Simon Fraser University Scholarships

Simon Fraser University scholarships can significantly reduce the cost of studying at a major Canadian research university with campuses in Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver. This guide walks through the main award categories, who tends to qualify, how automatic and application-based scholarships differ, and what graduate and international students should know. It also covers practical steps for writing a stronger application, tracking deadlines, and avoiding the small mistakes that cause students to miss money they already qualify for.

What Simon Fraser University Scholarships Usually Cover

Scholarships at SFU are not limited to tuition. Most awards are designed to reduce the overall cost of attendance, which means they can be applied to a mix of academic and personal expenses. The exact rules depend on the award, the faculty, and whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student.

Understanding what each award can and cannot pay for helps you plan realistically instead of assuming a scholarship covers everything.

• Tuition and mandatory fees: Many entrance and in-course awards are applied directly to your student account.
• Books and course materials: Some awards explicitly allow spending on textbooks, lab supplies, or required software.
• Technology and equipment: Laptops, calculators, and discipline-specific tools are sometimes covered.
• Living costs: Housing, food, and transit can be covered when the award is paid out as a refund rather than applied to tuition.
• Travel and research costs: Graduate awards and departmental funds often support fieldwork, conferences, or archival visits.
• Renewable support: Some scholarships continue for multiple years if you maintain the required academic standing.
• One-time awards: Others are paid once and do not renew, which matters when you build a multi-year budget.

The Main Types of Simon Fraser University Scholarships

SFU administers a wide range of awards, and they fall into a few broad groups. Knowing the group an award belongs to tells you a lot about how competitive it is and how you enter the running.

• Entrance scholarships: Awarded to incoming students based on secondary school or transfer grades, and sometimes on a separate application.
• In-course awards: Available to current SFU students who have completed credits and maintained strong academic standing.
• Departmental and faculty awards: Offered through specific programs and often tied to a subject area, research interest, or academic milestone.
• Athletic awards: For student-athletes who meet eligibility rules set by the university and the relevant sport governing body.
• Graduate fellowships: Funding for master’s and doctoral students, often combined with research or teaching work.
• Bursaries and need-based aid: Separate from scholarships and generally assessed on financial need rather than merit alone.
• External and national awards: Programs administered by governments, foundations, and professional organizations rather than by SFU itself.

Automatic Versus Application-Based Awards

This is the single most practical distinction for incoming students. Some Simon Fraser University scholarships are assessed the moment you apply for admission, while others require a dedicated submission that many students never complete.

• Automatic awards need no extra paperwork, but you still have to meet admissions deadlines and submit all required documents on time.
• Application-based awards require essays, activity lists, or reference letters that are judged separately from your grades.
• Nomination-based awards depend on a faculty member or department putting your name forward, so visibility matters.
• Renewable awards usually require you to maintain a minimum GPA and full-time enrolment each year.
• Stacking rules may limit how much total funding you can hold at once, so read the terms of each award.

The fastest scholarship to win is often the one you are already being considered for — which is why protecting your admission average and meeting every document deadline matters so much.

Eligibility: What Reviewers Actually Look At

Eligibility is not only about grades, although academics carry the most weight in most merit awards. Reviewers are usually reading for evidence: what you have done, what it produced, and whether the award’s purpose fits your situation.

• Academic average: The strongest predictor, calculated from the courses the award specifies.
• Course load and difficulty: Some awards expect a full course load or specific senior-level courses.
• Leadership and community involvement: Sustained commitment usually reads better than a long list of one-day activities.
• Research or creative work: Publications, performances, exhibitions, or lab contributions can strengthen graduate and departmental applications.
• Financial need: Relevant for bursaries, and sometimes for awards that blend merit with need.
• Citizenship or residency: Some awards are restricted to domestic students, while others are open to international students.
• Enrolment status: Full-time registration is a common requirement, and part-time students may face a smaller pool of options.

Graduate Funding at SFU

Graduate students often piece together funding from several sources rather than relying on one large scholarship. This is normal, and it is worth mapping out the combination early with your supervisor and program office.

• Graduate fellowships: Internal awards that recognize academic merit and research potential.
• Teaching assistantships: Paid work that supports undergraduate courses and often includes a tuition component.
• Research assistantships: Funding tied to a supervisor’s funded project, usually arranged before or during your first term.
• National research council awards: Competitions run by the federal research funding agencies in the natural sciences, social sciences, and health fields.
• Doctoral-level national awards: Highly competitive programs that support top doctoral researchers for multiple years.
• Departmental top-ups: Additional amounts some programs add when a student wins a major external award.
• Travel and conference funds: Smaller grants that help you present research or attend training.

Scholarships for International Students

International students should start by confirming which awards are open to them, because eligibility varies more than most people expect. Some funds are restricted by citizenship, while others are open to all students regardless of where they studied previously.

• International entrance awards: Often assessed on admission averages and, in some cases, a separate application.
• Open in-course awards: Many continuing-student awards do not restrict citizenship.
• Country or region-specific awards: Sometimes offered by governments, foundations, or community organizations abroad.
• External scholarships: Home-country programs and international foundations can be used alongside SFU awards, subject to stacking rules.
• Work opportunities: On-campus jobs and co-op placements are not scholarships, but they can meaningfully reduce the funding gap.
• Tuition differential: Because international tuition is higher, even modest awards can make a visible difference to your budget.

How to Write a Strong Scholarship Application

Most applications are lost on execution rather than talent. Students who follow instructions precisely and provide specific evidence consistently outperform students with stronger resumes but vague writing.

• Read the criteria twice: Highlight every requirement and answer each one directly rather than writing a general statement about yourself.
• Use specific evidence: Replace “I am passionate about community service” with what you organized, how many people it reached, and what changed.
• Keep sentences short: Reviewers read quickly, and clarity beats complexity every time.
• Choose references carefully: Pick people who know your work well and give them your resume and the award criteria in advance.
• Respect word limits: Going over or under by a large margin signals that you did not read the instructions.
• Proofread aloud: Reading your draft out loud catches awkward phrasing that silent reading misses.
• Keep a master document: Save every essay, activity list, and description so you can reuse and adapt it for future awards.

A strong scholarship application reads like evidence, not a wish list — show what you did, what changed as a result, and what you plan to do next.

Where to Find Awards and Track Deadlines

Information is spread across several places, which is exactly why students miss opportunities. Treat award searching as a recurring task rather than a one-time event.

• Financial aid and awards pages: The central list of university-administered scholarships and bursaries.
• Faculty and department websites: Often the only place smaller, subject-specific awards are listed.</