President’s Scholarship of Excellence for International Students at York University, Canada – [2023]

York University, also known as YorkU or YU is a modern and multi-campus university located in Toronto, Canada. With a campus size of about 460 acres, 11 faculties, 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and over 325,000 alumni worldwide, it is believed that YorkU is Canada’s fourth-largest university.

YorkU ranks on average among the top 15-20 universities in Canada and jostles in between the top 400-500 universities in the World. Life on campus is another vibe on its own because of the vast culture and traditions represented in YorkU’s International Students Community.

YorkU awards various scholarships to brilliant applicants who are entering as fresh-year students. It also offers need-based and merit-based scholarships to sophomores and juniors who are transitioning between their study years.

York University has begun accepting applications for its Presidential Scholarship of Excellence for International Students ahead of the 2023-2024 academic intake since December 1, 2022. If you would like to see a full list of scholarships offered to incoming students by YorkU, you should visit the Incoming Students Scholarship Page.

With an application deadline slated for the 1st of February 2023, over a thousand applications would be received by the Financial Aid Office of YorkU. No doubt, this would make the award decision more competitive.

If you have decided to submit an application for the YorkU Presidential Scholarship of Excellence for International Students, then you need to up your game so you can beat the competition and win one of the 20 slots for this award.

While you may be asking if this is worth the hype, you may not understand that a cumulative sum of $180,000 to the tune of $45,000 per academic year (x 4 years) gets applied to your total expenses if you win this award. Though the scholarship gets awarded in the first year on the basis of your scholarship application and high school grades, it is required that recipients maintain a minimum CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) to renew the scholarship in subsequent academic years.

After I compared the YorkU Fees for International Undergraduate Students with the Presidential Scholarship of Excellence for International Students award, I realized the award is an almost fully-funded scholarship, and you would be required to make a little financial commitment to cover up the remaining cost if there is any.

The Presidential Scholarship of Excellence for International Students at YorkU is only applicable to outstanding high school graduates who are looking to enter their first University year at YorkU. Graduates who are looking for opportunities at YorkU are not eligible for this award. Instead, they can explore other scholarship resources or contact the school’s financial aid office to see how they can get financial support.

YorkU being the scholarship awarding body, has some expectations from its applicants. These expectations might also be considered eligibility criteria and act as the primary factor that determines who can submit an application. The eligibility criteria to apply for the Presidential Scholarship of Excellence at YorkU includes that applicants:

• Must be an international student who is required to have a Study Permit to study in Canada
• Must have applied to an undergraduate degree program at York that begins in Fall 2023
• Must have applied to York directly from high school no more than two years after graduation, and have no previous university or college studies (not applicable to Tentanda Via Award) 
• Must have an excellent academic record with a minimum “A” average or equivalent (where applicable)
• Must have demonstrated leadership through community service or excellence in the arts, sports, or other areas of individual achievement (where applicable)
• Must upload one letter of recommendation or other supporting documents as applicable
• Must ensure all required documents are shown as “Received” in the York application (MyFile), by February 1, 2023, at 11:59:59pm, Eastern Time
• Must complete and submit the online International Student Scholarship Application by February 1, 2023, at 11:59:59pm, Eastern Time

The Scholarship awarded is only tenable in any of the YorkU faculties in Canada. The faculties where the Presidential Scholarship of Excellence is tenable include the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, Faculty of Science, Lassonde School of Engineering, Schulich School of Business, Osgoode Hall Law School, Glendon College, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, and School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design.

YorkU assists students (both domestic and international students) in getting job placements on campus through its Work-Study program. Basic eligibility for the Work-Study program is being a full-time student with a minimum credit enrollment of 6-9 per term. Students are encouraged to take up a single job position to avoid interference with classes and reduce mental stress. More details can be found on the Work-Study program page.

To apply, candidates are to first submit an application for admission to YorkU after which a nine-digit York reference number would be given to them (usually within 5 working days). After applying for admission to YorkU and receiving the nine-digit York reference number, applicants can proceed to fill out the scholarship application form. The York reference number would be required when filling out the scholarship application form.

ADMISSION DEADLINE: 15 January 2023

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 1 February 2023