Funding

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When going abroad you can expect to incur costs such as airline tickets, accommodations and other living expenses – but don’t let this stop you from gaining an international experience. Explore the opportunities listed below to learn more about available funding.

Funding Opportunities for McGill Students

Funding Description Eligibility Application

Mobility Need-Based Bursary Exchanges

McGill University encourages students to study abroad as part of their McGill degree program by defraying part of the cost of eligible study abroad activities.

NEW! Minimum guaranteed financial aid for Exchanges 2022-2023! The Scholarships and Student Aid office guarantees that any student who is receiving (North American) government student financial assistance and/or McGill bursaries/loans for their normal costs of attendance will receive a minimum of $3000/term if they apply for the Mobility Bursary for Exchanges.

The Mobility Bursary for Exchanges is primarily for undergraduate students who:

  • are approved for an exchange semester(s) abroad (where you study at one of McGill’s partner universities while earning credits and paying tuition to McGill)
  • demonstrate financial need according to the guidelines

Application is submitted through Minerva under Finances

  • For a fall semester, applications open in March
  • For a winter semester, applications open in August

Enriched Educational Opportunities (EEO)

Enriched Educational Opportunities (EEOs) are high-quality off-campus mobility or other experiential opportunities and are officially recognized by your Faculty.

The University provided the Scholarships and Student Aid office with special funding to launch a pilot need-based EEO Bursary Program in 2017-2018. At minimum, the program is expected to run until Winter 2024. The program will help undergraduate students with the additional costs associated with these extra opportunities.

Note: Exchange semesters are not included in the EEO Bursary Program

To be considered for EEO aid, you must:

  • Be enrolled in an undergraduate degree at the University
  • Be full-time or deemed full-time (per government aid programs, due to disability or with young dependent children) in your EEO term or at minimum in the term preceding the EEO term
  • be in satisfactory academic standing
  • Demonstrate financial need for your standard costs of attendance

Application is submitted through the In-Course Financial Aid menu in Minerva.

Applications can be submitted at any time in the academic year and can also be made concurrently with your standard financial aid application.

 

McGill International Experience Awards (MIEA)

The McGill International Experience Awards (MIEA) were established in 2013 through a donation by Joseph Schull and Anna Yang.

The MIEA benefit students in the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law, and all other faculties through the Office of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning). Each faculty administers its own awards.

Different awards are open to students in the faculty of:

  • Arts
  • Law
  • Science
  • Medicine
  • Engineering
  • Management
  • Agriculture and Environmental Science

Read more on the different International Experience Awards for each of the faculties as well as the eligibility criteria for each one.

McCall MacBain International Fellowships

 

The McCall MacBain International Fellowships aim to enable globally-minded young Canadians to develop strong intercultural competencies and ties to different regions of the world, and to cultivate creativity, resilience, independence, critical thinking and the ability to “stretch” outside of their comfort zones.

Fellows spend a year abroad divided into three terms: language, academic and work/internship. Start dreaming big even at the application stage, where you will begin designing a year abroad within the parameters of these three terms.

To be eligible for the McCall MacBain International Fellowship, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
  • be between the ages of 19 and 24 (inclusive);
  • be enrolled full-time in a first-entry undergraduate university program with a minimum CGPA of 3.0;
  • have not left Canada to participate in a travel, work, volunteer, or study abroad experience independently (i.e. without parents) in a new language or culture for eight months or more during the last three years.

Please check the McCall MacBain International Fellowship website for information on deadlines and applications

Canada Learning Initiative in China (CLIC)

The Canada Learning Initiative in China (CLIC) connects Canadian university students with Chinese universities through unique study abroad programs. Participating in a CLIC program is a great way for Canadian students to have innovative and meaningful educational opportunities in China.

Financial support for travel and study in China, which includes:

  • Travel Scholarship (amount is determined by McGill)
  • 3000 yuan (≈$600CAN) per month stipend
  • Subsidized accommodation (contact CLIC to find out if the program you are interested in has free accommodations)
  • Free medical insurance (coverage details)
  • No application fees at the Chinese university

Full list of CLIC benefits here.

To be considered for CLIC, you must:

  • Be a Canadian citizen under 45 years old
  • Students may only receive CLIC support for one summer program throughout their  academic career.
  • Be a full-time student from CLIC member universities.
  • If you are already receiving a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council, you will not be eligible to receive CLIC financial support.

To apply to CLIC:

  1. Review McGill’s exchange partners in China and rank your potential host universities by preference
  2. Apply for McGill’s outgoing exchange program
  3. Receive your nomination to your Chinese host university
  4. Apply for CLIC funding through the CLIC website

Killam Fellowships Program

The Killam Fellowships Program is an excellent opportunity for undergraduate Canadian students to spend one semester or a full academic year studying at a university in the United States. Students may apply to one of two programs:

  • Direct Exchange: undergraduate registered at McGill university, paying their home fees, and attending the host university as an exchange visitor.
  • Open Competition: self-placed visiting student (registering at the host university and paying host tuition fees).

The Killam Fellowships Program provides a cash award of $5,000 US per semester ($10,000 for the full academic year), a three day orientation in Ottawa, and a three day spring seminar in Washington. In addition, the Foundation provides all Killam Fellows with a health insurance allowance of up to $750 USD. All Killam Fellows are also eligible to apply for a mobility (in-country travel) grant in an amount not to exceed $800 US.

To be considered for the Killam Fellowships program, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen;
  • be a full-time undergraduate student in good standing at a degree granting institution in Canada;
  • be fluent in the English language (and/or French, where appropriate);
  • have a superior and competitive academic record;
  • be nominated by your home university.

Application deadline differs between the Direct Exchange and Open Competition Programs.

To apply, the following documentation must be submitted:

  • Proof of citizenship
  • CV
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • Personal Statement
  • Course Selection Forms
  • Letter of Acceptance
  • English Language Proficiency Form (if English is not your first language)
  • Two references

Other Funding Opportunities (by location and faculty):

Funding Opporunity Amount Location Faculty Eligible
Mitacs Globalink Research Award Under the joint supervision of a home and host professor, successful senior undergraduate students, graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows will receive a $6,000 research award to conduct a 12- to 24-week research project in the other country. Any country where applicant does not hold citizenship All (undergrad and graduate)
Mitacs Accelerate International Various. More information on the Mitacs Accelerate International here. Any Any graduate program
Mitacs RISE-Globalink Research Internship

Mitacs provides $6,000 to support the student’s travel costs and living expenses.

The DAAD provides health, accident, and liability insurance as well as logistical support to selected students (including assistance finding accommodation in cooperation with mentors at the host institution, information on visas and work permits, and research arrangements).

Germany All (undergrad)
Mitacs JSPS Summer program JSPS arranges round-trip airfare and insurance. Mitacs and JSPS provide an allowance for the student or postdoctoral fellow (equivalent to 534,000 yen in total). Host supervisors are eligible for a research support allowance. Japan Any graduate program
Türkiye Scholarships Türkiye Scholarships is a government-funded higher education scholarship program runned by the Republic of Türkiye for international students. The primary purpose of Türkiye Scholarships is to provide equal opportunities to successful students around the world in order to receive them. Turkey All
BUTEX Scholarship £500 UK (various institutions) All (undergrad)
Bourses Gouvernement du Québec - Chine

Undergrad : 2 500 ¥;

Masters: 3 000 ¥;

PhD & Postdoc: 3 500 ¥;

Also included: housing, health insurance, and $2500 for moving fees

China All
EMGIP-Bundestag Internship (DAAD) 2-month long internship program in Germany. €1,800 per month from the German Bundestag. Subsidized health insurance is available through DAAD for a monthly fee. Travel expenses are the intern’s responsibility. Germany Political science, international relations, law, history, economics or German (undergrad or masters)
MEXT Scholarship Program

Covers full tuition, monthy allowance (117000 yen/month) , round trip flight between Japan and Canada

5- year undergrad program & 2- year master's

Japan All
Korean Government Support Program for Foreign Exchange Students 4 months (one term) or 10 months (two terms): 500 000 won per month in living expenses, 200 000 won for settlement, round-trip airfare, tuition, 20 000 won per month for medical insurance Korea All
Bourses Gouvernement du Québec - Mexique (SRE) Varying amounts for one trimester for undergraduate programs or two years for a master's program Mexico Health Science, Education, Environmental Sciences, Telecommunications
Li Ka Shing Advanced Research Program at Shantou University 4-week program. Program covers return airfare from Montreal/Shantou, Shantou University fees, some living expenses and excursions while in Shantou China China Arts, Arts & Science, Social Work
Li Ka Shing Intensive Chinese Language Program at Shantou University 4-week program. Program covers return airfare from Montreal/Shantou, Shantou University fees, some living expenses and excursions while in Shantou China China Arts, Arts & Science, or Social Work
Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (MCFR) Fellowship / Prix du CORIM-Foreign Relations An annual award of $ 20,000 for a non-renewable internship of four months Any Doctoral program in International Relations
Endeavour Leadership Program Up to $24,500 (4-6 months) + travel allowance, establishment allowace, health insurance, travel insurance Australia Any graduate program
McGill-Glasgow Travel Award 50% of eligible costs related to travel and accommodation, up to a maximum of $5,000 for McGill PhD students or postdocs selected under this program Scotland Any PhD program
Antje Graupe Pryor International Awards in Engineering $7500 per semester Any university in the EU (preference for Germany & France) Engineering
Moyse Travelling Scholarship Approximately $10 000 for each of the two students (one in Arts and one in Science) for one year of study Any (preference for British or European university) Arts, Science
John Rea Travel Award in Composition $7500/year awarded to one student to participate in a masterclass, attend a conference or take a course abroad Any Music
Music Graduate Travel Awards 75% of the amount requested in your budget up to $500 for continental travel and $800 for intercontinental travel, must have applied to other funding as well Any Music

Queen Elizabeth Scholars Program

Up to $6,000 CAD for Canadian students (including travel and living expenses). Various (Common wealth countries) Primarily Medicine and Management

City University of Hong Kong Explorer Grant

Up to HK$10,000 for incoming exchange students. Requires 200-word statement of purpose and completed in-person enrolment by Sep. 23, 2023 (Fall semester) or Feb. 3, 2024 (Winter semester). Hong Kong All
University of Zurich International Summer Schools 2023

Scholarships from 500 up to 1,000 Swiss francs available to applicants from McGill University to participate in the UZH International Summer Schools from July 2 to July 21, 2023. These discounts are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Application is now open and will close on 24 April 2023. Apply now

Switzerland All

Note to American students regarding federal student aid and exchanges: The U.S. Dept. of Education published final regulations which took effect on July 1, 2021, which allows US students registered at a Title IV foreign school to access US Direct Loans while attending US eligible colleges and universities and foreign institutions that do not participate in the US Direct Loan program, for up to 25% of their program of study. All other eligibility requirements must be met. List of eligible Title IV schools.

For further information, please consult the Scholarships and Student Aid website.

McGill University is situated on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we meet today.
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