External Scholar Programs
The University of Alberta is pleased to support UAlberta students who intend to pursue graduate studies through partnerships with prestigious scholarship organizations. The prestigious scholarships are to support students looking to pursue graduate studies at either the University of Oxford or McGill University.
Rhodes Scholarship
Scholarship Details
The Rhodes Scholarship supports 103 exceptional students from around the world to study at the University of Oxford, in England. Each year, 11 students from across six regions in Canada are selected, including three students from the prairies region. Since inception, the University of Alberta has been fortunate to have had 76 of its students selected, including eight since 2015.
Value: The Rhodes scholarship covers tuition and application fees at Oxford, a personal stipend, and economy-class airfare to the U.K. from Canada at the beginning and end of the scholarship. For more information, see the Rhodes Trust website.
Eligibility
This competition is open to any University of Alberta student who will have completed a bachelor's degree by the time the study period at Oxford commences.
The Rhodes Scholarship is an internationally competitive program: in addition to the basic eligibility requirements, candidates must demonstrate exceptional academic and leadership achievements.
Please visit the Rhodes Scholarships for Canada website to see the complete list of eligibility requirements for the competition. To be a successful applicant, we encourage you to read the Information for Candidates document.
While the program seeks to recruit a diverse array of applicants and abilities, most successful candidates exhibit a combination of the following traits:
- Outstanding academic achievement
- Demonstrated leadership skills and experience
- Extra-curricular involvement
- Passion, empathy, energy, commitment, and drive
How to Apply
In order to apply to the Rhodes competition, your application must first be reviewed by a University of Alberta selection committee, then forwarded to the President for endorsement. Only once you have been formally endorsed by the university can you apply to the Rhodes competition.
Note: the following application timeline is for the study period commencing October 2025.
Deadlines:
- Any eligible applications submitted on or before July 30 will be reviewed and receive feedback from a U of A Rhodes Scholarship Review Committee, with the opportunity to provide additional information for their application before it is endorsed by the Office of the President.
- Any eligible applications submitted between July 31 and August 15 will be forwarded to the Office of the President for endorsement without additional feedback from the Review Committee.
- All applications are due on August 15.
Submit the academic statement of study, personal statement and Curriculum Vitae you will use for your Rhodes application via Awards Hub!
Your academic statement of study is 350 words or less should tell the committee the reasons you wish to study at Oxford, what your chosen course(s) of study are, and how this fits into your academic trajectory. You may wish to explain how you hope to be stretched academically at the University of Oxford, and any academic support you imagine might be helpful. Demonstrate that you are able to at a minimum meet or exceed the specific entry and other academic requirements of the course(s) you have chosen. Tell us how you are prepared for the course(s) academically and otherwise.
If you wish to undertake a DPhil, provide a brief outline of your proposed research area, how it contributes to your future career plans, and list both the Department in which you propose to undertake your research and one or more researchers with whom you would like to work with in Oxford.
Your Personal Statement should, in 1000 words or less, tell your story in your own voice and cast an overarching narrative for the selection committee. Please address each of the following prompts (the word allocation across the three is up to you):
- Tell us how you overcame a challenge in your life. Which Rhodes Scholar character qualities did you draw from? What did you learn from the experience?
- What would you like to learn from and contribute to the Rhodes community in Oxford?
- From your place in the world, how will you use your energy and talents to address humanity’s pressing challenges
Your CV/résumé should include your principal commitments and honors while at university, including scholarships, prizes, awards, leadership positions, athletic record, and extracurricular activities, as well as any other accomplishments. This should not exceed two A4 (12pt) pages in length, with a minimum 12 pt font. More information on each of these components can be found in the Information for Candidates document and the Application Overview webpage.
Deadline: September 27, 2024
Deadline for Referees: October 4, 2024
The application form can be found on the Rhodes website.
You can start filling out a Rhodes application at any time during the application period, but you will not be able to submit it until you receive the endorsement and authorization code.
If you receive endorsement from the President, the Office of the Registrar will contact you by no later than September 13 with the necessary authorization code in order for you to submit your application to Rhodes.
The Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee will select applicants to proceed to regional interviews, which will take place in November 2024. Successful Rhodes Scholars will be announced at the regional interviews.
McCall MacBain Scholarship
The McCall MacBain Scholarship is Canada’s first comprehensive, leadership-driven scholarship at the master’s level. It provides a full graduate scholarship for master’s and second-entry professional undergraduate studies at McGill University. Applications are open from June to September 2024 for an expected program start of Fall 2025.
McCall MacBain Scholars will be selected for their exceptional character, track record of community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength, and intellectual curiosity.
Value: The McCall MacBain Scholarship covers tuition and fees for an eligible master’s or professional program at McGill University, a living stipend of $2,000 per month during academic terms and a comprehensive enrichment program including mentorship, interdisciplinary learning and access to a global community.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the McCall MacBain Scholarship, applicants must:
- Hold Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status in Canada.
- Have a bachelor’s degree, or be on track to graduate with one, by August 2025.
Please note that the McCall MacBain Scholarship offer is conditional upon admission to an eligible master’s or professional degree program at McGill University. Students must apply separately to McGill for admission. In most cases, they will apply to McGill after applying for the McCall MacBain Scholarships.
Visit the McCall MacBain Website
How to Apply
Students will need to submit the comprehensive online application and provide two reference letters. Applications are open from June to September.
All current students and recent alumni who graduated (or expect to do so) in 2025 or later from Canadian public universities must earn an endorsement from their institution. This process is automatic and takes place after the application deadline. You do not need to contact the University of Alberta to initiate the endorsement.
Applicants for the scholarship also need to apply directly to McGill University for at least one eligible full-time master’s or professional program by the first deadline for Fall 2025 admission.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to take part in regional interviews taking place across Canada throughout November. From there, selected applicants will be invited to participate in final interviews taking place in Montréal in the following March.