Are you entering your first year at Nipissing? Curious about the types of financial support available for students? It can be tough as a new student to manage your finances and pay for tuition. Especially if you are living on your own for the first time. It’s a lot of responsibility but thankfully universities offer lots of resources, you just need to know where to look! This article will walk you through some entrance scholarships and bursaries as well as what makes a successful candidate. We’ll also, briefly, look at financial aid resources for incoming students. 

Here are some entrance scholarships  to look out for: 

• President’s Scholar – awarded to full-time students entering any first year degree program with an average of 90% on their best six 4U/4M final grades. This scholarship covers first year’s tuition and is renewable for four years at $3000 provided the student maintains an average of 85%. 
• Carl Sander’s Entrance Scholarship – Students who have an average of 80% on their best six 4U/4M grades will receive a $1500 scholarship. Students with an average of 85% will get $2500. 

Students are guaranteed an entrance scholarship if they meet the 80% minimum average on their best six 4U/4M final marks. 

Now let’s look at some entrance awards : 

• Chancellor’s Award – valued at $10,000 in the first year and renewable at $3000 per year for three more years. Eligible students will be entering university full-time directly from highschool with an average of 85%. Successful candidates will demonstrate leadership skills and financial need. 
• Schulich Scholarship – valued at $7000. Eligible students will be entering their first year in a program focused on education (concurrent BEd or Bachelor of physical health and education). Successful candidates will have an average of 80% and one of the following: extensive volunteer contributions to their community or financial need. 
• Donor-established awards – ranges from $500 to $2500 and based on highschool grades and extracurriculars as well as if students demonstrate financial need.
• Muskoka Award- valued at $1450 and awarded to students who attended a muskoka region high school. Successful candidates will have strong leadership skills and demonstrate financial need. 
• NU Alumni Entrance Award – valued at $500 for any student that is a child or grandchild of a nipissing graduate. Students will be entering the faculty of arts and science or the faculty of applied and professional studies with a minimum average of 70%. Students must also demonstrate financial need, a commitment to extracurriculars, volunteer service and/or athletics. 
• Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology and Technology or Biology Talon Tuition Award – valued at $2500 and awarded to two full time students in these programs. Students must have a strong academic record and demonstrate financial need.

Only one application needs to be completed in order to be considered for all awards. The form can be found here: 

And some entrance bursaries: 

• Entrance Bursary – valued at $1000 and awarded to a student entering a full time first year program who is also in need of financial aid. 
• First Generation Bursary – Get up to $3800 if neither of your parents attended college or university. Proof is required and financial need must be demonstrated. 
• Campus Tour Bursary – This was an in-person initiative in 2019-2020 so It’s unclear whether it will be continuing due to covid-19. This bursary enabled students to be reimbursed for travelling to campus for a tour. Students travelling a minimum of 150km from home received $50 and those traveling 350km received $100. The money reimbursed had no cash value but was deducted from tuition fees. A form need to be submitted. 

Last, we’ll look at some financial aid resources offered by this school: 

• NU Work – this is nipissing’s work study program that allows students to get part-time paid work on campus. Click here for more information and job postings. 
• The Disability Awards Portal – this is for students with disabilities from all canadian universities and colleges! Both scholarships and bursaries are available, click here for more information. 
• The Strides App – use this app to track your goals and achieve attainable habits. The app is customizable, so you can track everything from finances to the amount of water you drink in a day! It works on both mobile and computers. Click here for more information.   
• The Student Emergency Fund – this fund provides urgent assistance to students facing financial hardships. It was originally developed in response to the pandemic but is now a permanent resource for students. It covers: essential clothing, textbooks, transportation, medical expenses, housing, food and utilities. 

See something helpful? Bookmark this article so you can access it easily!