Entrance Bursaries

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Entrance Bursary Regulations

Entrance Bursaries are non-repayable grants allocated on the basis of demonstrated financial need, which may also include a minimum expectation of academic achievement or other miscellaneous criteria.
Entrance Bursaries are available to students admitted on the basis of high school admission requirements.
Entrance Bursaries are available to full-time and part-time students entering Level I of their first baccalaureate degree program.
Any Entrance Bursaries requiring full-time status are available to students enrolled in an OSAP eligible full-time course load or equivalent in both the fall and winter terms.
Students who have enrolled at any post-secondary institution after graduation from high school are not eligible for Entrance Bursaries, unless:
1. They are completing a certificate or diploma at McMaster University as a requirement of admission (e.g. the McMaster English Language Diploma), and/or
2. They have withdrawn from post-secondary studies before attending or before the deadline to drop and add courses in their first term of study.
Entrance Bursaries are available to students who are Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada regardless of where they completed their high school education.
Entrance Bursaries are allocated on the basis of financial need, as demonstrated through a completed OSAP application, for the academic year in which the student is entering Level I of their program.
Entrance Bursaries are allocated in adherence with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD) policies, procedures and guidelines in place for the given academic year. The MAESD Student Access Guarantee (SAG) currently specifies bursary amounts and payment deadlines for students in high tuition programs (e.g. Engineering, Business).
Since Entrance Bursary funds are limited, and many students demonstrate financial need, bursary funding is unable to be allocated to all students who demonstrate financial need.
Students may receive more than one Entrance Bursary to fill their Student Access Guarantee obligation or to meet the total bursary amount for their level of financial need.
In some cases, students may receive more than one Entrance Bursary (e.g. where a student meets a particular donor fund requirement or applies via a separate earned merit application process). In these cases, the bursary is awarded to the eligible student who demonstrates the greatest financial need as determined by the Office of the Registrar, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships.
Entrance Bursaries may specify a minimum admission average requirement and may consider one or more McMaster University calculated admission averages. An admission audition or portfolio score or equivalent may be included in the calculation of an average. Final grades for courses completed after June 30^th in the year of admission application will not be considered in assessing eligibility for Entrance Bursaries.
Entrance Bursaries may also consider other forms of earned merit. In order to evaluate earned merit, students may need to complete one or more additional requirements including, but not limited to, submitting an application.
In order to be considered for an Entrance Bursary by application, students must submit a completed application by the specified deadline date.
Entrance Bursary applications which meet eligibility criteria are forwarded to a selection committee for review and ranking.
The greater calculated financial need is used to break any tie.
Students may receive a maximum of one Entrance Bursary by application.
Students must be enrolled in the OSAP eligible course load used to determine their eligibility for the Entrance Bursary to have the Entrance Bursary payment processed.
All Entrance Bursary payments are disbursed through the McMaster Student Account and are applied to outstanding charges. A few exceptions to this regulation may be approved by the Office of the Registrar, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships.
All Entrance Bursaries are disbursed September through the end of December.
Registration in, or transfer to, another program of study and/or a change in course load may result in forfeiture or adjustment in the value of the Entrance Bursary. Students are advised to consult with the Office of the Registrar, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, prior to making any changes to their program of study or course load.
Students who withdraw before November 1 may see an adjustment in the value of their Entrance Bursary or see the full amount returned to the University.
Any adjustment made to a student’s account, in order to return all or a portion of an Entrance Bursary to the University, will be calculated on the balance available at the time of the adjustment and will not put a student’s account into deficit.
Some Entrance Bursaries may be renewable (see In-Course and Renewal Bursary Regulations).
The University may choose not to grant an Entrance Bursary in the absence of a suitable candidate; may choose to limit the number of recipients selected where funding is limited; may choose to limit the number of recipients selected where too few suitable candidates exist; and/or may choose to generate applicant pools for bursaries by application, where complete applications have not been received.
The University may remove specific Entrance Bursaries from the University Calendar, may revise the terms and stated value and/or suspend the granting of Entrance Bursaries (e.g. donor funds).
Entrance Bursaries supported by donor funds may have additional eligibility requirements.

Entrance Bursaries

Open to the Faculty of Health Sciences

The Ron and Gina Fraser Health Sciences Bursary

The Ronald K. Fraser Foundation and Gina E. Fraser established The Ron and Gina Fraser Health Sciences Bursary with a mandate to fund university tuition for students in the highest financial need who enter full-time study in the Bachelor of Health Sciences Program. The HWSB and HWCSB will participate in the selection of recipients. The bursary is valued at one year of tuition and is available for the four years in the BHSc program and if the recipient decides to pursue a career in medicine (bursary for a further 3 years) or is accepted into the Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering (bursary for a further 5 years); on the condition of both continued good academic standing and financial need.

Open to the Faculty of Humanities

The Don and Lois Gasse Memorial Entrance Bursary

Established in 2017 by Dr. Rosanne Gasse, B.A. Hon. (Class of ‘80), M.A. (Class of ‘81), Ph.D. (Class of ‘89), in memory of her parents.

Requirements:To be granted to a student entering Level I in the Faculty of Humanities who demonstrates financial need. Preference will be given to an Indigenous student.

The Robert and Ruth Miller Entrance Bursary

Established in 2016 by Ruth Miller (Class of ‘79), lifetime resident of Burlington who had a career dedicated to education in the Halton School Board; and Robert Miller (Class of ‘76), who had a career in engineering and business management, to assist students that demonstrate wise use of time, energy and skill.

Requirements: To be awarded to a student entering a Level 1 program in the Faculty of Humanities who graduated from a Burlington high school and demonstrates financial need. Preference to be given to students who graduated from M.M. Robinson High School.

Value: $7,500