Mcgill University Major Entrance Scholarships 2027 In Canada: Up To Cad 10,000 Per Year For International First-year Undergraduates

McGill University Major Entrance Scholarships 2027 in Canada: Up to CAD 10,000 Per Year for International First-Year Undergraduates

Applications are now open for the McGill University Major Entrance Scholarships 2027, the merit-based entrance awards offered by McGill University in Montreal, Canada, to outstanding students starting a full-time undergraduate degree in Fall 2027. If you are an international student applying from a school outside Canada, this is one of the most straightforward merit routes into one of Canada's best-known universities — but it has a trap: the scholarship deadline is separate from the admission deadline, and it comes just days later.

What does the scholarship cover?

McGill's Major Entrance Scholarships are valued at CAD 3,000, CAD 5,000, CAD 10,000 or CAD 12,000 per year, renewable for up to three or four years provided the renewal criteria are met. That means a Major Entrance Scholarship can be worth between CAD 12,000 and CAD 48,000 in total over the course of a degree, depending on the award level and programme length.

There is one important limit for international applicants to note: the CAD 12,000-per-year scholarships are only available to Canadian citizens or legal permanent residents of Canada. For international students, the highest Major Entrance Scholarship level is therefore CAD 10,000 per year — up to CAD 40,000 over four years.

This is a partial funding award, not a full scholarship. It does not cover full tuition, housing or living costs, so successful applicants will still need to plan for the remaining costs of studying at McGill, including tuition, residence, books and personal expenses.

McGill also offers a separate one-year Entrance Scholarship, valued at CAD 3,000 and non-renewable. Every applicant to a McGill undergraduate degree programme is automatically considered for the one-year scholarship, provided they meet the minimum academic requirements — no separate application is needed for that award. Students who apply for a Major Entrance Scholarship but do not receive one are automatically considered for a one-year entrance scholarship.

Who can apply? Eligibility requirements

To be considered for a McGill Major Entrance Scholarship for Fall 2027, you must:

• Be a first-time university student entering a full-time undergraduate degree programme at McGill University in Fall 2027
• Be applying for admission to McGill as an undergraduate — transfer, mature, diploma, exchange, special, part-time and visiting students are not eligible for entrance scholarships
• Meet McGill's minimum academic requirements for entrance scholarships, as published on the university's official entrance scholarships page
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership in school or community activities, in addition to academic excellence — McGill states that academic excellence is the first priority, followed by demonstrated leadership, and that leadership means more than simple participation in extracurricular activities

International students are eligible. McGill's entrance scholarships are offered to first-time undergraduate students regardless of citizenship, subject to the CAD 12,000 award restriction for Canadian citizens and permanent residents noted above.

Please note that, effective Fall 2026, CEGEP students admitted to McGill's BCL/JD (Law), Dent-P (Dentistry) or Med-P (Medicine) programmes are no longer eligible for McGill's centrally-administered entrance scholarships. Applicants to those programmes only will not have access to the Major Entrance Scholarship application. Check the official eligibility page carefully if this applies to you.

How to apply: step-by-step

1. Apply for admission to a full-time undergraduate degree programme at McGill University for Fall 2027 through the Undergraduate Admissions Applicant Portal. For applicants studying, or who last studied, at an overseas or U.S. high school, college or university, the Fall 2027 admission application deadline is 15 January 2027.
2. As soon as you have submitted your application for admission, submit the separate Major Entrance Scholarship application on the Undergraduate Admissions Applicant Portal. Do not wait to be admitted before applying — McGill explicitly warns applicants not to wait for an admission decision.
3. Major Entrance Scholarship applications open on 1 October. Complete the separate scholarship application in the portal, following the instructions and deadlines shown there, and check whether you meet the published minimum academic requirements.
4. Submit your Major Entrance Scholarship application by the deadline for your school location (see below). McGill states that the scholarship deadline does not change even if you have been granted permission to submit a late admission application.
5. Wait for the selection committees' decisions. Major Entrance Scholarships are determined by selection committees on the basis of academic achievement and outstanding leadership.

The most common mistake with this scholarship is treating the admission deadline as the scholarship deadline. They are different dates, and missing the scholarship deadline means missing Major Entrance Scholarship consideration, even if your admission application was on time.

Deadline and key dates

• Major Entrance Scholarship applications open: 1 October 2026
• Fall 2027 admission application deadline (overseas and U.S. applicants): 15 January 2027
• Major Entrance Scholarship deadline — applicants from a school outside Canada: 21 January 2027
• Major Entrance Scholarship deadline — applicants from a school in Ontario and the rest of Canada: 7 February 2027
• Major Entrance Scholarship deadline — applicants from a school in Quebec: 7 March 2027
• Study starts: Fall 2027 (September 2027)

If you are an international applicant applying from a school outside Canada, treat 21 January 2027 as your scholarship deadline — and 15 January 2027 as the admission deadline you must meet first.

Why this scholarship is worth applying for

A renewable award of up to CAD 10,000 per year for international students is a meaningful reduction in the cost of a McGill degree, and it comes with further benefits: McGill states that entrance scholarship awardees entering in September are guaranteed one of their top three choices of residence building, provided they apply by the residence application deadline, and are eligible for priority registration for their first year of study. Recipients of the CAD 10,000 Prestige scholarships are also invited to join McGill's Prestige Scholars mentorship programme.

Meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee an entrance scholarship offer — awards are competitive and decided by selection committees — but a strong academic record combined with genuine leadership in school or community life puts you in contention. The application itself costs nothing extra beyond the admission application, so if McGill is already on your list, there is every reason to submit the separate scholarship application on time.

Official links

• McGill University entrance scholarships for future undergraduates: https://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/scholarships-aid/future-undergrads/entrance-scholarships
• McGill Scholarships and Student Aid tip sheet — scholarships and bursaries (deadlines and award values): https://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/files/studentaid/tip_sheet_-_scholarships_and_bursaries.pdf

Always confirm the current deadline, eligibility and award terms on McGill University's official pages before you apply, as the university may update them.