6 Scholarships over $4,000 Young Womxn Should Explore
Updated January 2021
For most students, post-secondary school in Canada is going to cost a lot of money with textbooks, tuition, transportation, housing and food to cover. Regardless of where you are in your savings plan, your credit card is about to get a workout and extra funds would surely help with cash flow.
From $50 awards that help pay for a textbook to $1,000 and $1,500 awards at the community or school level, every little bit can add up and make life easier. An added boost could also come from larger scholarships like those in the list we’ve compiled below.
The CME’s Women in Manufacturing program has several initiatives to promote manufacturing with an end-goal of increasing the number of women in manufacturing by 100,000 in 5 years (to reach $525,000 by 2023). One of those initiatives is offering a financial boost to select students.
- Amount: 4 prizes of $4,000 each
- Available to: Women currently pursuing an education or apprenticeship that will lead to a career in manufacturing
- Deadline to Apply: Deadline TBD – Estimated Announcement Spring 2021
- Requirements: 1,000-word essay of why you are choosing a career in manufacturing
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Not only is Hydro One handing out $50,000 this year, recipients of the scholarship will also be offered a paid development work term with the company. HINT: Volunteering with Build a Dream is a great way to meet one of the criteria for applying for this award!
- Amount: 10 prizes of $5,000
- Available to: Preference given to electrical engineering students, Ontario university, strong GPA, engaged in outreach, volunteer or educational activities with younger girls
- Deadline to Apply: October 1, 2020
- Requirements: School transcripts, resume
Hydro One also has two other scholarships available that are not gender-specific: The William Peyton Hubbard Award for black students (deadline October 1, 2020), and the Leonard S. (Tony) Mandamin Awards for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students (deadlines of February 1, August 1, November 1).
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MPower is a social enterprise that already offers loans that increase access to higher education for female students. If you are an international student who plans to use a STEM degree to change your community (or the world!), this is for you.
- Amount: One $5,000 scholarship, one $3,000 scholarship, and one $2,000 scholarship (USD)
- Available to: Female international/DACA students in STEM degree program in the United States or Canada
- Deadline to Apply: December 31, 2020
- Requirements: Resume, school transcripts (or admission letter)
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Being selected for this significant award also includes an all-expenses-paid trip to Palo Alto, California, to experience a skill-building workshop with the other recipients.
- Amount: 10 prizes of $7,000 (USD)
- Available to: Women pursuing computer science, engineering, and technical studies in Canada or the United States
- Deadline to Apply: Opens December 2020
- Requirements: TBD
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Students who are already active in sharing or growing their passion for engineering can apply for this scholarship. While it has an extensive list of requirements, the niche of this award means that statistically you will have a greater chance at the $5,000 boost.
- Amount: 5 prizes of $5,000
- Available to: Women in engineering at undergraduate level
- Deadline to Apply: Opens January 2021
- Requirements: Information letter, summary of related activities, recording of you speaking to your passion for engineering, 2 reference letters, 1 letter of support
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If the passing of a parent of guardian left your family with little (or no) insurance and you can demonstrate how it has affected your life and your school plans, Manulife invites you to apply for this program to help offset the costs of post-secondary education.
- Amount: 2 prizes of $10,000
- Available to: students 17-24 accepted to any college, university, or trades school
- Deadline to apply: Opens February 1, 2021
- Requirements: Application, 500-word essay OR 3-minute video,
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Additional industry-specific scholarships
Automotive Aftermarkets Scholarships Central will award $550,000 in 2019. While many of the scholarships listed are U.S.-based, there is one specifically for Canadian students. If you will be studying at an American university, take time to peruse the entire list of funds available to see if you can apply for more assistance.
- Amount: $1,000 (+ more for U.S. schooling)
- Available to: students in full-time college or university programs or in post-secondary full time automotive vocational programs in Canada.
- Deadline to Apply: September 15 of each year
- Requirements: School transcripts, 1-page essay, letter of recommendation, child of full-time employee with a AIA Canada member
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Build a Dream and FIRST Robotics Canada have joined together to create the 2021 Skilled Trade Scholarship. The ideal candidate will be a woman who has demonstrated strong leadership, is fanatical about science and technology and wants to motivate positive change in the community.
- Amount: $3,000
- Available to: Female student currently enrolled, or have been enrolled, in a Canadian high school and participating in FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) or FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team in Canada; pursuing skilled trades path
- Deadline to Apply: February 15, 2021
- Requirements: School transcripts, 500-word page essay, letter of recommendation, application form
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This is a unique scholarship that combines funding with the opportunity for a work placement at Linamar as you work on your degree. Linamar’s CEO, Linda Hasenfratz joined us in an interview to talk about how the company and her family donated $5 million to create the scholarship to encourage women to take the 5-year, dual-degree program of Engineering and Business.
- Amount: 10 scholarships to pay 1/2 of your tuition
- Available to: Young women in Western’s undergraduate program, specifically the 5-year, dual-degree program of Engineering and Business
- Deadline to Apply: February 17, 2021
- Requirements: Resume, 500-word essay outlining extracurricular activities and/or work experience that demonstrates leadership
Young women who are dedicated to their community and their studies – and who demonstrate an interest and career path specifically related to the nuclear industry – can apply for this annual scholarship. As an added bonus, recipients of these funds can also attend the annual WiN conference with accomodations and travel expenses
covered up to $1,500.
- Amount: 3 prizes of $3,000
- Available to: Young women in undergraduate university program, graduate program, or technical college/trade school.
- Deadline to Apply: August of each year
- Requirements: School transcripts, 1-page resume with highlighted experience or volunteer work related to the nuclear industry, 2 reference letters
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In addition to the lists above, don’t forget to look for scholarships and bursaries that might be close-to-home:
- Ask your high school for any leads
- Check with community groups that often have awards in place (Royal Canadian Legion, Rotary Club, etc.)
- Search by the school(s) you plan to attend as many awards are specific to region and/or program
- Check with industry-specific associations like the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE) to see if they have compiled a relevant list
- Talk with a recruiting officer at the Canadian Armed Forces
Grab your highlighter and mark a calendar with your plan for what funds to target and when. Good luck!
