What is the Schulich Builders Scholarship?

Schulich Builders is a privately funded scholarship program for students entering full-time skilled trades programs at one of 12 participating Ontario colleges. The award is up to $40,000 ($20,000 per year for two-year diploma programs, or $20,000 total for one-year certificate programs). 120 scholarships are awarded across all 12 colleges each year.

Which colleges participate?

Georgian, Cambrian, Sheridan, Mohawk, George Brown, Centennial, Humber, Loyalist, Algonquin, Conestoga, Fanshawe, and Durham. The 2026 round, for students starting in fall 2026, has closed. If you plan to start a trades program at one of these colleges, check its Schulich Builders page when the next round opens.

What are the deadlines for 2026?

Deadlines varied by college in the 2026 round, from April 5 (Algonquin) to June 30 (Fanshawe and George Brown). Cambrian, Humber and Mohawk closed May 30. Centennial, Conestoga, Durham, Georgian and Sheridan closed May 31. Loyalist closed June 29. The 2027 dates are not posted yet, so verify with your specific college's scholarship page. All 2026 winners were notified by July 31.

In the 2026 round, you had to be a Canadian citizen enrolling in a full-time, eligible one-year certificate or two-year diploma trades program at a participating college starting in fall 2026. Check the rules for the next round when it opens. Eligible programs are listed on each college's Schulich Builders page. The program varies by college but generally includes carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, welding, automotive service, machining, and some specialized trades. If you are an apprentice, ask the college whether your program counts, because the award is for full-time one-year certificate and two-year diploma programs.

Can I stack this with OSAP or other awards?

Mostly yes, but Schulich Builders is large enough that you need to check the math. External scholarship income is exempt from OSAP up to Ontario's per-year threshold (verify the current number with your school's financial aid office, as it changes year-to-year). A $20K/year Schulich Builders award is likely above that exemption, so part of it may be considered in your OSAP needs assessment. The award does NOT reduce other external scholarships. And Conestoga's internal awards are under review during the May 2026 provincial administration, but external awards like Schulich Builders are completely independent of any college-level disruption.

Is there a high school GPA cutoff?

The trades program itself may have a minimum admission average, so check with your college. The application asks about financial need, your commitment to the trade and community involvement, and includes a personal essay, so put effort into every part.

Schulich Builders $40,000 Trades Award

The 2026 to 2027 Schulich Builders round has closed. College deadlines ran from April 5 to June 30, 2026. The award is worth $20,000 for a one-year certificate or $40,000 for a two-year diploma, and it supports tuition, tools and living costs. It goes to Canadian citizens starting a full time skilled trades programme at one of 12 Ontario colleges. No date has been set for the next round. If you want it, note the official site is schulichbuilders.com and check back when it reopens.

The award is called Schulich Builders. It's funded by the Schulich Foundation. 120 awards are issued every year across 12 participating Ontario colleges. It generally combines with OSAP and other scholarships (with the usual OSAP exemption-threshold caveat — see the FAQ at the bottom). Deadlines varied by college in the 2026 round. The soonest one was Algonquin College on April 5.

What the 2026 round looked like

The 2027 dates are not set yet. Here is how the 2026 round ran, so you can see where in the year it falls:

Algonquin College: April 5
Cambrian, Humber and Mohawk: May 30
Centennial, Conestoga, Durham, Georgian and Sheridan: May 31
Loyalist College: June 29
Fanshawe and George Brown: June 30
All winners confirmed: by July 31

If you get admitted to a trades program at one of these colleges, applying costs you nothing but time, and the award is worth up to $40,000.

The 12 participating colleges

Georgian, Cambrian, Sheridan, Mohawk, George Brown Polytechnic, Centennial, Humber Polytechnic, Loyalist, Algonquin, Conestoga, Fanshawe, and Durham. If your acceptance letter is from one of these, you're potentially in.

A note on Conestoga specifically: the college is under provincial administration as of May 7, 2026, but Schulich Builders is administered by the Schulich Foundation and Conestoga's college-level board change does not affect this external award. The 2026 round has closed (winners were due to be confirmed by July 31, 2026), so Conestoga students should check the college's Schulich Builders page for the next round.

What the application actually asks for

Each college's process is slightly different but the core ask is consistent across all of them. You'll need:

Proof of admission to an eligible trades program starting in the fall the round covers
A short personal essay (typically 500-800 words) on why you're entering the trades and what you bring to it
One or two reference letters (depending on college). A high school teacher, a trade mentor, a community leader, or a current employer all count
A demonstrated financial need declaration
Some colleges ask for evidence of community involvement or volunteer work

Put real work into the essay. Compare a general line like "I've always wanted to be a plumber" with a specific one like "I spent three summers helping my uncle re-wire houses and I'm taking electrician at Mohawk because I want to do industrial controls in mining specifically and I want a co-op placement in Sudbury."

What makes a strong essay

In your essay, try to show:

Specific evidence you've already engaged with the trade in some form (summer job, family business, shop class portfolio, apprentice hours, volunteer build day, anything)
A clear reason this particular trade fits you, not just "the trades pay well"
Evidence of grit or follow-through (a multi-year commitment to anything counts: a sport, a band, a job, a community group)
A specific career path you're heading toward, even if it changes later

Write it yourself, in your own words, and be specific.

Stack this with other money

Here's what makes the Schulich Builders math even better. If you win the $40,000, it doesn't replace your federal Canada Student Grants. It doesn't replace your provincial apprenticeship grants if your program qualifies. The interaction with OSAP is nuanced (see FAQ), but for a typical Ontario student the realistic stack still includes federal grants and provincial trades-specific bursaries on top.

For a Cambrian student in the millwright program, the realistic stack looks like:

Up to $40,000 from Schulich Builders over two years
A portion of OSAP funding (some reduction is possible if Schulich exceeds the annual exemption threshold)
Federal apprenticeship program supports announced this spring (check the program page for current amounts)
Provincial apprenticeship loan-forgiveness or completion-bonus programs depending on your trade

It's plausible to finish a two-year millwright diploma with significantly reduced debt if you stack aggressively. The Schulich Builders application is worth putting first in that stack.

How to apply when it reopens

Step 1: get nominated. In the 2026 round, Ontario high schools could nominate up to five students and community organizations up to ten, and nominees then got an email invitation from Schulich Builders to apply. Then pick the participating college you've been admitted to and go to its Schulich Builders page. Most are linked from the colleges' financial aid pages, but the central index is at schulichbuilders.com.

Step 2: fill in the online application form for your specific college. It's typically one form per college. If you've applied to multiple participating colleges, you can apply to Schulich Builders at each one separately.

Step 3: draft the essay. Don't write it in the form. Write it in a doc, leave it alone for 24 hours, come back, cut 30% of the words, then paste it in.

Step 4: line up your references early. Give them at least a week of notice and remind them of one specific story you'd like them to mention.

Step 5: submit at least 48 hours before the deadline. A last-minute technical problem could cost you the deadline.

Other awards worth knowing about

A few other Canadian funding deadlines land around the same part of the year:

Indspire Building Brighter Futures (Indigenous students): three deadlines every year, on August 1, November 1 and February 1
Indspire Trans Mountain Excellence Scholarship (Indigenous students, high-demand fields): $25,000 × 8 awards, the 2026 round closed August 1
Rick & Amanda Hansen Scholarship: the 2026 round closed May 15

If you're a trades student, put the Schulich Builders application at the top of your list when the round reopens. If you're also Indigenous, add Indspire to your list. If you're at a non-participating college, scroll to the next section.

If you're not eligible for Schulich Builders

Plenty of other trades-specific scholarships exist for Canadian students. The fastest way to find what fits your specific program and location is to take the 2-minute eligibility quiz. It compares your answers with our live scholarship list and returns a list of awards that may fit you. Or browse trades-specific scholarships directly.

The new federal apprenticeship program announced this spring funds the apprenticeship cycle separately and has no connection to Schulich Builders. Most provinces also run their own apprenticeship loan-forgiveness or completion-bonus programs.

Sources we used

Last updated 2026-08-31.