University of Ottawa Scholarships 2027: Up to $70,000 for International Students

If you are an international student planning to start an undergraduate degree in Canada in September 2027, the University of Ottawa Scholarships 2027 deserve a close look. The University of Ottawa offers two automatic awards for international students in English-language undergraduate programmes: the International English Admission Scholarship, worth $7,500 per term and up to $60,000 over four years, and the International English Academic Excellence Scholarship, worth a further $10,000. There is no separate scholarship application for either award. You are considered automatically when you apply for admission, and the main award has no limit on the number of recipients. Fall 2027 applications opened on Thursday 17 September 2026, and the university recommends that you apply before Friday 15 January 2027.

What the Ottawa scholarships are worth

The University of Ottawa, a public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, offers two automatic, merit-based university awards for newly admitted international students in English-language undergraduate programmes, both confirmed on the university's official scholarship pages.

• International English Admission Scholarship: $7,500 per term, up to $60,000 over a four-year degree. The number of awards is unlimited. Every eligible student who is admitted receives it, and it is renewable for a maximum of 12 instalments, which is $15,000 a year off your tuition for each year of a four-year degree.
• International English Academic Excellence Scholarship: $10,000, paid as $5,000 per term. There are 100 of these awards. They are not renewable, but they can be combined with the Admission Scholarship, so a top student can receive up to $70,000 in total across the two awards.

The difference between the two awards is the grade you arrive with. The Admission Scholarship needs a minimum admission average of 80%. The Excellence Scholarship needs a minimum admission average of 95%, and only 100 are available, so the higher award is genuinely competitive while the main award is open to every eligible student who meets the bar.

Tuition coverage and living allowance

Be clear about what these awards are: they are partial, merit-based university awards and a form of international student financial aid, not a fully funded tuition grant. The money is applied directly to your tuition bill, reducing what you owe each term. The university states this plainly on its own pages: the Admission Scholarship is a significant contribution that reduces tuition fees by $15,000 per year.

What the awards do not cover matters just as much. They do not pay for housing, food, books, health insurance, travel or visa costs, and there is no separate living allowance or stipend attached to either award. You will still need to fund the balance of international tuition, plus your living costs in Ottawa, from your own resources or other funding. These are undergraduate entrance scholarships, not a graduate assistantship stipend, so there is no teaching or research-assistant job attached to them either.

The Admission Scholarship can be renewed for up to 12 instalments, but only if you stay enrolled full-time in an eligible faculty and continue to meet the renewal conditions in the award's terms of reference. The Excellence Scholarship is a one-off award paid over two terms and cannot be renewed, although it stacks with the Admission Scholarship for students who qualify for both.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for the International English Admission Scholarship, you must:

• Be an international student with a valid study permit;
• Be newly admitted for the Winter 2026 term or later in an approved English-language undergraduate programme in one of the following faculties: Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences or the Telfer School of Management;
• Have a minimum admission average of 80%;
• Not enrol in the French immersion stream; and
• Be enrolled full-time.

To be eligible for the International English Academic Excellence Scholarship, you must meet the same conditions, except that your minimum admission average must be 95% instead of 80%.

Two exclusions are worth noting. Canadian citizens with dual citizenship are not eligible, since they already qualify for Canadian tuition rates, and both scholarships are only for international students who pay international tuition fees.

The University of Ottawa is a bilingual institution, and students in French-language programmes follow a separate funding route, the Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship. This article covers the English-language awards only.

Key dates for Fall 2027 entry

• Fall 2027 applications opened: Thursday 17 September 2026
• Recommended application date: before Friday 15 January 2027 (the university recommends this date for all applicants, and it is the deadline for competitive programmes)
• Documents and test results due: by Monday 15 February 2027, or 30 days after you apply, whichever comes first
• Most programmes close to international applicants: May 2027, to allow time for study permit processing
• Programmes can close at any time once they reach capacity, so an early application is safer than a late one

There is no separate scholarship deadline, because there is no separate scholarship application. The dates that matter are the admission dates above. Note that the Winter 2027 entry deadline for international applicants, 17 October 2026, has already passed, so Fall 2027 entry in September is the live route for new international undergraduates.

How to apply: step-by-step blueprint

1. Choose an eligible English-language programme. Pick an undergraduate programme in Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences or the Telfer School of Management, and confirm its prerequisites and English-language requirements on the official programme page.
2. Apply for admission through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). International undergraduate applicants apply through OUAC. Submit your application before 15 January 2027 to be in the strongest position, and remember that competitive programmes such as most Engineering and Health Sciences programmes fill early.
3. Submit your documents quickly. Send your transcripts, predicted or final grades, and English-language test results as soon as possible, and by 15 February 2027 at the latest, or within 30 days of applying.
4. Wait for your offer of admission. The scholarships are automatic, so there is no scholarship form to fill in and no separate notification to chase. Eligible students are notified of the Admission Scholarship at the time of admission, and the award is applied directly to the tuition bill on full-time enrolment.
5. Check whether you qualify for the Excellence Scholarship. If your admission average is 95% or higher, you are in the running for one of the 100 Excellence awards worth $10,000. It is awarded automatically too, so there is nothing extra to submit.
6. Accept your offer and prepare your study permit. Once you hold an offer, accept it and start the study permit process early, since most programmes close to international applicants in May 2027 to leave time for immigration processing.

Document checklist

• Completed OUAC undergraduate application
• Official high school transcripts and predicted or final grades
• English-language proficiency test results, where required by your programme
• Passport bio-page scan
• Any additional documents your programme asks for, such as a portfolio, audition or supplementary application for competitive programmes
• Study permit application documents once you hold an offer, including your letter of acceptance and proof of funds

Visa support and planning your move

The Ottawa scholarship pages do not list a separate visa fund, so do not budget as if visa or travel costs are covered. Once you hold an offer of admission, apply for your Canadian study permit early. Processing times vary by country, and you will need your letter of acceptance, proof of funds for the remaining tuition and living costs, and your passport.

Common pitfalls and disqualification factors

• Applying late and finding your programme full. Programmes can close at any time once they reach capacity, and most close to international applicants in May 2027. A late application can cost you both the place and the scholarship.
• Submitting an incomplete admission file. Documents that arrive after the 15 February 2027 date, or more than 30 days after you apply, can keep your file out of scholarship consideration entirely.
• Enrolling in the French immersion stream. The English awards exclude the French immersion stream, so check your stream before you apply.
• Assuming dual citizens can claim the award. Canadian citizens with dual citizenship pay domestic tuition and are not eligible for these international awards.
• Counting on the awards to cover everything. These are partial tuition awards. Budget for the balance of tuition, housing, food, books, health insurance and flights.
• Waiting for a scholarship form that does not exist. There is no separate application. If you are waiting for a form to open, you are losing time that should go into your admission application.

Frequently asked questions

What average is required for the University of Ottawa Scholarships 2027?

The International English Admission Scholarship requires a minimum admission average of 80%. The International English Academic Excellence Scholarship requires a minimum admission average of 95%. These are admission averages assessed on your high school results at the time of admission, not a GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Do the Ottawa scholarships cover living expenses?

No. Both awards reduce your tuition fees only. The Admission Scholarship is worth $7,500 per term, up to $60,000 over four years, and the Excellence Scholarship adds $10,000. Housing, food, books, health insurance, travel and visa costs remain your responsibility.

Can I apply for the Ottawa scholarships without an application fee?

There is no separate scholarship fee, and no separate scholarship application at all. You are considered automatically when you apply for admission. The admission application itself, made through OUAC, carries its own application fee.

Is there a separate application for these scholarships?

No. Both the International English Admission Scholarship and the International English Academic Excellence Scholarship are awarded automatically to eligible students on admission. Your only task is to submit a strong, complete admission application before the recommended date of 15 January 2027.

Two awards, up to $70,000 in combined value, and no separate form for either of them. The University of Ottawa Scholarships 2027 reward students who get a strong, complete admission file in early. Apply before 15 January 2027, keep your documents in by 15 February 2027, and if your average is 95% or higher, the $10,000 Excellence award is in play on top of the $60,000 Admission Scholarship.

Official links

• University of Ottawa: Scholarships for international students studying in English (award values, eligibility and renewal conditions)
• University of Ottawa: Application deadlines for undergraduate studies (Fall 2027 recommended date 15 January 2027, documents by 15 February 2027)
• University of Ottawa: Scholarships and awards overview (full list of awards, including the French-language route)

Details verified against the official University of Ottawa scholarship and application deadlines pages on 6 November 2026. Award values, deadlines and requirements can change, so always confirm them on the official pages before you apply.