World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
Tuition, fees, and first-year living costs covered by the host campus through the WUSC Student Refugee Program if you are a refugee youth selected for a Canadian sponsorship — host campuses each set their own deadlines.
Published by G Paul · last checked May 2, 2026
The Student Refugee Program (SRP) is Canada's oldest refugee-education resettlement pathway. Run by World University Service of Canada (WUSC), it is the only program in the world that combines refugee resettlement with university or college admission — you arrive in Canada as a permanent resident, ready to start studying. WUSC, founded in 1957 as one of Canada's first non-profit international development organizations, launched the SRP in 1978 with a single placement at Carleton University. Today, the program supports more than 150 students per year through more than 100 partner Canadian university, college, and CEGEP campuses, and has resettled over 2,500 young refugees across its history. The funding model is unusual and worth understanding: each Canadian campus that joins the SRP raises money through a small per-student levy that the local student union votes on. Those campus levies then cover your tuition and first-year living costs after you arrive. WUSC is an official Sponsorship Agreement Holder with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which is why students arrive directly as permanent residents rather than as study-permit holders. The first year is fully covered by your host campus. After that, you are a regular permanent resident with full access to provincial student aid (OSAP, AFE, and equivalents), provincial bursaries, and the broader Canadian funding ecosystem. You cannot apply directly. WUSC selects candidates through partner organizations in countries hosting large refugee populations — typically through UNHCR-referred lists. Ask WUSC at srp.wusc.ca to confirm the current intake countries and selection timeline.
Refugees living abroad, typically aged 17-25 with English or French proficiency. Must be accepted by a partner Canadian university or college through the WUSC sponsorship application. Each host campus has its own selection committee and deadline.
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.
Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.
We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.
Use the Apply on the official site button on this page: it opens the official application page in a new tab.
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) gives the deadline as "Annual cycle (host campuses each set their own deadline)". Check their page for this year's date.
No. You need to be a protected person or refugee.
FundMyCourse.ca · checked May 2, 2026
Annual cycle (host campuses each set their own deadline)
Tuition + first-year living costs (campus-funded)
fundmycourse.ca/scholarships/wusc-student-refugee-program