Simon Fraser University · Institutional
SFU Entrance Scholarships and Awards (Open / Major Entrance / Spirit of SFU)
About this award
Simon Fraser University's entrance scholarships for incoming undergraduate students at the Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver campuses. Separate streams for high-school direct entrants and post-secondary transfer students; dedicated Indigenous Entrance Awards. Most are automatic on admission; a subset require supplementary applications.
Simon Fraser University runs a multi-tier entrance scholarship program managed by the SFU Financial Aid and Awards office. The system distinguishes between high-school direct applicants and transfer applicants from BC colleges or other post-secondary institutions, with each path having its own awards. Notable streams include the SFU Open Scholarship (broad merit-based entrance funding), the Major Entrance Scholarship (named higher-tier awards, often donor-funded), and the Spirit of SFU entrance package (combines merit with engagement / leadership signals). SFU also operates a dedicated Indigenous Scholarships and Awards stream including Indigenous Entrance Awards for incoming students, Bursaries and Work-Study, and an Entrance Award programme — all listed in a separate Indigenous funding section so the awards are easy to find. Most entrance awards are automatic — your SFU admission application is the entry — and selection is based on academic record plus, for some awards, a Personal Statement or short-answer responses. A subset of named donor awards require a separate application with its own deadline; check the current cycle's entrance scholarships page in late fall for the supplementary forms.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident or International — citizenship requirement
- Undergraduate — study level
- Resident of BC — provincial eligibility
How to apply
Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour
Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.
Request your official transcript1–2 weeks
Order through your school registrar — allow 1–2 weeks.
Draft and revise your essays~10 hours
Use the STAR framework. Be specific, show impact, proofread twice.
Submit by No deadline~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
Apply to SFU by the standard January 31 admission deadline (verify the current cycle on SFU's dates page) so your file enters the entrance award review pool automatically.
Take any short-answer / Personal Statement requirements seriously — for awards beyond the basic Open Scholarship, these directly affect outcomes.
If you are a transfer student from a BC college, ask SFU Financial Aid and Awards specifically about transfer-stream entrance awards — these are sometimes overlooked because the transfer-student materials are organized separately from the high-school-direct materials.
Indigenous applicants should look specifically at the Indigenous Scholarships and Awards section, which includes entrance awards distinct from the general competition.