Joyce Family Foundation Bursary (Milton Campus)

What you will need

• ✓ Log in to LORIS (Laurier's online student record system) and submit the application under the Student Awards and Financial Aid tab
• ✓ A 500-word personal statement detailing your resilience, determination in the face of adversity, and potential for success
• ✓ A completed full-time financial aid application (such as OSAP or Out-of-Province/Territorial Funding) on file by early July 2027
• ✓ Admission to first-year studies at Laurier's Milton campus
• ✓ For students renewing in upper years: a brief report on your involvement with student support services

About this award

You will receive a minimum of $5,000 per academic year. This is a bursary, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. You can receive this funding for a maximum total of four years. This is for you if you are a resilient student starting your first year of university at the Milton campus who can show you have faced adversity and have a strong drive to succeed. You must apply by May 4, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The application opens on January 15, 2027. Financial aid eligibility is confirmed in early fall 2027. Questions go to chooselaurier@wlu.ca with "Joyce Family Foundation Bursary at Laurier Milton Campus Question" in the subject line. Selection criteria aren't published, but the award is competitive and granted to a select number of recipients. All eligible students are considered, but first preference goes to applicants with a home address in the Halton Region. Ask Laurier's Student Awards Office 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 this award in your upper years, you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 4.0 (C-), remain a full-time student at the Milton campus, and continue to demonstrate financial need. You must also work with student support services and submit a brief report on your involvement each year before you qualify for renewal.

Who qualifies

You are eligible if you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person (someone with refugee or protected-person status in Canada). You must be starting your first year of a full-time undergraduate program at Laurier's Milton campus in fall 2027, though Bachelor of Education (BEd) programs are not eligible. You must have graduated high school within the last three years and be admitted to first-year studies; if you are admitted with advanced year standing due to transfer credits, you cannot apply. Full-time status means taking 2.0 credits per term, unless you have an approved reduced course load through your accommodation plan with Accessible Learning. You must also demonstrate financial need through a financial aid application, such as OSAP (the Ontario Student Assistance Program — the provincial and federal government's main student loan and grant system) or Out-of-Province/Territorial Funding. While all eligible students are considered, first preference for the bursary will be granted to applicants with a home address in the Halton Region.

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 protected person
• ✓ Open to undergraduate students

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

   Write your essay

   Be specific about what you did and what changed because of it. Proofread it twice.

3. 3

   Submit your application

   Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.

Tips for applying

• Personal StatementAvoid writing a general autobiography. Instead, focus your 500 words on specific personal circumstances that prove your resilience and determination when facing hard times. Describe one concrete challenge you overcame and how it prepared you for university.
• SupportAvoid ignoring the requirement to work with student services. Instead, treat the mandatory reporting as a way to show you are engaging with the campus community. Reach out to the Laurier team early to identify which support opportunities match your needs.
• StrategyAvoid waiting until the last minute to file your financial aid paperwork. Instead, ensure your OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) or territorial funding application is fully complete by early July. Since your eligibility depends on this, a late financial aid form will make you ineligible regardless of your personal statement.
• RealismAvoid assuming you will get this award just because you meet the basic bars. Instead, remember that this is a competitive program with limited funding for a select few. Apply for other entrance scholarships and bursaries as well, since this one can be combined with other awards.

Questions students ask

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