Guaranteed Entrance Scholarships

You will automatically be considered for a Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship when you apply for admission. These scholarships recognize your academic achievements and are awarded based on your admission average.

Your best average Scholarship value
95%+ $3,000
93% to 94.9% $2,000
90% to 92.9% $1,000
85% to 89.9% $500

You will be considered automatically for a Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship if you are:

  • a current high school (secondary) student who plans to come to USask after you graduate,
  • a student who has already graduated from high school (secondary) but has little or no previous post-secondary education (less than 18 transferable credit units), or
  • beginning your degree program in a direct-entry college (Agriculture and Bioresources, Arts and Science, Engineering, Education, Edwards School of Business, or Kinesiology).

Guaranteed Entrance Scholarships are awarded based on your admission average.

If you apply for admission during your Grade 12 year, your average will be calculated twice – once at the time of admission and again after graduation, once we receive your final, official transcript. Your scholarship amount will be based on your highest average.

If you have already graduated from high school, only your final Grade 12 average will be used.

If you qualify for a Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship based on your admission average, we will let you know in your admission letter.

If you apply for admission during your Grade 12 year and your average is higher after graduation than it was when you were offered admission, you could be eligible for a higher scholarship amount. If this is the case, we will let you know by email.

Your Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship will be applied directly to your USask student account for payment of tuition and fees by mid-September, provided you:

  • enrol in a minimum of 18 credit units in the Fall and Winter Terms (September to April) in the year the award is to be taken up*, and
  • arrange for your final, official high school transcript to be sent directly to USask.

*If you do not meet the credit requirement in your first year, you may still receive your award the following year, provided you enrol in 18 credit units or more during the Fall and Winter Terms (September-April) and have been continuously registered in USask classes. In this case, you must notify Student Finance and Awards when the 18 credit unit requirement will be met to request payment of the scholarship.

You can receive payment of one Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship and one Best and Brightest Scholarship, Competitive Entrance Award or Excellence Award from USask.

You can also receive additional awards administered at the college/department level or from external sources; these will not affect your USask entrance awards.

Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarships

Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarships are USask’s highest valued, renewable entrance scholarships and are awarded based on academics, leadership and contributions to school and community life.

Five of these awards, known as the Circle of Honour Awards, are designated for Indigenous students.

To be considered:

  • Complete your application for admission by Dec 1 and
  • fill out and submit the online application for Best and Brightest Scholarships by December 15 in PAWS

Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarships include:

To apply:

By December 1, submit the online application for admission, including the application fee. Ensure your transcript and other admission documents have been submitted to the Admissions Office by December 15*.

Students enrolled in a Saskatchewan high school must request their transcript directly from the Ministry of Education.

*The document deadline has been extended from the previously published deadline of December 1.

Your new log-in ID and a temporary password for the PAWS web portal will be emailed to you within 2-3 business days.

Log in to PAWS and open the Scholarships and Bursaries channel to access the Best and Brightest Scholarships application.

In the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS, select the green Apply button.

Once you have started an application, select View or modify my award applications, rather than Apply for awards.

Choose the Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarships application form from the Entering Students drop-down menu.

The Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarships application form includes short- and long-answer questions for the awards you wish to be considered for. Give yourself lots of time to complete these, and consider writing and saving them outside of the application to prevent your answers from being lost accidentally.

When ready, ensure you submit your application; applications that you have started, but not submitted, are not eligible for consideration. 

Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarship or Circle of Honour award offers are sent by email starting in January through to late February. Only applicants selected to receive an award will receive a notification.

If you receive an award offer, you will have two weeks to accept it through the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS. To accept an award offer, select Accept, decline or view my awards, choose the Award Year and Award Period (e.g. fall and winter terms) and select the Accept button. 

At USask, students may receive one Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship and one Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarship, Competitive Entrance Award or Excellence Award. If you meet the eligibility requirements for more than one award, we will automatically offer you the one of the highest value.

Competitive Entrance Awards

Competitive Entrance Awards include numerous scholarships and bursaries that can be accessed by many students with diverse experiences.

You can be considered based on academic achievement, financial need and/or contributions to school and community life. Some awards recognize particular backgrounds, acknowledge contributions to certain clubs or reward achievement in music and athletics.

All entering students are encouraged to apply. To be considered:

  • Complete your application for admission by Feb 15 and
  • fill out and submit the online application for Competitive Entrance Awards by March 1 in PAWS

To apply:

By February 15, complete the online application for admission, pay the application fee and ensure your transcript and other admission documents have been submitted to the Admissions Office.

Your new log-in ID and a temporary password for the PAWS web portal will be emailed to you within 2-3 business days.

Log in to PAWS and open the Scholarships and Bursaries channel to access the Competitive Entrance Scholarships and Competitive Entrance Bursaries application forms.

Open the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS and select the green Apply button.

Once you have started an application, select View or modify my award applications, rather than Apply for awards.

Choose the application form you wish to fill out from the Entering Students drop-down menu:

  • Competitive Entrance Scholarships
    Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement and may consider school/community activities, leadership and/or other criteria.

  • Competitive Entrance Bursaries
    Bursaries are awarded based on financial need and may consider academic achievement, school/community activities, leadership or other criteria.

You are encouraged to fill out and submit both application forms if you wish to apply for both scholarships and bursaries.

When ready, ensure you submit your application(s); applications that you have started, but not submitted, are not eligible for consideration. 

The documents you need to submit for your Competitive Entrance Scholarships and/or Competitive Entrance Bursaries applications depend on the awards you selected. After you have submitted your application, select View my supporting documentation in the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS to view the supporting documents you are required to submit.

Common required supporting documents include:

1. List of activities

Your lists of community and school involvement, athletic ability and leadership activities should be:

  • Specific, with clear examples
  • Dated, with a time-frame listed for each activity
  • Unique, tailored to each award's specific selection criteria

2. Reference letters

A reference letter is a letter from someone you know, such as a teacher, employer, community leader or other person in your life who can endorse your personal qualities and accomplishments in support of your application(s) for scholarships and/or bursaries.

Tips for great reference letters:

  • Choose your references carefully. 
    Choose someone who can express themselves well in writing and who has known you long enough to describe your positive attributes in detail. Do not ask a family member to be a reference.

  • Inform your references.
    Provide your references with lots of information about you, as it relates to your awards application. With a résumé and awards listing in hand, your references’ letters will be stronger and more relevant. Let them know your deadline and provide them lots of time.

  • One size may not fit all.
    Asking your references to write letters specific to the awards you are applying for provides a much clearer argument for why you should be considered over someone who provides a more general reference letter.

  • Submit reference letters with other awards documents.
    There is no need to send them in separate envelopes; nor do they need to be signed and sealed or sent by the references themselves. Simply include them along with your other documents, however you choose to submit them.

  • Proofread your reference letters. 
    Some references write several reference letters for different students. Make sure the letters you include in your submission are describing you and not someone else by mistake.

  • Thank your references.
    Send a thank you note or drop in to say thank you – whatever you like! Expressing gratitude lets your references know you appreciate their effort.

3. Financial need calculator

In order to be considered for bursaries, you must complete the Financial Need Calculator section in PAWS as part of the application for Competitive Entrance Bursaries.

You will be asked for information relating to your income, assets and extraordinary expenses. If you are a dependent student, your parents' or guardians' income tax information from the most recent tax year must be included as part of the Financial Need Calculator.

Submission methods:

Create one supporting documents file with a table of contents and sections for each award.

Include a cover sheet with your full name, contact information (including email address) and NSID with a list of the awards you've applied for.

To ensure pages don't get lost or placed out of order, include your name and NSID on each page.

1. Email awards.documents@usask.ca

    • Ensure the email contains your full name and NSID. Including this information will allow us to match your documents to your application and is especially important if you are sending the email from your parents' account or an email address that does not match your records or include your name.

    • Do not send your documents via cloud drive services (e.g. Dropbox, SkyDrive). These will not be accepted.

    • Emailed documents should be included in the body of the email or attached as a document. Attachments should be sent in .pdf, .doc, or .txt formats.

2. Drop off at Student Central in the Administration Building

    • Office hours are Monday to Friday; 8:30am-4:30pm. Please note there is no after-hours drop-off location.

3. Mail to:

Student Finance and Awards
University of Saskatchewan
105 Administration Place
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2 Canada

Documents must be received by the deadline. Documents that arrive late will not be considered.

Competitive Entrance Award offers are sent by email starting April 1 and finishing by July 1. Only students eligible to receive an award will receive a notification.

If you receive an award offer, you will have two weeks to accept it through the Scholarships and Bursaries channel in PAWS. To accept an award offer, select Accept, decline or view my awards, choose the Award Year and Award Period (e.g. fall and winter terms) and select the Accept button.

At USask, students may receive one Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship and one Best and Brightest Entrance Scholarship, Competitive Entrance Award or Excellence Award. If you meet the eligibility requirements for more than one award, we will automatically offer you the one of the highest value.

International Baccalaureate (IB) awards

Students completing the IB Diploma Programme will be automatically be considered for these awards upon admission.

The deadline to apply for admission to be eligible for consideration is February 15.

  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Excellence Awards for international students
    Value: $20,000
    International students completing the IB Diploma Programme will be considered automatically upon admission.
  • IB Diploma Programme Excellence Awards for domestic students
    Value: $3,000
    Canadian citizens/permanent residents completing the IB Diploma Programme will be considered automatically upon admission.

International student awards

These awards are for international students and are based on academic achievement. 

The deadline to apply for admission to be eligible for consideration for the following awards is February 15:

  • University of Saskatchewan International Excellence Awards
    Value: $10,000
    International students will be considered automatically for these awards, which are based on academic achievement, upon admission.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) Excellence Awards
    Value: $20,000
    International students completing the IB Diploma Programme will be considered automatically upon admission.
  • Canadian Curriculum Schools Awards
    Value: $15,000
    For international students graduating from an international (non-domestic) Canadian curriculum school. Students who wish to be considered for this award must complete the Canadian Curriculum Schools Awards application in PAWS.
  • Council of International School Awards
    Value: $15,000
    For international students entering undergraduate degree programs at the University of Saskachewan who graduated from a CIS member school. Students who wish to be considered for this award must complete the Council of International School Awards application in PAWS.

If you wish to apply for the Canadian Curriculum Schools Awards, the Council of International School Awards, you must complete your application for admission by February 15 and fill out and submit the online application in PAWS by March 1.

NEW: Indigenous students from USA awards

Value: $10,000 CAD
Quantity: 2
Deadline to apply for admission and submit all supporting documentation: May 1

Indigenous students from the United States will be considered automatically for these awards, which are based on academic achievement, upon admission. In accordance with the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin Indigenous Truth policy, applicants who wish to be considered for these awards must verify their Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation. These awards will be preferentially distributed to entering students (with fewer than 18 transferable credit units of previous post-secondary study), though transfer students can be considered.

Transfer awards

Students transferring from another post-secondary institution who apply for admission to USask prior to May 1 will be automatically considered for transfer scholarships.

Students with an awards average in the following ranges will receive:

Your best average Scholarship value
85% or greater $2,000
80% to 84.9% $1,500
78% to 79.9% $1,000

There is also a $2,500 transfer scholarship offered to the student with the highest transfer scholarship average from select post-secondary institutions.

You may be eligible for a transfer scholarship if:

  • you are transferring to a direct-entry program at the USask, and
  • you have completed a minimum of 24 transferable credits (or equivalent) at an accredited post-secondary institution in the preceding academic year (September–April)

If you are an international transfer students meeting English proficiency requirements, you could also be eligible if you have attended full-time studies (defined as two terms per year) at the USask Language Centre immediately preceding transfer to the USask.

Students must also complete a minimum of 18 credit units during the academic year (September–April) in which the scholarship is received. If a student is dual registered, a minimum of 9 of the 18 required credit units must be USask courses.

Only those students with a 78% (B+) or above average will be eligible for transfer scholarships. Your average may be calculated based on either the first term or the entire year of the year immediately preceding transfer to the USask, depending on the time of application. For students eligible to receive block transfer via articulation agreements, the average used will be your total cumulative average.

Your Transfer Scholarship will be applied directly to your USask student account for payment of tuition and fees by mid-September, provided you enrol in a minimum of 18 credit units in the Fall and Winter Terms (September to April) in the year the award is to be taken up.

Off-campus awards

Students taking USask classes at one of our off-campus sites are eligible for awards through the University of Saskatchewan, and can also apply for academic awards provided by their local regional college. Many of Saskatchewan's regional colleges award over $50,000 annually to their students. 

Students registered in full-time study at the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus qualify for USask awards and scholarships.

More awards

You can be considered for a variety of other awards administered by colleges at USask, or by agencies, governments or other organizations outside the university. You are encouraged to look for awards from other sources; the following websites may help you find other opportunities to fund your post-secondary education.

While STM students are also eligible for USask awards, STM offers over $150,000 in scholarships and bursaries to self-declared STM students, which are administered separately by the college.

Loran Scholars Foundation logo
Loran Scholars Foundation

The Loran Scholars Foundation looks beyond grades to identify values-driven youth who demonstrate strength of character, a deep commitment to service, and exceptional leadership potential.

Offered in partnership with 25 Canadian universities, the Loran Award is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies. But it’s not just about financial support: It's about personal growth. Loran Scholars benefit from a four-year leadership-enrichment program, financial support for undergraduate studies in the form of a tuition waiver and living stipend, diverse opportunities for experiential learning, one-on-one mentorship from a business or community leader, scholar gatherings, and a long-term community of peers, alumni, and supporters from coast to coast to coast.

Financial support includes:

  • An annual living stipend of $12,000
  • A tuition waiver of up to $12,000 annually, tenable at one of our partner universities
  • Up to $14,000 for the summer experiential learning program

Applicants not selected for a Loran Award are still eligible for a one-time entrance award of $6,000 for Loran Finalists or $2,000 for Loran Provincial and Territorial Awards.

To determine your eligibility for this award and to begin the application process, visit loranscholar.ca.

Eligibility criteria

High school students must:
  • Be entering university for the first time in September 2025
  • Present a minimum cumulative average of 85%
  • Hold Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
  • Have a date of birth between January 1, 2003 and September 1, 2009
Cégep students must:
  • Be in your last year of cégep before entering university studies
  • Be entering university for the first time in September 2025
  • Present an R score equal to or higher than 29
  • Hold Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
  • Have a date of birth between January 1, 2003 and September 1, 2009

Schulich Leader Scholarships are Canada's most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarships.

One hundred scholarships are awarded each year to entrepreneurial-minded high school graduates enrolling in a science, technology, engineering or math program at 20 partner universities across Canada, including the University of Saskatchewan. 

Every high school in Canada can nominate one graduating student each year to apply for the scholarship, and each partner university can provide between two to ten Schulich Leader Scholarships each year. Learn about some of USask's newest recipients and a recent USask graduate's experience as a Schulich Leader.

Saskatchewan scholarships