Studying in Canada is an exciting and rewarding experience for many students from all over the world. Canada has one of the top-ranked education systems and one of the lowest education costs in the developed world.
Students are continually looking for ways to fund their studies in Canada. In light of this, I would like to share five creative ways to help you to fund your studies:
1. ESSAY CONTESTS
Believe it or not, organisations worldwide hold essay contests where students can submit compelling essays on a wide variety of topics. Many of these essay contests are free to enter and offer substantial prize money to those who win. Prominent contests include:
• Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests: Have you read any of the following books: Anthem, The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged? If not, now is the time! The Ayn Rand Institute holds three essay contests annually on each one of these books. Here, students can select a topic and submit an essay on one of these famous books. The prize money is substantial and the contests are open to students worldwide, here are the details:
Book: Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
Award: US$25,000
For more information visit:
https://www.aynrand.org/students/essay-contests#atlasshrugged-1
Book: The Fountainhead Essay Contest
Award: US$10,000
For more information visit:
https://www.aynrand.org/students/essay-contests#thefountainhead-1
Book: Anthem Essay Contest
Award: US$2,000
For more information visit:
https://www.aynrand.org/students/essay-contests#anthem-1
• Optimist International Essay Contest: Optimist International is a worldwide volunteer organisation. They hold an annual essay contest where students can submit a 700-800-word essay around a central idea.
Award: US$2,500
For more information visit:
https://www.optimist.org/member/scholarships3.cfm
2. SCHOLARSHIPS
One of the most popular ways to fund your studies in Canada is by applying for scholarships. Most students know that some educational institutions offer scholarships. However, did you know that more and more private companies are offering scholarships to students? These scholarships allow you to study at a wide range of educational institutions. Here are a few examples of prominent scholarships offered by private companies that are open to international students:
• Generation Google Scholarship: This scholarship is aimed at assisting aspiring computer scientists to excel in technology. This is open to high-school students who want to study computer science in Canada.
Award: US$5,000
For more information visit:
https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/scholarships/generation-google-sc...
• Western Union Foundation Global Scholarship Programme:
This scholarship programme is designed to assist young people in pursuing a post-secondary education.
Award: US$2,500
For more information visit: https://www.westernunion.com/foundation/what-we-do/global-scholarships/
For a list of scholarships available to international students, visit popular sites such as
https://www.scholarshipportal.com/ and http://www.scholars4dev.com/
3. LOYALTY POINTS
Do you have friends or relatives in Canada? If you do, they can help you fund your studies! In Canada, loyalty programmes are very popular. These programmes allow consumers to collect reward points for activities that include travelling, shopping and purchasing gas. If your relatives or friends collect Aeroplan, TD or CIBC points, then they can redeem these points towards your tuition fee. Points can be redeemed in CDN$250 increments and the amount can be transferred to your student account at your university or college.
Participating institutions include:
• Brandon University
• Centennial College
• Dalhousie University
• George Brown College
• Humber College
• Lakeland College
• Lambton College
• Lethbridge College
• McGill University
• Memorial University
• New Brunswick Community College
• Nova Scotia Community College
• Ryerson University
• Sheridan College
• Trent University
• University of British Columbia
• University of Regina
• University of Toronto
• University of Waterloo
And many more…..
For more information visit: https://www.higheredpoints.com
4. CROWDFUNDING
Have you and your friends ever raised funds for a project? Well then, you have participated in crowdfunding! Crowdfunding is where a large number of people contribute small amounts of money to fund a project, typically online. Popular sites such as GoFundMe and Fundly allow you set a goal of how much you want to raise for your tuition. Once you have set up your account, you can share the link on social media with your family, friends and even strangers! Some students have been able to raise upwards of CDN$50,000 for their tuition.
Visit popular crowdfunding sites such as: https://www.gofundme.com and https://fundly.com/ for more information.
5. EDUCATIONAL LOANS
One of the most conventional ways to fund your studies in Canada is to apply for an educational loan. Several bank and credit unions offer educational loans to their customers and members. If you are considering taking an educational loan, ask how you can get a favourable interest for your loan.
Overall, finding the financial resources to study in Canada may appear to be daunting or impossible at first. However, with a bit of planning and research, you can utilise creative and inventive ways to fund your studies in Canada.
Kari Davis is a regulated Canadian immigration consult-ant and is a recruiter for select universities and colleges in Canada. You can email her at kdavis@bisonimmigration.com or call/WhatsApp her at 876-784-9302.
