Paying for school can be tough. If you don’t have a couple thousand dollars just laying around, you may be interested in receiving scholarships or getting financial aid. In this case, you’re in luck! Humber College has a really comprehensive and expansive scholarship, bursary, and award offerings. Here we’ll go over all that they offer so that you can get a better idea of what your options are.
1. Student Scholarships
The first category of scholarships at Humber is pretty general. They all differ depending on which criteria they focus on, which can include any combination of academic achievement, community involvement, leadership initiatives, extracurricular activities, and financial need. Some of them are open to all students, while others are organized by faculty. This means the faculty actually selects who to give the scholarship to, as long as the selected student studies within that faculty. There are also some scholarships which are offered to students involved in athletics, and some are application based, which means, in order to apply for them, you would have to use Humber’s online scholarship platform.
Some of these scholarships are quite vague in nature and requirements. One such scholarship is the Humber Alumni Scholarship, which is presented to a student in any program who has exhibited high academic achievement and a commitment to student leadership. This can translate to having good grades and being involved in some clubs. Other scholarships are more demanding in their eligibility requirements. One example is the Raymond Keating Memorial Scholarship. In order to receive this award, you must be a student who is or was a ward of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. Additionally, you must have had at least a 75% average in high school and you must also demonstrate significant academic progress over the most recent academic year.
2. Entrance Scholarships
The best thing about entrance scholarships is that you don’t even need to apply for them! They are automatically awarded to you based on academic average or credential completion. There are two types of entrance scholarships. The first are Degree Entrance scholarships. These are automatically awarded to graduating high school students based on their academic achievement. Most of these scholarships are also renewable each year if you maintain a GPA of at least 80%. And if you maintain a minimum GPA of 95%, you would receive $4,000 each year!
The second type of entrance scholarship is the Degree Transfer one. In this case, you would automatically receive this award if you are entering any Humber degree program after completing a one-year Ontario College Certificate OR a two- or three-year diploma with a GPA of 80% or higher. Either of these would have to have been completed at a publicly funded college for you to be eligible. Additionally, your completed certificate or diploma does not have to be related to your degree program of choice at Humber! For a certificate you would receive $1,500 and for a Diploma, $2,500. Both of these awards are one-time payments.
3. Bursaries
There are a series of different types of bursaries offered at Humber. They are available for Certificate, Diploma, and Degree programs. Additionally, bursaries are awarded primarily based on financial need. However, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and community involvement may still be considered.
The first of these bursaries are Tuition bursaries. These are non-repayable grants and they operate as Humber’s Student Aid. You would receive an amount of $500, $750, or $1,000 depending on the program you’re studying. To be eligible, you only need to be a Canadian resident and a full-time student. To apply for this grant, you must complete the Interactive Budget Calculator online in your Humber student portal.
There are also Financial Need bursaries, which are available to you if you can demonstrate an unmet need. These bursaries are awarded on a case-by-case, individual basis. As such, you have to meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to determine your eligibility for this bursary.
Ontario First Generation bursaries exist to support students who are the first in their families to attend post-secondary education. You must also be able to prove financial need. There is no website you need to be aware of. Applications for this bursary are by invitation only, meaning Humber will contact you if you are eligible.
Lastly, there are Student Access bursaries. These awards are available to OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) students whose tuition exceeds $4,500 and who have an “unmet need” as determined by OSAP. This bursary does not have an application process, either. It is an automatic payment. You will be issued a cheque after being notified of your eligibility by the Financial Aid Office.
4. Indigenous Student Awards, Bursaries, and Scholarships
These awards are reserved for Indigenous students to support them through their post-secondary education. There are three entrance and in-course scholarships available to students ranging from $2,000 to $4,000. Additionally, you have access to the Indigenous Student Bursary, the Metis Nation of Ontario, the Wigwamen Scholarship, and Indspire, which is an Indigenous scholarship portal. Be sure to check all of these organizations separately because they all require separate applications.
5. External Awards, Bursaries, and Scholarships
There also exist hundreds of awards which are offered by third party sponsors, including government, corporate, or community organizations. You will usually have to apply directly through the offering organization’s website. Additionally, each sponsor will have their own application process and eligibility requirements, so make sure you’re aware of them.
You have a lot of options to figure out how you will pay for school. There really is an award or scholarship for everyone. Whether it’s financial need, good grades, or community involvement, you are able to get rewarded for what you’re already doing. Make sure you do your research and get more info on the scholarships you’re eligible for right now. Also, check back periodically; chances are, by the time you do, you will find yourself eligible for another one!
