Master of Arts in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory - (Major Research Project Option) Wilfrid Laurier University - Waterloo Campus, Canada

Scholarships

Scholarships and Bursaries

You’re investing in your future by getting a university education, and we want to invest in you. We have several funding opportunities available for you throughout your degree, including some that are specifically for your first year.

Entrance Scholarships

When you apply to Laurier, you’re automatically considered for an entrance scholarship if you are

• Attending postsecondary for the first time.
• Starting your degree at Laurier with fewer than 4.0 university credits previously attempted (at any university) or less than 1 year of full-time college education.

Entrance scholarships are offered based on your admission average as of July 2026. No application is required. If you are not eligible for an entrance scholarship, you may be eligible for other scholarships, awards and bursaries.

Entrance Scholarship Values

Note: Scholarship values are subject to change. This scholarship grid is valid for incoming students beginning in September 2026 and after.

President's Gold Scholarship

The President’s Gold Scholarship is a merit-based entrance scholarship awarded to students with an entrance average of 95% or higher. This scholarship is also renewable in your upper years, if you meet the renewal requirements.

Eligibility requirements

• If your final admission average is 95% or higher as of July 2026, we will award you with the President’s Gold Scholarship for your first year at Laurier. The scholarship is worth $4,000 for domestic students and $6,000 for international students.
• This scholarship is renewable in your upper years if you achieve an annual grade point average (GPA) of 10.5 or higher based on the completion of a minimum of 5.0 full credits during the past academic year. The renewable scholarship amount is $4,000 (domestic) or $6,000 (international) per year for four years (or up to five years for some programs).
• Students who receive the President's Gold Scholarship are not eligible to receive in-course scholarships. See the full eligibility requirements to maintain your President’s Gold Scholarship.

Applying and receiving the scholarship

• You are automatically assessed for the President’s Gold Scholarship; no additional application is required.
• You must be registered full time, and you must be registered in two terms in your first academic year to receive the full scholarship amount. A full-time course load is minimum 2.0 credits per term and an academic year at Laurier is from September to August.
• Your scholarship will be applied directly to your student account. You must be registered in courses and have a tuition charge showing on your Laurier account to receive the scholarship.
   

Inspiring Lives Scholarship

Every year at Laurier, we welcome international students from around the world to our campuses. We value the diverse experiences and perspectives of our international students, and recognize the many ways they inspire lives throughout our communities.

The Inspiring Lives Scholarship is a prestigious entrance scholarship available exclusively to international students beginning their undergraduate studies at Laurier. The scholarship is awarded annually to students who inspire lives of leadership and purpose in their communities and through their extracurricular activities.

The scholarship is valued at $500 to $5,000 CAD and can be stacked with entrance scholarships and other competitive scholarships and awards. Learn more about applying for competitive scholarships.

Eligibility

• All international students who have applied to Laurier and accepted their offer and are entering their first year of undergraduate studies in the fall term are eligible to apply. Students can be studying in any undergraduate program at any of our campuses.
• Applicants are required to be paying full-time international tuition fees in the fall term to receive the scholarship.
• There is no minimum admissions average required to apply. This scholarship can also be awarded in addition to other entrance scholarships.

Laurier Scholars Award

The prestigious Laurier Scholars Award offers high-achieving students the opportunity to participate in a dynamic learning environment that will foster innovative thinking and ethical, visionary leadership.

Since 2021, Laurier continues to welcome seven scholars annually, each of whom will receive a $40,000 scholarship over a four-year period. Award recipients join a community of scholars from across the disciplines and receive mentorship, networking, research and experiential learning opportunities throughout their degree. Laurier’s commitment to academic excellence and community engagement, including social innovation and sustainability efforts, provides Laurier Scholars with a strong foundation to create new ideas and make meaningful change.

Laurier Scholars are required to meet all conditions to receive and renew their scholarship on an annual basis over a four-year period.

Laurier Scholars Award Conditions 
Scholarship Funding Disbursement

• The award includes $7,500 per year for up to four years and an experiential learning award of $10,000.
• Funding will be applied in two equal installments to your student account during your full-time terms of study. The experiential award of $10,000 may be used to fund a summer research assistantship, international exchange or another hands-on learning opportunity that connects in-class knowledge to learning experiences outside the classroom. 

_{*The award values, number of recipients, and criteria are subject to change.}