There are a number of Canadian scholarships for African students if you know where to look.
Known as the Land of Lakes and composed of 10 provinces, Canada is home to beautiful landscapes such as Niagara Falls and historical gems like Old Quebec, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s why Canada is a popular higher education destination for international students. They love the country for how welcoming it is and its list of inviting post-graduate work opportunities.
After all, Canada issued 638,280 study permits for international students in 2019, according to Erudera.
What’s more, it is also a cheaper alternative than studying in the US.
On average, the annual tuition fees for the 2019-20 academic term showed that fees at Canadian unis cost were cheaper than US unis. The difference in prices amounted to US$4,000.
Financial aid is also generous — some Canadian universities offer application fee waivers for international students.
If you are an African student considering studying in Canada, here are five scholarships you should know about:
Some Canadian universities are offering scholarships for African students. Source: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP
Five universities offering Canadian scholarships for African students
1. TMU Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars
The Toronto Metropolitan University offers the TMU Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars.
This uni acknowledges the underrepresentation of Black scholars and the barriers to equal opportunities for education and employment.
Hence, this programme was designed to help build a more diverse and inclusive academic faculty.
Only four Black scholars will be chosen for the programme. Funding of 70,000 Canadian dollars annually will support up to two years of postdoctoral salary.
Students must fulfil several requirements to be eligible for the programme. Read here to know all about it.
If you are interested, apply online before April 1. 2023.
2. Richard Van Loon Scholarship
Another Canadian scholarship you should consider if you are an African student is the Richard J. Van Loon Scholarship.
The award was endowed in 2005 by friends, family and colleagues in honour of Richard J. Van Loon, Carleton’s 10th President.
The scholarship is valued at CA$5,000 and is only awarded annually to one outstanding international student from an African country.
To be eligible, you must be a citizen of an African country and an international student who is required to have a valid Study Permit for Canada.
You must also be registered as a full-time student at Carleton University and successfully proceed from one year to another in any program of study.
While they are no longer accepting applications for this academic year, do keep a look out for their next opening.
3. International English Scholarship
Another generous Canadian scholarship for African students is the International English Scholarship.
Offered by the University of Ottawa, there are two types of scholarship awards – the Entrance and Excellence scholarships. Both are average-based, renewable scholarships for students from Africa studying English.
Note that only selected programmes offer this scholarship and the amount given is based on the faculty your programme falls under.
The Entrance Scholarship offers scholarship holders up to CA$80,000 over four years, averaging CA20,000 a year. The Excellence Award offers CA$100,000 over four years, averaging CA$25,000 a year.
Remember you must fulfil specific requirements for you to be eligible for the scholarship.
University of Ottawa offers The International English Scholarship to African students. Source: Jeremy Chan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP
4. Africa Continent Scholarship
Niagara College offers the Africa Continent Scholarship. It is ideal for students applying for their first term at Niagara College (NC).
Students may receive only one scholarship or award per term.
International students that are a citizen of any nation in the African continent and have been admitted to an NC academic programme for the upcoming school year are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
Interested in applying? Click here to download the form.
5. UdeM Exemption Scholarship for International Students
The UdeM Exemption Scholarship for International Students is a purely credit-based scholarship offered to international students by the Canadian public university, the University of Montreal.
Attracting over CA$600 million in research funding annually, it is one of Canada’s top university research hubs.
The UdeM exemption scholarship programme is designed to support international candidates in their university studies. Awardees will be exempted from the tuition fees usually charged to international students.
The granting of scholarships will continue for the winter 2023, summer 2023, fall 2023 and winter 2024 term.
The scholarship amounts depends on your level your study.
Read the eligibility requirements here.
