Faculty-Specific Achievement Award

What you will need

• ✓ No formal application required (automatic award)
• ✓ Full-time registration in the fall term
• ✓ Final admission grades submitted via OUAC (the Ontario Universities' Application Centre)

About this award

Depending on your faculty, you will receive an award of $1,000 for Humanities or Social Sciences, or $500 for the Honours Health Sciences Program, Nursing, or Midwifery. As a scholarship, this money is yours to keep — there is nothing to repay. This is for you if you are a high-achieving high school student starting your very first undergraduate degree and want your academic success recognized financially. No application deadline is posted because these are automatic awards. You will likely know if your offer changes between the end of August and mid-September, after McMaster University recalculates averages using final grades from OUAC (the Ontario Universities' Application Centre — the central system used to apply to Ontario universities). Winners are chosen automatically based on your final admission average. Selection criteria are managed by your specific faculty, and you will be awarded the funds if you meet the required percentage cut-off for your program. Your scholarship is automatically credited to your student account to pay any fees you owe. This happens in mid-September, after the add/drop deadline (the final date you can change your courses without penalty). To keep this award, you must register as a full-time student in the fall term. Since this is an entrance award, renewal conditions aren't listed — confirm with McMaster University if there are any requirements for subsequent years.

Who qualifies

You must be admitted full-time to McMaster University on the basis of high school admission requirements and be entering Level 1 of your first baccalaureate degree program in September 2027. You must meet the following minimum final admission averages for your faculty: - Humanities: 90% – 93.99% (for both 2026-27 and 2027-28) - Social Sciences: 90% – 92.99% (2026-27) or 90% – 93.9% (2027-28) - Honours Health Sciences Program: 93% – 97.99% (for both 2026-27 and 2027-28) - Nursing: 91% – 92.99% (for both 2026-27 and 2027-28) - Midwifery: 91% – 92.99% (for both 2026-27 and 2027-28) You can only receive either the McMaster University Entrance Award or this Faculty-specific Achievement Award. If your final grades increase and place you in the top 10% of your incoming class, you may be eligible for the McMaster University Award of Excellence instead.

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 Humanities, Social Sciences, Honours Health Sciences Program, Nursing or Midwifery

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

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• GradesAvoid treating a conditional offer as final. Instead, focus on maintaining or increasing your final course grades. Ensure your final transcripts are sent correctly through OUAC (the Ontario Universities' Application Centre) so your average is recalculated accurately.
• SupportAvoid ignoring the Undergraduate Calendar. Instead, read the terms and regulations for entrance awards listed there. This ensures you understand the rules regarding how automatic awards interact with other bursaries.
• StrategyAvoid applying for this specific award manually. Instead, monitor your student account and admission portal. Because this is an automatic award, your best strategy is to maximize your admission average.
• RealismAvoid counting on the exact dollar amount until you receive a final offer. Instead, remember that conditional offers can be adjusted or cancelled if your final grades drop below the faculty cut-off.

Questions students ask

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