Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation

The Government of Canada introduced Millennium Scholarships to help Canadians gain access to postsecondary education and reduce student debt loads. The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation administers two programs in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments: the Millennium Bursary Program the Millennium Excellence Awards Program, and the National In-course Awards.

Millennium Bursary

Value

In Ontario, bursaries of $3,000 are granted to full-time undergraduate students who demonstrate high financial need. If you wish to be considered for this bursary, your postsecondary institution must confirm your enrolment to the Province of Ontario in the winter term of each year of study.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a Millennium Bursary, you must:

• be a full-time student at a Canadian postsecondary institution in a recognized program leading to an undergraduate degree, certificate or diploma;
• be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person, within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• have the highest assessed need, as assessed by OSAP; and
• have already completed at least 60 per cent of a year of postsecondary education.
  Please note that receiving a bursary may affect your eligibility for other forms of provincial financial assistance.

How to apply

If you wish to be considered for this bursary, you must complete the entire 2008–2009 OSAP Application for Full-Time Students, including your confirmation that you wish to be considered for the bursary. Information provided on your OSAP application will be shared with the Millennium Scholarship Foundation in order to determine your eligibility. 

Deadlines

Application Deadline

• If you are applying using the OSAP online application, your must submit your application by September 19, 2008.
• If you are applying using a paper OSAP application and you are attending a postsecondary institution in Ontario, your application must be received at the financial aid office at the postsecondary institution you plan to attend by September 19, 2008.
• If you are applying using a paper OSAP application and you are planning to attend a postsecondary institution outside Ontario, your application must be received by the Student Support Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, by September 19, 2008.

Confirmation of Enrolment Deadline

If you are selected as a potential bursary recipient, your enrolment must be confirmed to OSAP in order to maintain your eligibility for this bursary. This confirmation is done through the Confirmation of Enrolment form. Information from both you and your postsecondary institution is required in order to complete this form.

Students Studying in Ontario:

• You must ensure that your completed Confirmation of Enrolment form is received at your financial aid office by October 31, 2008.

Students Studying Outside Ontario:

• You must ensure that your completed Confirmation of Enrolment form is received by the Student Support Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities by October 31, 2008.

Receipt of funding

The bursary is paid by cheque and distributed through the financial aid office at your postsecondary institution. Eligible recipients are required to pick up their Millennium Bursary cheques from their financial aid offices by Friday, February 20, 2009. Any cheques not claimed by this date will be returned to the ministry for cancellation.

Further information

Contact your financial aid office for further information, or call the Millennium Bursary Information Line for Ontario students, at 1-800-667-4938.

Millennium Excellence Awards

The Millennium Excellence Award is designed for students who are entering their first year of full-time postsecondary studies. To be considered for an excellence award, you must demonstrate the capacity for leadership and commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence and innovation. Students entering their first year of full-time postsecondary studies leading to a first degree, certificate, or diploma may apply for the excellence award. Since the provincial/territorial and national excellence awards are renewable, candidates must be entering a minimum two-year program to be eligible. University graduate students or post-diploma college students are not eligible.

Contact the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, at 1-877-786-3999 (toll-free), or visit the website, at http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca for further information on the Millennium Excellence Awards.

National In-course Awards

The National In-course Awards recognize and foster academic excellence and active citizenship in upper-year postsecondary students. Awards will be made to students who have not been previously recognized with a substantial merit scholarship. These students include those who, after enrolment in a postsecondary program, find their place and begin to demonstrate the qualities of excellence that the award is designed to recognize and foster.

Contact the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, at 1-877-786-3999 (toll-free), or visit the website, at http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca for further information on the National In-course Awards.