Scholarships, grants, and bursaries are available to both international students and Canadian students, often at the postgraduate level. They provide funds to students that do not need to be paid back. Scholarship funding in Canada is limited and highly competitive.

Many Canadian universities and a few colleges have a limited number of scholarships or other forms of financial assistance for international students. These vary from institution to institution and many of these are administered only to incoming international students.

In some cases, international students are automatically considered for these entrance scholarships and awards when they apply to the university. In other cases, scholarships are competitive and students must apply by a specific deadline, or the award may only be open to students who have already received acceptance from the university.

Some Awards and Scholarships available to International Students:

• Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program
• Canada Asia-Pacific Awards
• Professional Development Awards
• The Pearson Fellowship
• Conference Travel Assistance Program
• Doctoral Student Research Award
• International Research Linkages
• Doctoral Research Award: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program
• Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships Program
• Visiting Fellowships in Canadian Government Laboratories Program
• Research Development Initiatives
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program
• Sauvé Scholars Program
• Trudeau Fellowships
• Trudeau Scholarships
• Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research
• CIHR Fellowship
• Research Associate Program

Financial assistance for international students
Bursaries ranging from $500 to $1,000 are also sometimes available for undergraduate international students who demonstrate financial need and reasonable academic standing. Bursaries may be given out as emergency assistance for basic educational expenses if the student's original financial sources have fallen through.