Automatic Admission Scholarships

To recognize and reward the outstanding academic achievements of our incoming high school students, Western offers the following admission scholarships:

Scholarship Name Value Average Required
Western Scholarship of Excellence

250 scholarships at $8000 each

($6,000 in first year, plus $2,000 for an optional study abroad experience.)

Top high school admission average.
Western Scholarship of Distinction

$3,500 each

($2,500 in first year, plus $1,000 for optional study abroad experience).

Unlimited number.

Final admission average of 92.0% to 100.0%.
Western Admission Scholarship

$2,500 each

($1,500 in first year, plus $1,000 for optional study abroad experience).

Unlimited number.

Final admission average of 90.0% to 91.9%.

Notes:

1) Scholarship offerings are effective from 2020-2021 onwards.

2) Students in receipt of a National Scholarship or a Schulich Leader Scholarship are not eligible for an admission scholarship.

3) If you are applying for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) please do not report scholarships from Western on your OSAP application - our office will report them to OSAP on your behalf. Please note that you are still responsible for reporting any external funding received (ie. not awarded by Western ) on your OSAP application.

4) The Don Wright Faculty of Music will select the Western Scholarship of Excellence recipients for applicants to a music program.

5) Recipients of the Western Scholarship of Excellence may also receive a $2,000 Travel Grant if they are from a high school from an International or Out of Province location. 

If you are admitted to an undergraduate program at Western’s main campus directly from secondary school and are registered in first-year full-time studies you will be automatically considered for one of these admission scholarships; you do not need to submit an application. These scholarships are available to domestic and international students.

Optional Study Abroad Experience funds

To be eligible to receive this funding the student must participate in a Western-sanctioned international learning experience, complete the experience prior to the end of their fourth year of studies, be registered at Western in the academic year the funding is requested and submit an application. For more information, please see ‘International Learning Funding Opportunities'

Western Scholarship of Excellence

Ontario High School Applicants

Consideration for this scholarship will be based on the average calculated by Western’s Admissions office. If you are eligible to receive one of these scholarships you will receive a notification email to the email address you provided on your OUAC application in mid-late May, prior to your admission response deadline.

Non-Ontario High School Applicants

Consideration for this scholarship is guaranteed if you have submitted your admission application through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) and all supporting documents by the early consideration deadline of March 1st. Eligibility will be based on the admission offer average calculated by Western’s Admissions office. Western will determine averages for applicants who are not studying in a Canadian secondary school curriculum based on: curriculum, grading practices, and grading scale interpretation. If you are eligible to receive one of these scholarships you will receive a notification email to the email address provided on your OUAC application, prior to your admission response deadline.

Western Scholarship of Excellence - general information

To retain a scholarship offer you must:

  • Meet the terms outlined in your offer of admission.
  • Register full-time in the specified program of study at the main campus. Full-time registration requires a minimum of 3.5 courses. If you enroll in a part-time course load, reduce your enrolment to part-time, or withdraw from the academic year, you will not be eligible to keep the scholarship.
  • Accept your offer of admission by the admission response deadline.
  • If you do not pursue a study abroad experience, the study abroad funding is forfeited.

The scholarship will be applied directly to your fee account before the first installment of fees are due.

If you are applying for OSAP, please do not report this or any other scholarship, award, or bursary funding from Western University on your OSAP application, as we will report it to OSAP on your behalf.

Recipients of the Western Scholarship of Excellence may also receive a $2,000 Travel Grant if they are coming from an International or Out of Province location.

The Western Scholarship of Excellence cannot be combined with another admission scholarship with the exception of admission scholarships offered by Western International.

General Conditions and Information for all Admission Scholarships

Important Conditions and Information

  • You must meet the admission conditions as specified in your offer package.
  • You must be applying for admission directly from secondary school to be eligible for an Admission Scholarship. Generally, students who have attended a post-secondary institution, or students who attended a post-secondary institution and then returned to secondary school, are not eligible. Please direct any questions regarding scholarship eligibility for your specific situation to 519-661-2100
  • Generally home-schooled applicants are not eligible for consideration for admission scholarships.
  • You must be registered for full-time studies (minimum 3.5 courses) at main campus to be eligible. If you enrol in a part-time course load, reduce your enrolment to part-time or withdraw from the academic year, you will not be eligible to keep your admission scholarship.
  • The final admission average calculation for Ontario high school applicants includes prerequisite courses for the student’s selected program.
  • Admission averages are NOT rounded to the nearest whole percentage for admission scholarship consideration. 
  • Western will determine averages for applicants who are not studying in a Canadian secondary school curriculum based on curriculum, grading practices, and grading scale interpretation.
  • Optional Study Abroad funding:
    • If you do not pursue a study abroad experience, the study abroad portion of the scholarship funding is forfeited.
    • Eligible students can receive an International Learning Award in addition to the optional study abroad funding offered as part of the Admission Scholarship funding.
    • The funding will be given in a single payment - it cannot be split into multiple payments toward different experiences.
    • To receive the study abroad funding:
      • You must participate in an eligible international experience that is approved by Western International, and the experience must be completed prior to the end of your fourth year of studies.
      • You must be registered at Western main campus in the academic year you request the funding.
      • To claim the study abroad funding you must submit an International Experience Awards Application available through the Western International - International Learning website to notify our office of your travel plans.
  • Admission Scholarships cannot be deferred.
  • Students taking secondary school courses during the summer prior to attending Western, that may affect their scholarship eligibility, must ensure that their final summer school grades are received by the Admissions Office by August 31st, prior to the beginning of their first year at Western. It is the student’s responsibility to verify that their high school has submitted all final grades to the Admissions office. Changes and appeals related to admission scholarship eligibility will not be considered after August 31st.
  • Students eligible for a Western Scholarship of Distinction or a Western Admission Scholarship will be sent a notification to their @uwo.ca email account in mid-late September.
  • Admission scholarships are not confirmed until after the first installment of fees is due, therefore admission scholarships cannot be deducted from the first installment of fees (see note for an exception for OSAP recipients)*. Once the scholarship is confirmed, it will be applied directly to the fee account before the end of September and can be used toward the second installment of fees. If the application of the scholarship results in a credit on the fee account, a refund will be issued to the student in December via direct deposit to their bank account. To enroll in direct deposit, log into your Student Center account, click on Student Financials > Direct Deposit, and then on Add Bank Account and input your banking information.

*Note for students in receipt of OSAP: If your Admission Scholarship is applied to your account (as Anticipated Aid or applied toward the balance owing) prior to your first installment of OSAP being released, the scholarship amount will be used toward your first installment of fees, reducing the amount of OSAP that is remitted toward your fee account for the first installment.

For students admitted prior to the 2020-2021 year who are in receipt of the Western Continuing Admission Scholarship:

To retain the Continuing Admission Scholarship a student must, during the Fall/Winter academic year (September to April) fulfill the following requirements: a) complete a prescribed academic program requiring 5.0 or more courses as required by the respective program; b) take the full complement of the prescribed courses of the academic program (both principal and elective courses) within the academic year (September to April); letter of permission courses taken during the academic year will not count toward the course load. c) achieve an overall average of at least 80%, and d) remain registered in a program at the main campus.

Renewal conditions for recipients of the Western International Admission Scholarship prior to the 2024-2025 academic year:

To retain the Western International Admission Scholarship, the recipient must, during the Fall/Winter academic year (September to April) fulfill the following requirements: a) maintain an 80% average on a full course load (5.0 course load) during the previous Fall/Winter academic year (September to April); remain registered in an undergraduate program at the main campus; maintain a full course load (5.0 courses)and take the full complement of the prescribed courses of the academic program (both principal and elective courses) within the academic year (September to April). Letter of permission courses taken during the academic year will not count toward the course load. 

For inquiries regarding our Admission Scholarship program please contact us at http://westernchat.uwo.ca 

Other Entrance Scholarships and Awards

Entrance Scholarships & Awards for Domestic Students: In addition to the unlimited Western Admission Scholarships listed above, there are also faculty specific entrance scholarships and awards with varying values and criteria established by the University, alumni, private donors, and corporations who wish to recognize the achievements of Western students. These entrance awards are offered to domestic students and have been combined with the Admission Scholarship Program. They are automatically awarded to students beginning full-time first year studies at Western’s main campus. If a student qualifies for one of these awards, they will be notified in the fall term. The award will be in addition to or replace the student’s existing Admission Scholarship and be of either equal or greater value.

Entrance Scholarships for International Students: As is the case for domestic students, Western offers a group of entrance scholarships available only to international students who are beginning full-time, first-year studies at Western’s main campus. In order to be considered for our pool of entrance scholarships for international students, a complete admission application submitted through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC), and all supporting documentation must be received by Western by March 1st. Recipient selection for these international student entrance scholarships will be made from the eligible candidates who have completed the admission application process by the March 1st deadline, so that scholarship recipients can be notified prior to arriving at Western. Please be aware that these international student entrance scholarships can be awarded in combination with an Admission Scholarship or may replace an existing Admission Scholarship.

Faculty of Arts & Humanities Entrance Scholarships

The Faculty of Arts & Humanities offers two Faculty-specific entrance scholarships, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Entrance Scholarship of Excellence and the Dean's Entrance Scholarship, to full-time students entering the first year of an undergraduate program in Arts and Humanities.  The Faculty of Arts and Humanities Entrance Scholarship of Excellence and the Dean's Entrance Scholarships are offered in addition to the Admission Scholarships listed above with the exception of the National Scholarship, Western Scholarship of Excellence, and Need Hodgins Scholarship recipients. The scholarships are guaranteed to all students who meet the eligibility criteria.  For more details including eligibility criteria please visit the Arts and Humanities website.

Transfer Students

Western offers scholarships to students transferring into an undergraduate program at Western's main campus from studies at another post-secondary institution.  Scholarships are awarded in the fall based on the final admission average and there is no application required for consideration.