• Grad Portraits: December 1-3, 2025 

• Grad Show: April 10, 2026

A few updates for the coming year at USask.

Engineering is no longer a rolling admission, but competitive. The early admission average (Dec. 1) is a 90%, and the regular admission (Feb. 15) expected target average is around 80%.  

This is also the first year that USask will begin the Masters of Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology programs.

We are handing out one $10,000 scholarship for International Students from BC this year! https://admissions.usask.ca/money/search-awards.php?award=302517ES07

The cost of a post-secondary education is rising. An article from CBC News “Rising tuition, student debt weigh heavily on post-secondary students” (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pricedout-postsecondary-1.6378577 )states that “Canadian post-secondary students are facing ever-rising tuition, higher prices for food, housing and other necessities as well as looming debt after graduation. “(Ben Nelms/CBC). Covering those rising costs may be difficult.

Scholarships may fill the financial gap for some families. Scholarships, grants, and bursaries are types of financial assistance that you don’t have to pay back. Scholarships are typically based on merit, while grants and bursaries usually take financial need into consideration as well. Some scholarships, grants and bursaries are also based on academic achievement, athletic skill, extra-curricular involvement, or special abilities.

“Scholarships take up too much time and aren’t worth the effort”. This is a HUGE MYTH. Scholarships and bursaries are gift aid, which means they don’t accrue interest or must be repaid. There are hundreds upon hundreds of scholarship/bursary opportunities out there—from both institutional and private sources, and both merit and need-based criteria.

The more you earn in scholarship money, the less you’ll have to take out in student loans—which means you’ll graduate with less student loan debt. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Apply to every scholarship you’re eligible for, it truly is worth the time and effort. The less debt you have when you graduate, the more time you can spend saving up money or putting it to other uses.

Keep the following in mind when applying:

(1)    Start Early: Start searching and applying for scholarships ASAP. The sooner you begin, the less stress you’ll feel when things get down to the wire.

(2)    Schedule Time: Make time in your schedule to look for scholarships, and do it consistently. Make a goal for yourself, like: apply to two scholarships a week, or spend an hour on Wednesday night searching. Whatever works for you.

(3)    Essays: With proper editing, you can recycle your scholarship essays for more than one opportunity. Just be sure to tailor your response to the sponsor and that your essay isn’t too generic.

(4)    More Work, Less Competition: Scholarships that require a bit more work often frighten other students away. It still can be worthwhile to pursue these opportunities, however, as your chances for winning go up as the competition goes down.

Two relevant and important articles:

1.       Marks don’t matter: Canadian students missing out on millions in unclaimed scholarships : https://globalnews.ca/news/4184985/marks-dont-matter-canadian-students-missing-out-on-millions-in-unclaimed-scholarships/

2.       Unclaimed Scholarships in Canada in 2023: A List of Unclaimed Scholarships in Canada, plus where to find more!: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/unclaimed-scholarships-in-canada