Which Canadian Universities Award Entrance Scholarships Automatically by Admission Average
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Some Canadian universities hand out entrance scholarships the moment they admit you, based only on your final average. Others make you fill out a separate application even though the university calls the award an entrance scholarship.
🎓 Western, Ottawa, Waterloo, Calgary, Alberta, Queen's, and McMaster give automatic money by admission average, no extra form
📩 Toronto's National Scholarship Program, McGill's Major Entrance Scholarships, and UBC's Presidential and Centennial awards need a separate application
💵 Automatic tiers run $1,000 to $8,000, mostly one time or with limited renewal
💵 Application based awards run $12,000 to over $80,000 across four years
Check every target university's scholarship page directly. Cutoffs and values change by academic year
Automatic Entrance Scholarships by University
These universities calculate your admission average from your best six Grade 12 courses, including any required for your program, and place you into a scholarship tier the moment you receive an offer. No form, no essay, no separate deadline.
| University | Award | Tiers |
|---|---|---|
| Western University | Automatic Admission Scholarship Program | $2,500 at 90.0-91.9%, $3,500 at 92.0% and up, plus 250 awards of $8,000 for its top applicants |
| University of Ottawa | Admission Scholarship | $1,000 at 85-89%, $2,000 at 90-94%, $3,000 at 95% and up |
| University of Waterloo | Merit and President's Scholarships | $1,000 at 85-89.9%, $2,000 at 90-94.9%, $2,000 plus optional add-ons at 95% and up |
| University of Calgary | President's Admission Scholarship | $5,000, non-renewable, at 95% and up |
| University of Alberta | Gold Standard Scholarship | Up to $6,000 for the top 5% of each faculty's admitted class |
| Queen's University | Automatic grade-based scholarships | Starts near a 90% average, with a Principal's Scholarship for the top 3% of each program's competitive average |
| McMaster University | Entrance Scholarships | Minimum 90% average, with higher faculty-specific cutoffs up to 98% for larger awards |
Amounts and cutoffs move every admission cycle, so treat this as the current structure, not a locked in number. Confirm the year you apply directly on each registrar's page before you count on a figure.
Universities That Make You Apply Separately
These schools still call their top award an entrance scholarship, but none hand it out automatically. Each needs a dedicated application beyond your admission form.
| University | Award | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto | National Scholarship Program | School nomination, separate application, virtual interview for about 25 finalists, roughly 15 become National Scholars |
| McGill University | Major Entrance Scholarships | Separate application after admission, worth $3,000 to $12,000 a year, renewable up to four years |
| University of British Columbia | Presidential Scholars Award and Centennial Scholars Entrance Award | Personal Profile due December 1, judged on leadership and, for Centennial, financial need |
The pattern holds nationally. The bigger the award, the more likely a university wants a form, an essay, or an interview before it hands the money over. No school gives away six figures on a transcript alone.
How Your Admission Average Can Still Change
Several universities check your average twice. Waterloo calculates an early May average from the marks your school has submitted by then, then rechecks in June or July once your final Grade 12 marks arrive. If your final average clears a higher tier than your early May average did, Waterloo moves you up to the better scholarship automatically.
A slow start in the fall term does not lock you out of the top tier at these schools. Keep your grades up through the year even after you receive an offer, since your final transcript, not your first semester transcript, decides your automatic tier at several of these universities.
Renewal Conditions Differ Too
Automatic awards are often one time, like Calgary's $5,000 President's Admission Scholarship, which does not renew past first year. Application based awards like McGill's Major Entrance Scholarships and the Loran Award build in renewal each year, tied to your grades staying above a set average and, for some, continued community involvement.
Read the renewal terms before you count a four year total as guaranteed money. A scholarship advertised at $48,000 over four years only pays that much if you meet every renewal condition every single year.
What This Means for Your Application Season
Do not assume admission alone gets you every scholarship a university advertises. Check two separate pages for every school on your list: the automatic scholarship chart tied to your average, and the awards office page listing application based scholarships with their own deadlines.
Set a reminder for each application based deadline the day you submit your admission application. Most of these deadlines fall within a few weeks of the admission deadline, and universities do not send a second reminder if you miss one.