Environment Faculty Entrance Scholarships and Bursaries

What you will need

• ✓ Completed Faculty of Environment scholarship application form
• ✓ Accepted Offer of Admission by the specified date (for automatic awards)
• ✓ For the Planning Class of 1995, UWPAT, Steve Plaice Memorial and John Horton Memorial scholarships: must be an incoming Planning student
• ✓ Nothing extra to send for automatic awards — Waterloo reviews your marks available in early May

About this award

Funding varies by award. You could receive one of five Dean of Environment's Scholarships of Excellence at $7,500, the Jean Andrey Environment Leadership Scholarship at $7,500, or one of up to 10 Student Engagement Awards valued at $4,000 each. Automatic entrance awards range from $1,000 to $6,000 based on your admission average. If your admission average is 95% or higher, you can also claim a $1,500 International Experience Award and/or a $1,500 Research Award in your upper years if you complete your first year with at least an 80% average. These are scholarships and bursaries, not loans, so you do not have to pay them back. This is for you if you are an incoming student starting your first year of full-time undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Environment, particularly those with strong academic records or a history of community leadership and sustainability work. For the main Faculty of Environment scholarships, the deadline for students starting in 2026 has passed, and the form will reopen in the fall for those starting in 2027. Planning-only awards have a deadline of April 12, 2026. You will be notified via email before the end of May if you are successful. For automatic awards, you will receive a letter with your Offer of Admission. Recipients are selected based on academic excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to the environment, often proven through volunteer or extracurricular activities. Some awards are granted automatically based on your early May admission average. Selection criteria for the named memorial scholarships aren't published — ask University of Waterloo how winners are chosen and roughly how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. If you qualify for an automatic award, you will receive instructions in August via email on how to use the funds to pay your tuition fees. For other awards, ask University of Waterloo during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. To keep automatic awards, you must accept your Offer of Admission by the date specified on the offer. To claim the $1,500 International Experience or Research Awards in later years (part of the 95%-or-higher package), you must complete your first year with at least an 80% average. Other renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with University of Waterloo whether it's one-time or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

You must be an incoming student entering full-time first-year studies in the Faculty of Environment. For automatic awards, you must be beginning post-secondary studies for the first time in Fall 2026. Specific thresholds for automatic funding are: an admission average of 95% or higher for the $6,000 total package; 90 to 94.9% for the $3,000 total package (including the President's Scholarship); and 85 to 89.9% for the $1,000 Merit Entrance Scholarship. The Planning Class of 1995 Entrance Scholarship, UWPAT Entrance Scholarship, Steve Plaice Memorial Scholarship and John Horton Memorial Scholarship are only for incoming Planning students.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Canadian citizen, permanent resident or international student
• ✓ Open to high school students
• ✓ Studying Environment or Planning

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   This round closed on April 12, 2026

   Check the award's official page for the next round before you prepare anything.

Tips for applying

• Community LeadershipAvoid just listing the organizations where you volunteered. Instead, describe the specific impact your sustainability-related activities had on your community. Write about one project where your leadership led to a measurable result.
• StrategyAvoid filling out separate forms for every award. Instead, use the single application form provided by the Faculty of Environment, as one submission considers you for all applicable awards. Double-check that you have listed all your extracurriculars in one place.
• RealismAvoid assuming an automatic award is yours just by meeting the percentage. Instead, remember that you must formally accept your Offer of Admission by the specified date to remain eligible. Mark that deadline on your calendar immediately.

Questions students ask

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