University of Waterloo President's Scholarship

The University of Waterloo automatically considers all eligible incoming first-year, full-time degree students for entrance scholarships — including the President's Scholarship — without requiring a separate application. Students whose early-May admission average (including required courses) falls between 90% and 94.9% for their admitted program receive this one-time award. It's part of a broader entrance-scholarship tier system: students averaging 95% or higher instead receive the higher-value President's Scholarship of Distinction (which comes with additional research and international-experience award opportunities).

One-time award of $2,000 CAD

No renewal component (unlike the Distinction tier or Merit Scholarships, this is a single, one-time payment)

Applied toward tuition and fees; recipients receive an email in late July with instructions on how the award is applied

Early-May admission average, including required courses, must fall between 90% and 94.9% for the program the student has received and accepted an offer of admission to

Must be admitted to a full-time, first-year degree program

Must be beginning post-secondary studies for the first time (i.e., not a transfer or returning student)

Must accept the Offer of Admission by the date specified on the offer

Not applicable to students at Renison University College or St. Jerome's University, which offer their own separate scholarships (St. Jerome's scholarships are equivalent to the President's or Merit Scholarship — students receive one or the other, not both)