McGill Okòn:ra Undergraduate Award

What you will need

• ✓ Complete application form
• ✓ Enrollment in a McGill undergraduate degree program (including Bachelors, BCL&JD, MDCM, or DMD)
• ✓ Full-time course load status

About this award

You get a $5,000 award allocated annually. As a bursary, this money is yours to keep and you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are an Indigenous student pursuing an undergraduate degree at McGill University. You have three deadlines to choose from: August 1, November 1, and February 1. No specific notification timeline is posted publicly — before you start your application, check McGill University's program page or call their office to confirm when you will hear back. Selection is based on having a complete application and confirmed Indigenous affiliation. Selection criteria aren't published beyond these basics — ask McGill University how winners are chosen and roughly how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. Ask McGill University 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 this award, you must carry a full-time course load unless McGill approves a different arrangement. Note that there is a limit of $20,000 per student per degree program for the Okòn:ra Awards processed through Indspire (the national Indigenous education funding organization), which McGill monitors.

Who qualifies

You qualify if you have confirmed Indigenous affiliation and are enrolled in any undergraduate degree program at McGill University. This includes on-campus Bachelors, Law (BCL&JD — Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor), Medicine (MDCM — Doctor of Medicine), and Dentistry (DMD — Doctor of Dental Medicine). You must maintain a full-time course load unless you have approval from the university.

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.

• ✓ 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

   Submit your application

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

Tips for applying

• SupportDon't forget to coordinate with their registrar. Reach out to the McGill Indigenous office or your academic advisor to ensure your enrollment status is correctly flagged as full-time.
• StrategySince there are three separate deadlines (August 1, November 1, and February 1), do not wait until the final one. Apply during the earliest window possible to secure your funding for the upcoming term.
• RealismWhile this award is available to every qualifying student, remember the $20,000 lifetime cap per degree. Plan your long-term budget knowing that you cannot receive this specific funding indefinitely.

Questions students ask

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