Awards Program Details

Saint Mary's University guarantees a minimum total scholarship offer to any high school graduate with an Admission Average of 85% or higher.

Renewal Requirements:

• First-year students admitted in September 2023 must achieve a 3.70 GPA or above in a minimum of 24 credit hours between September and April 30. All courses taken within this time frame are used for GPA calculations.
• First-year students admitted in January 2024 must achieve a 3.70 GPA or above in a minimum of 12 credit hours between January and April 30 of the same year. 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.

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.

Saint Mary’s University students who do not have a Renewable Entrance Award and meet the following requirements will be automatically assessed for an Undergraduate Academic Achievement Scholarship. No application form is required. Students will be notified by email if they are a recipient of an Academic Achievement Scholarship in June of each year. 

Requirements:

• Incoming, returning and transfer students 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.

• Not be a recipient of the Renewable Entrance Scholarship program (Presidential, Santamarian, Sobey National Innovator, Sobey Scholar).

• Be registered as full-time (9 credit hours per term) 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.

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

• Students can receive an Academic Achievement Scholarship up to a maximum of 4 times.

• Co-Operative (Co-Op) Education Students: Students on a work term for one term and a study term for another in any academic year should email the Financial Aid and Awards Office at financial.aid@smu.ca by August 31 to be considered.  

A growing number of University administered scholarships 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 or an Academic Achievement Scholarship, may receive up to $12,000 per year in funding.
  
  
• Students receiving funding through the annual Undergraduate Scholarships Program may receive upwards of $12,000 per year, except when combining an Undergraduate Scholarship with a university-funded award. 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 Scholarships with criteria of financial need.
  
  
  • Example: if a student receives $9,000 in funding through the Undergraduate Scholarships Program, and is eligible for an Academic Achievement Scholarship of $3,500, their Academic Achievement Scholarship will be adjusted to $3,000 to meet the maximum funding amount.

The Undergraduate Scholarships 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 in the month of June 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 15, 2022. 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 by July 1.