FAQ

If you are a student with at least an A- standing (GPA of 10.0) who has not been awarded a renewable entrance scholarship, you will automatically be considered for an in-course scholarship for the following year. In addition to these general in-course scholarships, you may also be awarded specific departmental scholarships and awards for your program.

The name of your renewable entrance scholarship can change from one year to the next.  If you renew your scholarship, you will  be provided with a notification letter to indicate the name of your scholarship.  If the name on the letter is the name you are seeing on Carleton Central and the value is the same, then it’s your entrance scholarship being renewed. Otherwise, it may be a new award. If you are unsure, please contact awards@carleton.ca.

Log into Carleton Central to view your awards funding, including the status and value of any scholarships and bursaries.

The Awards Office completes an automatic assessment for the renewal of entrance scholarships and assessment for in-course scholarships on an annual basis. Generally, this assessment takes place at the end of May/early June after all final grades have been received. Once the scholarship assessment is complete, the status of your scholarship will be displayed on Carleton Central along with your online notification letter.

No.  All graded Carleton credits/courses are included in the calculation of the GPA for scholarship purposes. No grades can be set-aside when calculating your annual GPA.

To retain your entrance scholarship you must have a 10.0 GPA or better and register in and complete a full course load (minimum 4.0 credits) in the Fall/Winter session.  If you are registered in a total of 4.0 credits for the Fall/Winter session and you drop a half credit course, you will not be able to renew your scholarship the following year because you completed 3.5 credits.

However, if you are registered in 4.5 credits and you drop a half credit you still have enough credits to renew your scholarship in the following year provided you maintain a 10.0 GPA.

Scholarships administered by Carleton University are issued to your Carleton student account and applied towards your fees provided you have registered and remain registered in a minimum of 4.0 credits over the Fall/Winter session combined.

Scholarships are released in two installments, half the value for the fall term and the second half for the winter term. On Carleton Central, when you view your Calculate Amount to Pay, the value of any scholarship will be recorded as ‘available funding (pending payment)’ in the appropriate term(s) and will reduce the amount you need to pay. Any changes to your course load, including dropping a course or withdrawal, may result in ineligibility for all or part of the scholarship and a financial adjustment to your student account.

To renew an entrance scholarship, the following general conditions must be met:

1. You must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program;
2. You must successfully complete at least 4.0 credits over the Fall and Winter terms;
3. You must have an annual Grade Point Average of 10.0 or better. For scholarships, your annual GPA is calculated using all earned grades (grade points of all Carleton credits/courses) you’ve taken over the last 12 months (e.g. Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023) and;
4. You cannot earn a grade of F, UNS or NR. A final grade of F, UNS or NR (in any credit or non-credit course for the period being considered) will result in ineligibility renew an entrance scholarship or to be considered for an in-course scholarship or the Deans’ Honour List.

No. In order to renew your entrance scholarship you must have a GPA of 10.0 or better.  If your GPA is lower than 10.0 you will lose your scholarship for this coming year. If you do not meet the academic and course load requirement for renewal, the scholarship may be regained in a subsequent year of your first four years of undergraduate study.  For more information on the academic and course load requirement for renewal, contact the Awards Office.

For scholarships, all original/earned grades (grade points of all Carleton credits/courses) taken in the last 12-month period (previous Summer, Fall and Winter terms) are included in the calculation of your annual GPA. For each of your courses you will be given a letter grade. That grade corresponds to a numerical value as demonstrated here:

To calculate your average follow these steps:

1. Determine the letter grades for each of your courses.
2. Determine the numeric value associated with each grade.
3. Multiply that number by the credit value of the course.
4. Add all the sums and divide by the total number of credits.

Consider the following example:

As you can see from the example, this student has a GPA of 8.0 for the academic year.

By law, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires Carleton to provide students with a report that lists the amount received in bursaries, scholarships, awards, prizes, and tuition waivers. These amounts are shown as income in Box 28 of your T4A. You can view your T4A on Carleton Central in February which will reflect the amounts you have received from Carleton during the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). For income tax purposes and preparing your T4A slip, your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is required.

Visit the CRA website for more information on students and income tax.

If you are in a co-operative education stream or the industrial experience program, the administration of your scholarship will work differently because of the work terms.  You will not be able to draw upon scholarship funds during the work period.  Once you return to full-time studies, you will come under scholarship provisions.  If you anticipate being on a co-op work term some time during the academic year, please contact the Awards Office in order to make the necessary arrangements to defer your scholarship to when you return to full-time studies and once again come under scholarship provisions.

A bursary is a monetary award that is granted on the basis of financial need. Bursaries do not have to be repaid.

Carleton University offers bursaries to undergraduate students who are in receipt of some type of loan funding from either government student financial assistance (OSAP or other province) or from a financial institution and continue to demonstrate financial need in order to finance their studies.

If you are applying for a bursary be prepared to present a budget estimating your expenses and sources of funds, including such things as your personal savings, family support and government assistance.

By law, the Canada Revenue Agency requires Carleton to report bursaries, scholarships, awards, prizes, and tuition waiver amounts provided to students. These amounts are shown as income in Box 28 of the T4A. You can view your T4A on Carleton Central in February and reflects the amounts you have received from Carleton during the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). For income tax purposes and preparing your T4A slip, your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is required.

Visit the Canada Revenue Agency website for more information on students and income tax.

Bursaries are issued to your Carleton student account and applied to your fees. If you have a credit on your student account, you can request a refund through your Carleton Central account (after certain dates).  For more information on refund requests from the Student Accounts FAQ page.

Bursaries are awarded to students based on the financial need they demonstrated for the current academic session. Therefore, if you are not able to attend in a given year you may not defer the bursary for use in subsequent years. However, you may re-apply for a bursary in the following term/year when you are registered at Carleton. Your financial need will be evaluated on the basis of your circumstances at that time.

Prospective Students
Entrance Bursaries for incoming first-year students are assessed on an on-going basis until the June 30 deadline. If you are awarded an entrance bursary, you will be notified of the decision by email and you can view the details of your bursary in your online letter through Carleton Central.

Current Carleton Students
The deadline to complete and submit a bursary application on Carleton Central is October 31st. The Bursary Committee will review your application and you will be advised of the decision by email sometime in December.

You and your family will bear the greatest responsibility for funding your education. To be fair to all, we base our student financial assistance decisions on ability and not willingness to pay. Consequently, Carleton’s need-based assistance will be used to help those students in the greatest financial difficulty.

Because the bursary program is need-based, funding is directed to those students with the greatest need who have the fewest options for securing sufficient funding to finance their education. Generally, students who receive a bursary are also in receipt of some type of loan funding from either government student financial assistance (OSAP) or from a financial institution and continue to demonstrate financial need.

Prospective Carleton Students
If you have been given an offer of admission to Carleton you will receive information on the various forms of financial assistance available to help you finance your studies. To be considered for a Carleton University Entrance Bursary, simply apply online by the end of June.

Current Carleton Students
If you are a current registered undergraduate student, you will be able to access the online Applications for Bursaries/Awards system on Carleton Central at the beginning of September for the Fall/Winter session. The deadline to complete and submit a bursary application is late October. The Bursary Committee will review your application and you will be advised of the decision sometime in December.

Scholarships are merit-based and are awarded for scholastic achievement. Bursaries are need-based and are granted on the basis of financial need. Both are non-repayable.

Bursary decision appeals or requests for a reassessment will be considered only if there is new financial information or extenuating circumstances not included on your original bursary application. A Bursary Appeal / Reassessment Request Form must be completed and supported by sufficient information and documentation. Please contact the Awards Office by the deadline dates listed on the form to arrange a personal interview for reviewing your request and the new financial information or extenuating circumstances.

All appeal decisions made by the Bursary Committee are final and are subject to the availability of funds.

The Work Study program is a financial aid program funded by Carleton University. Through this program, you can earn extra money through valuable work experience while in school. If you do not have sufficient student loan funds to pay all your education-related costs, you may be eligible to participate in Work Study.

Don’t forget that while you’re in school, your first priority is your school work. If you’re wondering if you can balance your academic and work life, consider attending one of the skill development workshops that focus on note-taking, time management or balancing work, school and life offered by the Centre for Student Academic Support .

Jobs include working in the library, academic departments, and various areas within student services. You may even work in an area related to your field of study.

Work Study students can work up to a maximum of 15 hours per week and earn a maximum of $3,100 for the Fall/Winter Session. You’ll earn at least $15.50/hr. Some jobs will pay more.

Work study applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Must be applying and receiving government student assistance such as OSAP or student aid/loans from another province (excluding visa students who are not eligible to apply for government assistance)
• Must demonstrate financial need as determined by the Awards Office.
• Must be in an undergraduate degree program and registered in 60% of a full course load (1.5 credits per term) or 40% of a full course load (1.0 credit per term) for students with disabilities registered with the Paul Menton Centre.

The Work Study application form is available on Carleton Central (Awards & Financial Assistance, Undergraduate Online Application Forms, Other Financial Aid Applications:  Work Study) on September 1st. Space in the program is limited and applications are assessed on a first-come-first-served basis. It is important for you to complete and submit the application as soon as possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Note: The Work Study program is done on a first-come-first-served basis. We will close the program early if we have allocated all the available funding before the application deadline.

Although the Awards Office will not be able to fund you working for the university through the Work Study Program, Carleton University offers many different areas for students to seek part-time employment opportunities. Check Career Services’ online job boards on mySuccess (login via Carleton Central) to view and apply for internships and seasonal, part-time, and other job opportunities. As well, some departments will post jobs on their office door/bulletin board. If there is a department/service area where you are interested in working, inquire directly to them to see if they are hiring.

This is not an unusual situation. Every year, there are more people who want to hire Work Study students than there are students who are approved for the program. We have a limited amount of money for Work Study and unfortunately, we cannot fund everyone. You must be approved for the program before you can work in a Work Study job. In this case, your best course of action would be to visit Career Services and explore other part-time employment opportunities.

No. All of the approved Work Study positions are with Carleton University employers.  Part of the advantage of a Work Study position is not having to leave campus and commute to an off-campus location. This can help you make the most of the time you spend on campus.

Yes, but you must do the following:

1. Inform your current employer that you will be leaving and starting work within another unit.
2. Get a summary of the number of hours you have already worked.
3. Bring this summary to the Awards Office. We will need to adjust your profile and have you fill out some additional paperwork before you can be paid at your new job.
4. Start working with your new unit.

Applications will be assessed throughout the month of September and you will be advised if you have been approved or not by email (check your Carleton email account). You may also monitor the status of your application on Carleton Central.

Yes. Applications are based on your current situation and your current state of financial need. You must submit a new application each year in order to be considered for the program.

The Awards Office administers various financial aid and awards programs to reward academic achievement and provide financial assistance. The office is responsible for the administration of undergraduate scholarships, bursaries and the Work Study program. The Awards Office is also responsible for the effective administration of government student assistance programs such as OSAP, government student aid from other Canadian provinces as well as federal/provincial scholarships and federal/provincial bursary programs.

Our goal is to guide students through the application and assessment process so they may have the appropriate financial supports in place to successfully achieve their educational goals.

Entrance Scholarship offers will be made with the offer of admission.

If you are entering Carleton with an admissions average of 80 percent or better, you will automatically be considered for one of our renewable entrance scholarships.  The admissions average we use is calculated from the marks submitted by your high school in support of your application and may be a combination of early/interim or final marks. You may be offered a renewable entrance scholarship provided you are entering Carleton for the first time and have no previous attendance at post-secondary educational institutions.

Post-secondary students transferring from another Canadian university or college program to a full-time undergraduate program at Carleton may also be eligible for an Entrance Scholarship.

Entrance Scholarship offers are not assessed or reassessed on final grades we receive in June/July or summer school grades.

Your Entrance Scholarship offer is valid as long as you maintain your offer of admission.

Accepting our offer of admission will also confirm acceptance of your Entrance Scholarship offer.

The following is available:

• Entrance scholarships
• Competitive entrance scholarships
• Entrance bursaries
• Leadership entrance bursaries

For all other Carleton awards, you can browse our extensive Awards Database.

You will receive an entrance scholarship acknowledgement letter in June to confirm the details of your entrance scholarship. Scholarships are issued to your Carleton student account and applied towards tuition fees in two installments (half for the fall term and the second half for the winter term) provided you have registered and remain registered in a minimum of 4.0 credits over the fall and winter session combined.  On Carleton Central, the value of any scholarship you have been awarded will be recorded as ‘available funding’ in the appropriate term(s) and will reduce the amount of fees you need to pay.

No. However, you must complete a separate OSAP application for each school you are applying to. We encourage you to submit an OSAP application only for the schools that are your first and second choices. Once you have received your offer of admission from the school you plan to attend, you should notify the financial aid offices of the schools you are not attending and have them close your application.

To apply for OSAP go to ontario.ca/osap and complete the online application. Alternatively, you can print a paper application from the OSAP website and submit it directly to the Awards Office.

To ensure that you have the proper funding for the start of your studies in September, we recommend applying for OSAP and submitting all required documents to the Awards Office by mid-July.

See, OSAP application instructions.

If you don’t live in Ontario, you may be eligible for government student assistance through your home province or territory. “Home” province or territory is usually defined as the province in which your parents currently reside, or if you are an independent applicant, the province in which you have most recently lived and worked for 12 consecutive months (excluding residence for full-time attendance at a post-secondary institution).

See, list of provincial/territorial student aid programs.

A bursary is a monetary award that is granted on the basis of financial need. Bursaries do not have to be repaid. Carleton offers bursaries to students who have applied for a student loan and who require additional assistance in order to finance their studies. If you have been given an offer of admission to Carleton you will receive information on the various forms of financial assistance available to help you finance your studies. To be considered for a Carleton University Entrance Bursary, complete and submit the Entrance Bursary application, through the Undergraduate Application Forms System on Carleton Central by June 30.

In order to be considered for scholarships, you would first have to apply and be admitted to Carleton University. Undergraduate entrance scholarships are automatically offered to students who meet our academic and language requirements. Students who do not enter on a scholarship will automatically be considered for an in-course scholarship for the following year if they achieve an A- standing. Bursaries are available for those who require financial assistance after their first year of undergraduate studies. For more details and to apply on-line, see bursary information for current students. Visa students are not eligible for the Canadian federal or provincial student loan program but should look at what assistance may be offered through their own country.

For more information: International Students