Schulich Leader Scholarship

Written by Stephanie Pugh and Matthew Tran

The Schulich Leader Scholarships are the most prestigious undergraduate STEM scholarships in Canada. Entrepreneurial high school graduates who enrol in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math degree at one of 20 partner institutions across Canada can get up to one hundred dollars.

For engineering scholarships, half are valued at $100,000, while for science and math scholarships, half are valued at $80,000. Every high school in Canada has the opportunity to recommend one graduating student for the prize each year.

Want to know what it takes to win big on this scholarship? Here’s keep on reading to hear our advice!

Scholarship Eligibility

First off, you will need to confirm your eligibility to see if you are accepted to apply for the scholarship!

Basic Criteria:

  • You must be a graduating high school or Cégep student in Canada for the current academic year
  • You must be a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident
  • You must plan to enroll in a STEM program at one of these partner universities below:

Winner Criteria:

Here are the four main criteria that the judges are looking for in winning applicants:

  • Academic excellence (we suggest you aim to have a GPA around 80-90%+)
  • Leadership, charisma, & creativity
  • Entrepreneurial-minded
  • Pursuing a career in tech, engineering, entrepreneurship & business enterprise, or applied scientific research

Also, take note that this scholarship will prioritize candidates who have financial needs, although this is not a requirement to apply!

Ineligible Criteria:

Before you move on, make sure you do not align with these criteria, or else you will not be able to apply for this scholarship.

You are ineligible if you want to:

  • Become a professor or theoretical researcher
  • Become a practicing physician or medical researcher (i.e. no future nurses, doctors, dentists, psychologists, etc.)
  • Solely focus on activism in your future career (i.e. no environmental, political, social activism)

The Schulich Leader Scholarship Application Process

The real process of how to succeed with the Schulich scholarship begins once you’ve validated your eligibility!

The online application includes:

  • The universities you wish to attend
    • Your top three achievements (academic or other)
      • 50 words maximum per achievement
  • Essay demonstrating why you should win
    • 600 words maximum
  • Optional essay to outline extenuating circumstances
    • 250 words maximum
  • Short answer to identify where you see yourself in 10 years
    • 50 words maximum
  • Two single-page letters of reference that include email and telephone contact information for verification
  • Copy of up-to-date transcript, credit counsel summary or detailed academic report
  • Headshot profile image for publicity

There are several phases to the application procedure. We’ll go through each one in detail below!

Schulich Leader Scholarship Nomination

Nomination is the first step in winning the Schulich Scholarship! You must get a nomination from your school in order to apply for the award. One student from each high school can be nominated, and Cégeps can nominate four students. Every school has its own procedure for nominating candidates; inquire with your guidance counsellor or administrator about yours!

  • Nominations are due by January 26th, 2022 this year

Only around 1500 kids out of over 300,000 high school students in Canada are nominated. So, if you make it this far in the application process, you’ve already accomplished a great deal!

Don’t worry if you’re in Grades 9, 10, or 11, and you’re not sure if you satisfy the conditions for nomination. By Grade 12, GrantMe can help you obtain the skills and experiences you need to be a great scholarship contender. Check out our free scholarship eligibility quiz today!

Activity Report

The next step in receiving the Schulich scholarship is to submit an activity report! A 50-word overview of your top three accomplishments is required. This overview should be related to your academics or leadership

Because you only have a limited amount of space to mention your hobbies, make sure you articulate yourself well! In your list, try to include a mix of initiator, leadership, and member roles.

  • Initiator roles are voluntary positions that require you to establish a new group or project as the main initiator— this means you made up the project yourself!
  • Next, leadership roles, such as a sports captain or camp counsellor, are usually a step down from initiator roles; you may not have initiated the endeavour, but you were a leader during it.
  • Finally, member roles are voluntary activities in which you participated as part of a group; like a DECA team, school club, or a fundraising committee.

Short-Answer Question

You will also need to answer a short-answer question during your application!

Below are some examples, provided by the Schulich Leaders, with answers to the application question: “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

Essay

The next step in how to win the Schulich scholarship is a 600-word essay demonstrating why should win. If you want to know some tips on how you can write an effective essay for your scholarship essay, read this article for a step-by-step guide!

Also, to access in-depth coaching and guidance on your writing, check out the GrantMe platform! Our trained essay editors know exactly what the selection committees look for and can help you draft a winning essay.

Schulich Leaders | Schulich Leader Scholarships

Extenuating Circumstances

After your essay, you may also include a 250-word essay describing any unfortunate incidents you encountered. This is a fantastic spot to discuss any financial difficulty you may be facing, in addition to personal or academic obstacles.

Consider your financial condition during the previous four years when defining your financial requirement. What is your family’s source of income? What is the purpose of it? Describe any difficulties or obstacles you or your family have encountered. Consider what you might not have been able to achieve because of financial hardship. What has been holding you back?

Here are some aspects you might want to include if they apply to your situation:

  • Are living in a rental home
  • Are subsidizing your education costs through employment
  • Have more than one sibling that needs their education paid for
  • Have limited financial support from parents
  • Are pursuing a degree longer than a bachelor’s
  • Are only supported by one family income or a singe parent
  • Live in a low-income family
  • Live with a family that supports any medical expenses (for you or family members)

GrantMe can assist you in finding more financing alternatives in addition to the Schulich scholarship. We provide individualised scholarship matching and coaching to assist you in obtaining financing and high-paying jobs. Start with our free scholarship assessment quiz!

References

Last in the application process is providing two letters of reference. These recommendations should come from somebody who is acquainted with your work, such as a teacher, coach, or volunteer supervisor.

We made a guide on the 3 Steps To Get A Winning Scholarship Reference LetterCheck it out on our blog here!

With this final step, your application for the Schulich scholarship is now complete! If you follow this advice, you’ll have a strong application.

Want Unlimited Support in Winning the Schulich Leader Scholarship?

GrantMe can help you stand out if you need even more support. To help you succeed, we provide targeted scholarship matches, essay editing, and coaching from previous scholarship recipients. Complete our short scholarship eligibility quiz to learn more about how GrantMe can help you achieve your post-secondary goals!

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