Scholarships for Students From Refugee Backgrounds Studying in Canada
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Students with refugee backgrounds studying in Canada access dedicated resettlement scholarships like the WUSC Student Refugee Program, plus general newcomer and need based awards.
🎓 The World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program combines refugee resettlement with funded first year studies through local campus committees.
📩 WUSC eligibility works through a referral and campus committee selection process, not a standard scholarship application form.
💵 After sponsored students arrive, they generally qualify for regular provincial student aid as permanent residents, alongside any campus top-up funding.
Refugee specific awards differ from general newcomer scholarships because eligibility ties to your immigration and resettlement history, not just country of origin.
What Makes Refugee Student Scholarships Different
General newcomer or international student scholarships usually stay open to a broad group defined by citizenship or recent immigration. Refugee specific programs tie eligibility to your immigration status and resettlement history instead, since students with refugee backgrounds face barriers regular financial aid does not address, including no prior Canadian income history for a provincial aid assessment, gaps in earlier schooling, and no guardian able to co-sign documents.
The WUSC Student Refugee Program
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) runs the Student Refugee Program, a long running partnership between WUSC and local committees at post secondary institutions across the country. Local student committees select and sponsor refugee students recommended through an international referral process, cover their resettlement as permanent residents, and fund at least the first year of study while the student settles into campus life. Because sponsored students arrive as permanent residents rather than on a study permit, they qualify for domestic tuition rates and provincial student aid once resettled, unlike most international students. Not every Canadian campus runs a Student Refugee Program committee, so check with your institution's international or global engagement office to see whether your school takes part.
University Specific Refugee and Newcomer Awards
Beyond WUSC, many universities that host a Student Refugee Program committee also run a small internal bursary or emergency fund specifically for refugee and asylum seeking students, separate from the sponsorship program itself. These target students who arrived through other pathways, including private sponsorship, family reunification, or an asylum claim. Contact your school's international student office or refugee student support office directly, since these awards rarely appear in public scholarship databases.
General Newcomer and Need Based Awards Worth Checking
Provincial student aid programs generally treat refugees who become permanent residents the same as other permanent resident applicants, so apply for regular provincial aid alongside any refugee specific award. Settlement agencies in your city, funded through federal settlement programs, often keep a list of local scholarships and bursaries for newcomer youth, including some restricted specifically to refugee claimants or protected persons.
Documentation You Typically Need
Proof of permanent resident or protected person status
A referral or nomination record, if you apply through a program like WUSC
Proof of enrollment or admission at a participating institution
Standard financial documents once you apply for provincial student aid as a permanent resident
How to Get Involved or Apply
If you already live in Canada as a refugee claimant, protected person, or permanent resident and want to study, start with your institution's international or refugee student support office rather than a general scholarship search, since staff there track every local and national program tied to your specific status. If you live outside Canada and hope to resettle through education, the WUSC pathway runs through a referral process rather than a direct student application, so contact WUSC directly for the current referral process in your region.