Awards Program Details

Saint Mary's University offers a number of prestigious Admissions Awards. These awards are open to potential high school graduates. The application deadline for Admissions Award is March 1 annually. Registration Criteria & Disbursement Information on all awards can be found below.

Renewal Requirements for current students:

• Returning and transfer students admitted September 2023 or January 2024 must achieve a 3.70 GPA or above in a minimum of 30 credit hours between May 1 and April 30. All courses taken within this time frame are used for GPA calculations.
• Returning and transfer students who were admitted prior to September 2023 must achieve a 3.67 GPA or above in a minimum of 30 credit hours between May 1 and April 30. All courses taken within this time frame are used for GPA calculations.
• Transfer credits from previous institutions are not counted towards scholarship credit requirements. However, courses taken on an approved Letter of Permission during your studies at Saint Mary’s do count.
• Co-Operative (Co-Op) Education Students: For the purposes of scholarship renewal, a four-month co-op term is counted as 15 credit hours (5 courses).
• Students must be registered as full-time (9 credit hours per semester) at Saint Mary's University in the following fall and winter terms to receive the entire award on their student account. Awards are disbursed in two equal disbursements at the beginning of the fall and winter terms.
• These awards are renewable up to a maximum of 3 times.
• Notify Financial Aid & Awards of late course completions, grade changes and courses completed on Letter of Permission by June 1.
• If not renewed, due to not meeting the outlined eligibility criteria, the award cannot be reinstated at a future date.
• All renewal decisions will be emailed to the student's SMU email address.

A growing number of University administered scholarships, awards and bursaries are available to qualifying students at Saint Mary’s University. Many of these awards have been established by generous alumni, parents of alumni, corporations and friends of the University.

To be eligible, students must:

• Be registered in an undergraduate degree program at Saint Mary's University.

• Apply online between mid-February and the deadline of May 1.

• Apply separately for Alumni Leadership Awards, Alumni Golf Tournament Bursary, Halifax Longshoremen’s Association local 269 I.L.A. and the Faculty Union Scholarships.

• Notify Financial Aid & Awards of late course completions, grade changes and courses completed on Letter of Permission by June 1.

If you are successful, students should understand:

• Each award is granted for one academic year only.

• The scholarship or bursary amount is split between fall and winter term (50% each) and is described below in more detail. 

• If the award exceeds the total semester’s charges, refunds will be given by the Service Centre, Enrolment Services, after mid-October for the fall term and after mid-February for the winter term.

Registration Status and Award Disbursement

• Students must be registered full-time in the fall and winter terms in accordance with the criteria of the award (minimum of 9.00 credit hours per term).
  
  
• Award funding will be credited to the student’s account at the University in two equal installments. The first installment will be credited in the fall term and the second installment in the winter term.
  
  
• Students who are full-time in one term, but are part-time, withdraw or complete their studies after one term will only receive one-half of their scholarship.

University Scholarships Criteria

• Students receiving a university-funded award, such as a Renewable Entrance Scholarship, may receive up to $12,000 per year in funding.
  
  
• Students receiving funding through the annual Undergraduate Awards Program may receive upwards of $12,000 per year, except when combining an Undergraduate Award with a university-funded award, such as a Renewable Entrance Scholarship. The total of the university-funded award will be adjusted if the total combined with other scholarships and awards exceeds $12,000. Exceptions will apply for Undergraduate Awards with criteria of financial need.
  
  
  • Example: if a student receives $9,000 in funding through the Undergraduate Awards Program, and is eligible for a Renewable Entrance Scholarship of $3,500, their Renewable Entrance Scholarship will be adjusted to $3,000 to meet the maximum funding amount.

The Undergraduate Awards Program is subject to review on an annual basis.

A student who has had their entire term balance paid by scholarship or bursary and has a credit on their account, can request a refund after the last day to withdraw from courses with a tuition refund. Please visit Course Withdrawal Schedules. Questions about refund eligibility can be directed to the Service Centre.

• After the conclusion of the winter term, the Financial Aid & Awards Office will automatically begin reviewing the academic records of all Saint Mary's University Renewable Entrance Scholarship recipients to see if they have met the criteria to renew their award. Students will receive an email by no later than June 30th to notify them whether or not they have successfully renewed their scholarship.

• If serious, extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness, bereavement) impacted a student's ability to meet the renewal criteria of their scholarship, they may submit a one-time, formal appeal to have their scholarship reinstated.

• To appeal the loss of a scholarship, the student must complete the Scholarship Appeal Form . In addition to the form, the student is required to submit a personal letter of explanation/rationale, outlining the extenuating circumstances they experienced, as well as any relevant supporting documentation (e.g., doctor's note, letter of support from another medical professional, etc.). The completed form and supporting materials should be submitted by e-mail to financial.aid@smu.ca by no later than July 3, 2024. Students will be notified of the outcome of their appeal in August.

• If you wish to discuss your situation to see if you have grounds to appeal, please contact Financial Aid & Awards.