forms,
from tuition waivers, various types of assistantships,
to fellowships. The most common are listed here :
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Tuition Waiver : This means
that the student does not have to pay the tuition
fees at the university. However, general fees
(for the use of university facilities like the
library, computers, and sports and health services)
usually have to be borne by the student. A tuition
waiver is frequently awarded in conjunction
with a scholarship or teaching/research assistantship.
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Scholarship / Fellowship :
This is usually an outright grant based on the
student’s academic ability and performance.
Hence, Only a truly outstanding student may
be considered for this type of award, before
enrolling at the university. A full scholarship
would pay for a student’s entire living
expenses at that university, whereas a partial
scholarship would require additional funds from
the student.
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Assistantship : Most students
who receive assistance do so in the form of
an assistantship, i.e. is usually a cash stipend,
sufficient for their living expenses, and/or
tuition waiver, in return for which they have
to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week which
normally consists of teaching and research activities.
These are usually for graduate courses. Teaching
assistantships are more likely to be in universities,
which have large undergraduate classes whereas
research assistantships tend to be more common
in those fields and universities in which considerable
research is going on. Information brochures
of most universities give this information.
Often, teaching and research abilities must
be proved before assistantship is granted. Hence,
many universities grant this only after the
first semester. You may also be required to
take TSE (Test of Spoken English) to qualify
for a teaching assistantship.
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Students will have a greater chance of getting financial
aid if they :
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Show evidence of a high level of academic
achievement
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Achieve high Standardized Examination scores
(GRE, GMAT, TOEFL etc.)
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Demonstrate financial need but have private
funding to cover some of the cost. Financial
need is not crucial for some awards.
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Enroll in a field or have teaching experience
in a subject offered at the undergraduate
level (to increase opportunities for a teaching
assistantship)
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Specialize in a field or have a research
interest which parallels that of the department
and faculty or private funding source (which
increases opportunities for research assistantships
and grants)
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Have outstanding letter of recommendation
and an impressive statement of purpose.
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Send a sample of professional writing, published
or otherwise.
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THE
IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING IN FINANCIAL AID
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Many graduate departments at universities offer teaching
assistantships or research assistantships to their
graduate students (students pursuing a master's or
doctoral degree particularly in engineering). Assistantships
usually involve a tuition award and some sort of salary
in return for teaching or research duties. Every school
has a limited number of openings for assistantships
based on the amount of funding allocated. As a result,
such scholarships are merit-based, meaning they are
competitive, based on your academic performance to
date.
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Individual departments at the university generally
control funds. It always helps to write directly to
the department to inquire about available funding.
Students who are research oriented or have published
papers in a particular field should contact professors
interested in that field. By contacting professors
in advance and building a relationship, you can greatly
enhance your chance of getting aid.
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Unfortunately, there are many deserving students
who do not get aid along with the admission. If you
are one of them and plan on joining anyway, we strongly
recommend you arrive a few days prior to the registration
time. This will give you an opportunity to personally
talk with the professors and sell your skills. Professors
usually have funding available for various projects
and you may be able to find something that matches
your skill set. We also strongly recommend that you
don’t restrict yourself to your particular department.
There are several opportunities in other departments
particularly for students with strong computer skills.
You have to be aggressive and persistent in your approach.
Although there is no guarantee that you will get financial
aid, it is well worth the try. Always remember, if
you don’t ask, you don’t get.
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