Top Canada Scholarships for International Students in 2025

Canada is one of the popular destinations for Indian students to study abroad, but most of them drop the idea of getting admission to Canadian universities due to the expensive cost of studying. Getting a scholarship is the best way to cover a major part of the expenses.

Canadian Scholarships for International Students: The tuition fee and the expensive cost of living in Canada are the major hurdles for Indian students who want to study in Canadian universities. Mostly students have less idea about the popular scholarships available to study in Canada.

The government, some organizations and universities offer scholarships to study in Canada to the meritorious student. This blog will be helpful for those students who are eligible to study in Canadian universities but are in need of financial support.

Popular Scholarships to Study in Canada

There are majorly three types of scholarships available in Canada for international students:

• Canada Government scholarships
• Non-Government scholarships
• Canadian University scholarships 

Students can avail these scholarships based on your academic performance, first come first get basis and need-based basis. 

Top 10 Scholarships for Indians to Study in Canada

Check out these popular scholarships for studying in Canada.

1. Shastri Research Student Fellowship: Shastri Research Student Fellowship is available for students who are enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, and M.Phil level courses in recognized Canadian and Indian institutions. The fellowship is meant to support the students to undertake research, study an e-course, or take part in an e-internship. Students can receive an award for CAD 500 to CAD 1,000 for up to 8-12 weeks. In order to be eligible, students are required to complete at least six months (one semester) of their course from a member institution of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute or from an institution that falls under the aegis of the Shastri network.
2. IDRC Research Awards: IDRC Research Awards are meant for those students who are pursuing their studies in Climate-Resilient Food Systems, Democratic and Inclusive Governance, Education and Science, Global Health, and Sustainable Inclusive Economies. The amount awarded is in the range of CAD 42,033 to CAD 48,659. Preference is given to those students who have completed their Master’s degree. Moreover, candidates must be enrolled in a Canadian university and must have a valid full-time work permit (37.5 hours/week).
3. Hani Zeini Scholarship: The Hani Zeini scholarship is provided to those students who have a recognized financial need and want to pursue a career that is enterprising and entrepreneurial in nature. The scholarship is provided to students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees both and is applicable to all universities across Canada. This scholarship covers tuition fees and expenses and the maximum amount per student stands at USD 1,000.
4. UBC International Leader of Tomorrow Award: The International Leader of Tomorrow Award recognizes international undergraduate students who demonstrate superior academic achievement, leadership skills, involvement in student affairs and community service, and recognized achievement in fields of endeavour such as the performing arts, sports, debating or creative writing, or external academic competitions and examinations. International Leader of Tomorrow Award-winners receives an award level commensurate with their financial need as determined by the costs of their tuition, fees, and living costs, minus the financial contribution the student and their family can make annually towards these costs.
5. Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship: The Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program was named after two members of the ACFE, Larry Jennings and Tracy Ritchie. The scholarship is available to students for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees and is applicable across all the universities in Canada. The maximum scholarship amount per student stands at USD 10,000. The scholarship is provided to students pursuing courses in Criminal Justice, Accounts, Business Administration, and Finance.
6. The University of British Columbia International Major Entrance Scholarship: The University of British Columbia International Major Entrance Scholarship (IMES) is a merit-based Canadian university scholarship that is awarded to meritorious and exceptional international students who wish to pursue undergraduate programs at the University of British Columbia. The university looks for students with exceptional academic achievement, and impressive extracurricular, and community contributions. The students need not apply separately for this scholarship and will be considered automatically.
7. Humber International Entrance Scholarships: Humber offers full and partial renewable tuition scholarships for NEW international undergraduate students beginning classes. 2 Full-tuition scholarships and CAD 2,000 scholarships to a total of 10 undergraduate and 10 graduate new international students will be awarded. The scholarships will be applied to the successful students’ tuition fees. The renewal of a scholarship is based on the student’s ability to maintain a 75% GPA in each year of his/her program at Humber. 
8. Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship by Government of Canada: The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social, and research-based growth. The objective of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program is to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, both nationally and internationally, develop their leadership potential, and position them for success as research leaders of tomorrow.
9. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships funded by Government of Canada: The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) was created to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and to establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. The scholarships are towards a doctoral degree (or combined MA/PhD or MD/PhD) at participating Canadian Universities.  The scholarship is worth $50,000 per year for three years.
10. The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships: The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (UMGF) are merit-based awards that are open to students of any nationality who will be registered as full-time graduate students (Master's or PhD) at the University of Manitoba. The value of these fellowships is $18,000 (PhD) and $14,000 (Master’s) for a 12-month period. Students are eligible to receive the UMGF for the first 24 months of their Master’s program and the first 48 months of their PhD program.

Note: The above-mentioned scholarships are not limited to Indian students only. Some of them are also scholarships for international students in Canada.

Also Read:

• Indian Government Scholarships for Studying Abroad
• Fully funded Scholarships for Indian Students to Study Abroad
• Top Scholarships for Master's in Canada

Tips to Get Scholarships in Canada

Now that we have read about some Canadian scholarships for Indian students, it is imperative to know certain tips on how to get scholarships in Canada:

• Build a strong profile: Whether is it through certification courses or through community involvement, you need to build a strong profile. Getting a scholarship in Canada for Indian students can be a fiercely competitive process. You must not leave any loopholes in this regard. Getting a 100% scholarship in Canada can be a challenging task; for this reason, you cannot ignore the necessity of having a strong profile.
• Be serious about your documents: Be very serious when it comes to scholarship essays and other related documents. Casual behaviour is not acceptable when it comes to securing a scholarship.
• Prepare well for the scholarship interview: You must prepare well for your scholarship interview even if you are confident about your academic profile.

That's all about the topic. For help with university applications, or scholarships, students seeking to study abroad can contact our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors. The comments section below allows candidates to contact us as well.

Check out more about studying in Canada: