Financial Assistance for First year First Generation Students

What you will need

• ✓ Submit an admission bursary application
• ✓ Self-identify as a first-generation student within the bursary application

About this award

You will receive a minimum financial assistance of $2,000. As a bursary, this money is yours to keep — there is nothing to repay. This is for you if you are a first-generation student, meaning neither of your parents attended any college or university, whether full or part-time, in Canada or abroad. The 2026-27 Admission Bursary application deadline has passed. If you missed it, you can still apply for bursary consideration using the Financial Assistance Application that becomes available by the end of August through the Student Center. This is not a competition: Western offers at least $2,000 to every first-generation applicant who meets these conditions. Ask Western University (Office of the Registrar) 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. Renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with Western University (Office of the Registrar) whether it's one-time or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

To qualify, you must be a first-generation applicant, which means your parents have not attended any post-secondary studies (including college and university, full or part-time, in or outside of Canada). You must be admitted in September 2026 directly from high school to any first-year undergraduate program at the Western Main Campus. Additionally, you must be receiving a government student loan.

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 or permanent resident
• ✓ Open to high school or undergraduate students
• ✓ Studying Arts and Humanities, Engineering, Kinesiology, Health Science, Nursing, Food and Nutrition, Family Studies & Human Development, Media and Communications Studies, Music, Science, Computer Science, Medical Science, Social Science, MOS, Medicine, Law, Dentistry or Business

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

• Self-IdentificationAvoid leaving the first-generation section of your application blank. Instead, explicitly self-identify as a first-generation student in the bursary application to ensure you are flagged for this specific funding.
• SupportAvoid guessing if your parents' previous schooling counts. Instead, double-check if they ever enrolled in any part-time or full-time college or university programs anywhere in the world before you claim first-generation status.
• StrategyAvoid waiting for the admission bursary window to reopen. Instead, prepare to submit the general Financial Assistance Application through the Student Center as soon as it opens in late August.
• RealismAvoid assuming this is your only source of aid. Instead, look into the Out of Province Guarantee or other need-based awards at Western University (Office of the Registrar) to maximize your total funding package.

Questions students ask

Similar awards

• University of Toronto (Rotman Commerce)U of T International Scholar Award — Rotman Commerce$100,000
• McMaster University — Faculty of EngineeringClass of 1952 Mel Hawkrigg Honour Award$4,500
• BC Ministry of Education and Child CarePathway to Teacher Education Scholarship$5,000
• Gouvernement du Québec — Aide financière aux étudesAFE Loans and Bursaries Program (Programme de prêts et bourses)$14,000
• Toronto Metropolitan University - The Creative School / Shure Inc.Shure Award for Excellence in Sound Design (Image Arts)$5,000
• Calgary FoundationShannon Burwash Award for Leadership and Excellence in Equine, Agri-Business and/or Agricultural Studies$5,000
• University of SaskatchewanUniversity of Saskatchewan Entrance Scholarship (Best and Brightest)$30,000
• University of British Columbia — Vantage CollegeVantage One Excellence Award