International Supplementary Bursary
The International Supplementary Bursary program provides funds for international undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate a financial shortfall for the current school year's academic and basic living costs. Bursaries, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. To be eligible for bursary funding, you must be able to demonstrate financial need for the current academic year after exhausting all available funding resources and meeting the academic and enrolment requirements.
Funding for the Supplementary Bursary programs is provided by donors, the Students' Union Access Fund and the University of Alberta.
Bursary applications for the 2024-2025 academic year (September 2024 - August 2025) open at 12 p.m. MDT on:
- August 1, 2024 for international students with an outstanding balance from the 2023-2024 academic year
- October 1, 2024 for all other eligible international students
Application deadlines are as follows:
- December 15, 2024: Fall term enrolment only (no Winter 2025 enrolment)
- April 15, 2025: Winter term enrolment
- June 15, 2025: Spring and/or Summer enrolment
Apply for the International Supplementary Bursary
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an international supplementary bursary, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be an international undergraduate or graduate student in your second year or greater and currently attending classes at the University of Alberta at the time of your application.
- Undergraduate students: Students with either full-time or part-time enrolment in any term within the current academic year are eligible to apply.
- Graduate students: Students with full-time enrolment in either the Fall or Winter term within the current academic year are eligible to apply. If you are not enrolled full-time in either the Fall or Winter term, you are not eligible to apply. NOTE: If you are a part-time graduate student in all terms of study within an academic year, review the GSA Emergency Bursary for eligibility requirements.
- You must be in satisfactory academic standing or greater based on your most recent term grades.
- It is expected that all international students have sufficient funding support based on the Government of Canada Study Permit requirements. Documentation of the original financial plan for your entire study time period and unexpected changes to that financial plan are to be provided in the application. A financial plan to complete your study program will also be required.
- Your application must demonstrate a financial shortfall for academic and basic living costs for the academic year in which you are currently enrolled to receive bursary funding.
Funding
Bursary funding maximums are evaluated on an individual student basis and based on need associated with an educational program and basic living costs for the current academic school year. Eligibility for a bursary does not guarantee that you will receive the full amount of funding to cover all costs.
Note for undergraduate students: The Access Fund Bursary is included in the annual bursary maximum value for undergraduate students. If you have opted out of the Students' Union Access Fund fee for the current year, your bursary award amount will be reduced by the current year Access Fund bursary maximum amount.
Applications
Applications for the International Supplementary Bursary are completed online. The application will be open from October to June of each academic year. You can apply in any term during the academic year as long as you show current and active registration in the same academic term. Any questions about the application can be sent to bursaries@ualberta.ca.
Depending on applicant volumes, notification of the results of your bursary application will be approximately 2-4 weeks in low-volume times and 6-8 weeks in high-volume times from your most recent application submission date. Notifications of the progress of your bursary application will be sent to your University of Alberta email address and posted to your application dashboard in the Application for Financial Support system.
Receiving a bursary
If you receive a notification of bursary offer, you will need to accept your offer in Bear Tracks. Note that there is a deadline to accept your bursary offer, after which time it will be cancelled. Acceptance deadlines vary, so please read your offer carefully.
Bursary offers will first be applied to any outstanding tuition or fees you have for the current or any previous academic terms. If you have an Emergency Loan balance owing with Student Financial Support (SFS), bursary funds will be applied to directly repay this loan and any remaining funds will be refunded to you by e-Transfer via PayMyTuition. For more information, please visit the Refunds section of the Additional Scholarship Information web page.
To receive additional support with refunds, please submit a request through the Student Service Portal.
Requesting a Reassessment
Requests for a reassessment will be considered only if there is new financial information or extenuating circumstances not included on your original bursary application.
To request a reassessment, email bursaries@ualberta.ca using the subject "Request for Bursary Reassessment." Include a letter outlining the change in your circumstances and documentation that supports the change in circumstances. Your request for reassessment will be reviewed by an advisor, who will contact you if additional supporting documentation is required.
You can submit a request for reassessment up to 15 days after your final class in any term in which you are registered in the current academic year. Requests for reassessment will not be accepted after June 30.