Mount Saint Vincent University offers several scholarships and bursaries to new and continuing graduate students. For a full listing of these awards, including eligibility information, please visit the graduate student scholarships and bursaries page.
The Financial Aid Office can help you with student loans, lines of credit, bursary applications, and budgeting.
To be eligible to receive most internal scholarships, graduate students must be enrolled full-time, though some are offered to both full-time and part-time students. Only the Adah Ruth Spencer Memorial Scholarship in Graduate Education is available exclusively to part-time graduate students.
Full-time graduate students who are accepted to a thesis-based program at the Mount no later than May 15th of each year will automatically be considered for our entrance scholarships:
Students may be automatically considered for some awards, but may need to submit an application for others. When applications are open for these awards, application forms are available from Department and program offices, the Deans’ Office (Seton 302), from the Groodle, the Moodle site for graduate students, or from the list below.Scholarships for new students:
New students do not need to apply for entrance scholarships (except the BMO Financial Group Endowed Scholarship, which requires an application); students who have been accepted for full-time study in a thesis-based program are automatically considered for these awards.The scholarship committee will consider all accepted full-time thesis-based graduate students who have been accepted by May 15th for our entrance scholarships. When awarding these scholarships, the scholarship committee considers application materials provided by the student in his/her initial application package.
In September, new students beginning a MA or MSc program are also eligible to apply for the BMO Financial Group Endowed Scholarship (full-time Master’s students)
For more information on entrance awards, please see the section above.
Continuing students from all graduate programs should apply for these scholarships:
The Graduate Studies Scholarships, Assistantships & Awards Committee announces a competition for Graduate Merit Scholarships for graduate students for 2022-2023.
Value: $1,000.00
Eligibility to apply, Graduate students must have:
Graduate students who are awarded a graduate merit scholarship must maintain continuous registration throughout the tenure of the award. This requires registration in at least one unit of coursework in the academic year (September 1, 2022-August 31, 2023). An active thesis registration or registration in a thesis continuation is considered as continuous registration.
Graduate Merit Scholarship Application (PDF)
Adah Ruth Spencer Memorial Scholarship in Education
Established through a bequest from the Estate of Adah Ruth Spencer, this Scholarship is awarded to a student enrolled in a Master’s Degree in Education. Preference will be given to a mature student with teaching experience who is pursuing studies part-time.
E. Kathleen (Beth) Manthorne Endowed Graduate Scholarship
Established in memory of Elizabeth Kathleen Manthorne, two scholarships awarded annually to students registered in the Master of Arts in School Psychology, the Master of Arts (Child and Youth Study) or the Master of Education (Educational Psychology, Concentrations in the Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired or the Deaf and Hard of Hearing). Applicants should demonstrate high academic achievement and an intention to contribute to the education of children with sensory, perceptual or learning difficulties in their research or work.
Catherine Anne Godwin Memorial Endowed Graduate Scholarship
Established through a bequest from the late Catherine Anne Godwin, BSc in Home Economics ’61 in recognition of her love for the profession of dietetics, this Scholarship is provided to two full-time students enrolled in the Master of Science in Applied Human Nutrition with internship, who have demonstrated a commitment to the profession, independence in achieving learning outcomes and who show potential to contribute to practice-based research. To be eligible, students must hold good academic standing and maintain continuous registration as well as have completed a minimum of 1.5 units of course work.
M Jane Egan Memorial Endowed Graduate Scholarship
Established by a bequest from the late Dorothy H. Egan (class of 1935) in memory of her daughter, the late M. Jane A. Egan, this scholarship will be awarded annually, on the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee, to a full-time student enrolled in the Master of Applied Human Nutrition degree program who has demonstrated outstanding academic excellence.
Naomi Hersom Endowed Scholarship
Established by her many friends and colleagues to honour Dr. Hersom’s term as seventh president and vice-chancellor of Mount Saint Vincent University from 1987-1991.
According to her wishes, this scholarship is designated for students enrolled in the Graduate Education program with first preference given to women intent on pursuing careers in the field of education.
Patricia S. Barnes Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Established in recognition of Pat’s enormous contribution to literacy education in Nova Scotia, this award is available to practicing teachers involved in the MEd or MA programs in literacy or elementary education (language arts specialization) who have demonstrated both a commitment to innovation in language arts and consistently high academic standards.
Child & Youth Study Graduate Endowed Scholarship
This scholarship, established by the Child & Youth Study faculty, is awarded to a student who has completed at least 3.0 units towards the MA(CYS). The scholarship is awarded annually to a student who has demonstrated academic excellence and whose thesis research promises to contribute to the development of the field. All proposals successfully defended in any given calendar year may be considered for the scholarship. Application Deadline: January 15
Douglas Hideo Shinyei Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Established in loving memory of Douglas Hideo Shinyei by his wife, Martha Shinyei and his mother, Ann Shinyei, this scholarship is awarded annually to a mature male student currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts, combined major, minor or concentration in Gerontology or the Master of Arts in Family Studies and Gerontology, who has demonstrated a commitment (through volunteer or paid employment) to assisting the interests of the elderly. Mature students must submit a résume detailing their previous academic achievements and educational goals in the field of gerontology. Recipients are chosen by the undergraduate Committee on Admissions and Scholarships.
George Cheong and Sons Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Established to commemorate the contribution of Dr. George S.C. Cheong to the graduate program in education and in memory of his sons, Philip and Patrick. The scholarship is awarded to a professional educator pursuing graduate studies in educational psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University.
John Ardenne Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Women
Established by Louise Ardenne (BA ’89), family and friends as requested by and in memory of Louise’s husband, John Ardenne. Awarded annually to a female graduate student, enrolled in the Women and Gender Studies program, who has demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to working on behalf of women. Commitment to women’s issues in the following areas may be considered: poverty, violence, education, health, work, the arts, race and class, the law and community activism. Applicants must submit a résume and supporting materials which demonstrate their commitment to these issues. Recipients are chosen by the Graduate Studies Scholarships, Assistantships and Awards Committee on the recommendation of the Graduate Women and Gender Studies Faculty.
Beacon Securities Endowed Scholarship
In recognition of the University’s capital campaign, Building Tomorrow Together, Beacon Securities Limited established this scholarship to support the women in our community in their pursuit of higher education. Awarded annually, on the recommendation of the Undergraduate Committee on Admissions and Scholarships and/or the Graduate Studies Committee to female students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program who have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence, with preference to female students from the Maritimes who are fluent in English and French.
Shirley Forde Graduate Scholarship in Education
Established by Shirley (Aqui) Forde, BSc ’57, MEd ’62, MEd ’62, this scholarship is awarded annually to a female student pursuing full-time studies in graduate education. Preference will be given to a student enrolled in the Master of Arts in Education program.
For a complete list of internal scholarships, visit the Financial Aid’s Graduate Scholarships & Bursaries page.
Students are encouraged to apply for external scholarships. Some of these funding opportunities are listed below.
The three Canadian research granting councils, The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), award fellowships and scholarships to Masters and Doctoral students. Students currently registered at a Canadian university must apply through the Tri-Agency Research Portal
The following is a partial list of external scholarships available to graduate students at Mount Saint Vincent University. For more information, please go to these awards’ websites, or visit Groodle, the Mount’s grad student community on Moodle.
The DBDLI Graduate Research Fellowship Programme assists students of African ancestry to complete post-secondary education at the graduate level, and provide an opportunity for DBDALI to strengthen its relationship with ‘up and coming’ researchers in the African Nova Scotian community.
Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Scotia Scholarships
Canadian Federation of University Women Scholarships and Awards
Soroptimist Foundation of Canada Grants for Women
W.L. Mackenzie King Scholarships
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarships
Defence Engagement Program Scholarships
Delta Kappa Gamma World Fellowship
Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowship
Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada Graduate Student Awards of Merit
Scholarships for International Students
Canadian-Universities.net Canadian scholarships page
Organization of American States Academic Scholarships Program
RBC Students Leading Change Scholarship
Students should refer to the individual application forms for information on criteria to apply for scholarships and criteria to hold scholarships.
To be eligible to hold a scholarship, students must be registered in the year for which the scholarship is awarded. Scholarships are intended for current students, and not as end-of-program awards.
Individual departments and programs may offer graduate students research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and other academic employment. Graduate students should ask their academic advisors, graduate program coordinators, or program assistants if this type of academic employment is available.
The Office of Graduate Studies does not award or administer research or teaching assistantships.
Limited funding is available for graduate students to supplement thesis research and for conference attendance. For information on this funding, visit our Funding Assistance page.
Bursaries are need-based awards intended to assist students in financial difficulty with the costs of attending Mount Saint Vincent University. Graduate students can submit bursary applications to the Financial Aid Office
Awards are given to in-course students for particular achievements. Please note that the listing of awards is accurate, but that changes may occur.
Applied Human Nutrition Thesis Conference Travel Award
Created to support budding researchers/scientists in their dissemination activities, this award is for full-time students in an Applied Human Nutrition degree program. Undergraduate students must be entering the 3rd or 4th year with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all 1st and 2nd year NUTR courses. Graduate students must have successfully proposed their graduate research, received MSVU research ethics approval and have an established supervisory committee. Students will be required to present their research and experience to the Department of Applied Human Nutrition following the conference. Submission requirements are available from the Department of Applied Human Nutrition.
Field Family Graduate Award in Child and Youth Study
Established by the family of Harriet Field, a former faculty member in Child and Youth Study, to recognize dedication to her students and to the early childhood education profession. This award will be presented annually to a student in the Graduate Child and Youth Study Program who has demonstrated academic excellence; who has completed a minimum of 1.0 unit of graduate courses, preferably in Child and Youth Study; and who has experience working with children and/or youth. Preference will be given to a first year graduate student who has demonstrated potential for research. Recipients are chosen by the GSSAAC on the recommendation of the Department of Child & Youth Study. Please visit the department of Child & Youth Study for application information.
Judge Corrine Sparks Community Award
Established by Judge Corrine Sparks, a Mount Saint Vincent University alumna and past member of the MSVU Board of Governors. Judge Sparks graduated from MSVU in 1974 with a bachelor of arts in economics. She went on to earn a bachelor of law degree in 1979 and in 2001 completed a master’s of law degree at Dalhousie University. Appointed to the Nova Scotia Family Court in 1987, Judge Sparks became the first African Nova Scotian to be appointed to the bench, and the first African Canadian female to serve on the judiciary in Canada.
This award is presented annually to an MSVU student who has demonstrated service and recognized contribution to the African Nova Scotian community. Preference will be to an African Nova Scotian student.
The Financial Aid Office can help you with student loans, lines of credit, bursary applications, and budgeting.