Canada remains one of the most popular study destinations for international students, and a big part of that appeal is money: the country’s federal government, provincial governments, and universities collectively fund dozens of scholarships that cover tuition, living costs, health insurance, and even flights for students from anywhere in the world. Below are 20 of the most well-established fully funded (or near-fully funded) scholarship programs open to international students in Canada for the 2026 intake, spanning undergraduate, master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral levels.
A quick note before diving in: scholarship amounts, deadlines, and eligibility rules are updated annually and can shift from one intake to the next, so treat the figures here as a solid starting point and always confirm the current details on the program’s official page before you apply.
Government and national scholarships
1. Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
Canada’s flagship doctoral scholarship, funded by the federal government, awards around 166 scholarships a year worth $50,000 annually for three years to top PhD students in any field, at any of the ~28 participating Canadian universities. International doctoral applicants are eligible, but you must first be nominated by your host university, so check your school’s internal Vanier deadline (usually early-to-mid autumn) well before the national deadline. Official site: vanier.gc.ca
2. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship
One of Canada’s most prestigious doctoral awards, open to students in the humanities and social sciences (broadly defined) at any of the Foundation’s partner universities. Recipients join a small annual cohort (around 15–20 Scholars) and receive multi-year funding plus mentorship, networking, and international travel support. International students are eligible provided they’re enrolled at a Canadian partner institution. Deadlines typically fall in mid-November. Official site: trudeaufoundation.ca
3. Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships
For recent PhD graduates (Canadian or international) planning postdoctoral research at a Canadian institution, the Banting program provides $70,000 per year for two years, plus health benefits, making it one of the most generous postdoctoral awards in the world. It’s jointly administered by Canada’s three federal research funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC). Official site: banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca
4. Ontario Trillium Scholarship (OTS)
Aimed squarely at international PhD students, the OTS is funded by the Government of Ontario and offered through 12 participating Ontario universities. It provides roughly $40,000 per year for up to four years and is intended to bring the cost of an Ontario PhD in line with what a domestic student would pay. You apply through your chosen university’s graduate admissions process rather than a separate portal.
5. Quebec Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE/FRQ)
Administered by Quebec’s Fonds de recherche (FRQ), the PBEEE covers tuition-fee exemption plus a monthly stipend for international students admitted to a master’s, PhD, or postdoctoral program at a Quebec university. Stipend levels vary by degree level (postdoctoral fellows receive the most, master’s students the least), and nominations go through your Quebec host institution. Official site: frq.gouv.qc.ca
6. IDRC Doctoral Research Awards
Funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre, this award supports doctoral candidates at Canadian universities whose dissertation research addresses development issues in low- and middle-income countries, with awards worth up to roughly $20,000 to help cover field research costs. It’s a research grant rather than full tuition funding, so it’s typically combined with another scholarship or assistantship. Program listing: univcan.ca
7. Killam Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Scholarships
The Killam Trusts fund some of Canada’s largest scholarships at a handful of partner universities (Dalhousie, UBC, Calgary, and the University of Alberta). Values differ by campus and level, but Killam Predoctoral Scholarships commonly run in the $18,000–$36,000-per-year range, and are open to strong doctoral candidates regardless of citizenship, provided they’re enrolled at a participating institution. Example: dal.ca (Dalhousie’s Killam awards page)
University-specific scholarships
8. Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship — University of Toronto
One of Canada’s best-known undergraduate awards for international students, the Pearson Scholarship covers tuition, books, incidental fees, and full residence support for four years — worth well over $12 million across roughly 37 scholars each year. You can’t apply directly; your secondary school must nominate you (one nomination per school, per year), so talk to your school counselor early. For 2026/2027 entry, school nominations run from July to October 2026, with the scholarship application due in early November 2026. Official site: future.utoronto.ca/pearson-scholarships
9. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program — University of Toronto
Part of a wider Mastercard Foundation initiative (also run at McGill, UBC, and other partner universities across the Global South and Canada), this program provides comprehensive funding — tuition, living costs, travel, mentorship, and leadership development — for academically talented students from Africa (and, at some campuses, other eligible regions) at the undergraduate and graduate level. Selection is highly competitive and usually runs on an annual cycle in the fall. Official site: internationalexperience.utoronto.ca
10. International Scholars Program — University of British Columbia
UBC’s premier entrance award for incoming international undergraduates covers the full cost of tuition, books, and living expenses for four years of study, renewable each year on maintaining a strong academic standing. Roughly 40+ scholars are selected annually from UBC’s most outstanding international admits; there’s no separate application beyond your regular UBC admission file. Official site: you.ubc.ca
11. Major Entrance Scholarships for International Students — McGill University
McGill offers a tiered set of entrance scholarships for international first-year students, ranging from about $3,000 to $12,000 per year, renewable for up to four years (worth up to roughly $48,000 total). Awards are based on your admission application — no separate essay or form required — so a strong academic profile at the time of admission is what counts.
12. McCall MacBain Scholarship — McGill University
Modelled on the Rhodes Scholarship, this master’s-level award covers full tuition, a living stipend of about $20,000 per year, and funded travel/leadership programming for up to three years of graduate study at McGill. It’s open to graduating seniors and young professionals worldwide, with a rigorous multi-stage application and interview process. Official site: mccallmacbainscholars.org
13. International Doctoral Student Award (IDSA) — University of Waterloo
Automatically granted to eligible international PhD students at Waterloo, the IDSA is designed to close the gap between domestic and international tuition. As of Fall 2026 it’s valued at up to $5,100 per term (about $15,300 per year), and it doesn’t require a separate application if you’re admitted to an eligible doctoral program.
14. International Master’s Award of Excellence (IMAE) — University of Waterloo
A companion award to the IDSA for incoming international master’s students at Waterloo, offered to top applicants to help offset the higher international tuition rate. Like the IDSA, it’s awarded automatically to qualifying admits rather than through a separate application. Official site (both Waterloo awards): uwaterloo.ca/current-graduate-students/awards-and-funding/international-student-funding
15. International Scholarships — University of Alberta
The University of Alberta runs a suite of entrance and graduate awards for international students, including doctoral recruitment scholarships that can cover tuition plus a living stipend for multi-year PhD funding packages. Specific award names and values vary by faculty, so check with your target department alongside the university’s central awards office.
16. International Student Scholarships — Dalhousie University
Dalhousie offers a mix of merit-based entrance awards for international undergraduates and graduate funding packages (including its share of Killam awards, see #7) for master’s and PhD students, some of which cover full tuition plus a stipend for research-based programs.
17. International Student Entrance Scholarships — Concordia University
Concordia awards a range of merit scholarships to incoming international undergraduates based on academic performance, with its top-tier awards covering a substantial share of tuition costs and renewable across your degree if you maintain the required GPA.
18. International Student Entrance Scholarships — York University
York offers entrance scholarships for high-achieving incoming international undergraduates, awarded automatically based on your admission average, with values that scale up for the strongest applicants and are renewable in subsequent years.
19. International Scholarships — Simon Fraser University
SFU provides entrance scholarships for top international undergraduate applicants as well as graduate fellowships for research-based master’s and doctoral students, with award amounts that can substantially offset (and in top cases fully cover) tuition and living costs.
20. Graduate Fellowships for International Students — Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial is known for offering relatively generous, often near-fully-funded graduate assistantship and fellowship packages to international master’s and PhD students, particularly in research-intensive programs, combined with Newfoundland and Labrador’s comparatively low cost of living.
How to actually land one of these
A few things matter more than almost anything else when you’re applying to Canadian scholarships: starting early (many of the biggest awards, like Vanier, Pearson, and Trudeau, run on nomination cycles that close months before the “final” deadline), tailoring your application to what each program actually values (research potential for PhD/postdoc awards, leadership and community impact for programs like Mastercard Foundation and McCall MacBain, and pure academic strength for entrance scholarships), and applying to more than one program in parallel, since most of these are not mutually exclusive with university admission scholarships or provincial/institutional funding packages.
Because eligibility rules, award values, and deadlines are revised every cycle, bookmark the official page for each program you’re targeting and check it again close to your intended intake — the details above reflect the most recent information available as of August 2026, but Canadian scholarship providers regularly issue updates alongside each new admissions cycle.
