University of Alberta · National
CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards
About this award
CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards — one of the awards funded by University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards for Indigenous students, administered through Indspire's Building Brighter Futures Bursaries & Scholarships portal. Specific eligibility and award amount details are not posted as a dedicated block on the public Indspire sponsor page; apply via the central Indspire portal and consult Indspire / University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards for full criteria.
CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards is one of the Indigenous-student awards funded by University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards and administered through Indspire's Building Brighter Futures Bursaries & Scholarships program. Indspire is the largest non-government funder of Indigenous post-secondary education in Canada — every Indspire award uses one consolidated student application, evaluated against all 360+ Indspire funding pools (including this one). The award is open to Indigenous (First Nations status / non-status, Inuit, or Métis) students; specific eligibility criteria for CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards (program level, field of study, school, year, GPA threshold, residency, or community-of-origin requirements) are not posted as a dedicated block on the public indspirefunding.ca sponsor page — students should consult Indspire and University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards directly for the full criteria before applying. Three Indspire deadlines per year (August 1, November 1, February 1) cover fall, winter, and spring entry cycles; one application is good for any deadline you select. Sibling awards funded by the same University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards sponsorship include: CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Resilience Graduate Awards; University of Alberta MD Program Indigenous Entrance Scholarships; University of Alberta – Indspire Indigenous Sport and Recreation Graduate Certificate Awards. See those entries on FundMyCourse.ca.
Can you get it?
- Indigenous — citizenship requirement
- Post Secondary — study level
- Resident of AB — provincial eligibility
How to apply
Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour
Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.
Request your official transcript1–2 weeks
Order through your school registrar — allow 1–2 weeks.
Collect reference letters2 weeks
Give your referees at least two weeks' notice and share your résumé.
Draft and revise your essays~10 hours
Use the STAR framework. Be specific, show impact, proofread twice.
Submit by Aug 1, 2026~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
Apply through Indspire's Building Brighter Futures Bursaries & Scholarships portal at indspire.ca — one consolidated application is matched against this award and 360+ other Indspire funding pools.
Three deadlines per year (August 1, November 1, February 1) — pick the cycle aligned with your fall, winter, or spring term.
Because the public Indspire page does not post CIBC-University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards's specific eligibility as a dedicated block, contact Indspire (1-855-INDSPIRE) or University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards directly before applying to confirm you meet the criteria — saves you a wasted submission.
FundMyCourse.ca lists the related sibling awards funded by University of Alberta Indigenous Scholars Awards as separate entries — check those for adjacent pools you may also qualify for.