If you’re applying to study nursing in Canada, look for scholarships after you confirm that your exact nursing program accepts international applicants and fits your qualifications. Then check when you could receive the award. A scholarship for students already enrolled in nursing can help with later tuition, while an entrance scholarship may help with first-year costs. That distinction matters if you need funding before you can accept an offer.
For applicants from Nigeria and other African countries, there are three practical routes to compare: international undergraduate entrance scholarships, nursing awards for enrolled students, and graduate nursing scholarships. Each serves a different applicant. A school-leaver pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing needs a different shortlist from a registered nurse pursuing a Master of Nursing.
The University of Alberta provides examples of all three routes. Its Faculty of Nursing encourages international applications and publishes guidance on English-language proficiency and spoken English. The university also publishes separate undergraduate entrance awards and a graduate nursing scholarship that specifically considers international nominees. Check the exact program, campus, intake and award conditions before paying to apply. See the university’s international nursing admissions guidance, international entrance scholarships, and international graduate nursing scholarship.
Which nursing scholarship route fits you?
Start with the qualification you want to earn. The word nursing in an award title tells you the field. The eligibility rules tell you whether it can help you at your current stage.
| Your situation | Funding to check first | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| You’re applying for your first nursing degree | International undergraduate entrance scholarships that cover your chosen nursing program | Whether your campus and entry route qualify, and whether you need a separate award application |
| You already have a degree outside nursing | Awards open to students entering an after-degree nursing program | Whether the scholarship accepts applicants who already hold a degree |
| You’re already enrolled in a Canadian nursing degree | Faculty of Nursing awards, bursaries and continuing-student scholarships | Whether your year of study, international status and financial circumstances meet the criteria |
| You’re a nurse applying for a master’s | Graduate nursing awards and any written funding available through your program | Whether the award covers your stream and requires a department nomination |
| You want to pursue a nursing PhD | Nursing-specific graduate awards and departmental funding | How much the department guarantees, for how long, and whether a competitive award would change that amount |
An international entrance award can be relevant even if its title never mentions nursing. An award with nursing in its name can be irrelevant if it requires you to be registered in a particular faculty or year of study. Search by both program and applicant status so you can find the awards that fit your circumstances.
If you already work as a nurse and your main goal is professional registration in Canada, establish which process applies to you before paying for a degree application. Ask the relevant provincial nursing regulator about your credentials and ask the university what its program is designed to prepare you for. A nursing scholarship decision answers a funding question. You still need to verify how the program serves your professional goal.
Nursing scholarships and funding options worth checking
The examples below show the differences between a large university-wide award, nursing awards tied to enrolment, and an award for graduate nursing students. Check each route against your own application.
| Award or funding route | Who should check it | Published terms and next step |
|---|---|---|
| President’s International Distinction Scholarship | Applicants entering the first year of an undergraduate degree on a study permit who meet the university’s academic and leadership criteria | Up to CAD $120,000 over four years. This is a university-wide entrance scholarship. Confirm that your nursing entry route qualifies and follow the university’s award application process. |
| Faculty of Nursing awards | Students planning to enrol or already enrolled in nursing who want to identify awards for their year of study | Examples include the Al Shamal Shriners (Arab Patrol) Award in Nursing and the Alice Thomas Award in Nursing. Confirm international eligibility, the amount and the application window before budgeting with any award. |
| Alice R Thomas & Bryan Campbell-Hope International Graduate Scholarship in Nursing | Eligible international master’s or doctoral students in the Faculty of Nursing | The university lists a grade standard equivalent to at least 3.5 on its grading scale. Course-based and thesis-based programs can qualify. The award is by nomination, and the department can confirm the current value and internal deadline. |
What the international entrance scholarship can do for a nursing applicant
The President’s International Distinction Scholarship is worth checking if you’re applying for your first undergraduate nursing degree and have a strong record of academic achievement and leadership. The advertised CAD $120,000 is the maximum over four years. Use that figure to assess the opportunity. Use the amount and payment schedule in your own award letter to assess affordability. Read the university’s international entrance award terms.
If you are preparing a leadership application, pick examples that show what you did and why it mattered. Suppose you helped organise a health awareness project. Explain your responsibility, the problem the team was trying to address, and the results you can document. A specific account gives reviewers more to assess than a long list of activities or a general claim that you’re passionate about healthcare.
Before you start the award form, check whether you must first submit your admission application. Also check whether you can apply while waiting for a nursing admission decision. That question matters if the entrance scholarship deadline arrives before the program’s final admission deadline.
How to use nursing faculty awards in your budget
A faculty awards list is useful for planning beyond your first term. At the University of Alberta, the Al Shamal Shriners award lists enrolment in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and considers academic standing and financial need. The Alice Thomas Award in Nursing lists enrolled undergraduate or graduate nursing students and uses academic standing in selection. The university’s directory directs students to the application that matches their current status. Check the official nursing awards directory.
Before treating an enrolled-student award as available to you, confirm four things.
- Your status on the eligibility date. Find out whether you need to be registered when you apply, when the award is assessed, or when it is paid.
- Your exact program and year. Check whether the award covers collaborative nursing, after-degree nursing, or the graduate stream you intend to pursue.
- Your international eligibility. If the public description is silent on citizenship or residency, ask the award office.
- The amount and payment date. Find out whether it is a one-time award, a renewable payment, or a credit against your student account.
For someone who needs help with the first tuition bill, an award that can only be considered after enrolment belongs in a separate part of the budget. You can apply once eligible while making your acceptance decision on confirmed first-year support.
How a nomination-only graduate nursing scholarship works
The University of Alberta’s Alice R Thomas & Bryan Campbell-Hope scholarship is an example of an award where the department puts a candidate forward. The published criteria include international nominees holding Canadian study permits, and the university tells students to contact the department about its process. It also says departments may use their own internal deadlines and that award values can change. Read the graduate nursing scholarship criteria.
If you’re applying from Nigeria, ask when your study permit status and enrolment must be established for consideration. Also ask whether the Faculty of Nursing reviews eligible students automatically for nomination or expects you to submit documents internally. The public award page gives you the eligibility framework. The department can tell you what you need to do and by when.
The award’s grade threshold and the degree’s admission threshold are separate. The University of Alberta’s Master of Nursing page lists an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on its 4-point scale and an undergraduate nursing degree, subject to its full criteria. The named scholarship lists the higher standard of 3.5. Ask the university how it evaluates your Nigerian or other international grades before making your own conversion. Compare the Master of Nursing admission requirements and the scholarship’s eligibility criteria.
Nursing admission requirements to check before paying
If you want your first nursing degree
Open the admissions page for your exact Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Bachelor of Nursing route. Identify whether you’re applying as a secondary-school applicant, a transfer student or a degree holder. Then check which subjects and documents the faculty asks for in that category.
If you’re applying with Nigerian secondary-school results, tell the university which examination you took and which subjects you completed. Ask how it evaluates those subjects against the program’s prerequisites and how it wants the results submitted. If you studied at a tertiary institution afterwards, ask which applicant category applies. That can affect the transcripts, prerequisite courses and deadlines you need to track.
The University of Alberta publishes a distinct process for international nursing applicants. It points applicants to both the university’s English-language proficiency requirements and the nursing spoken English requirements. Check both before booking a test or assuming that your previous education satisfies every language condition. See the Faculty of Nursing’s guidance for international applicants.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree in another subject
Start with the nursing school’s after-degree admission page. The University of Alberta, for example, publishes a separate admissions page for its Edmonton after-degree program. It identifies a fall intake and gives the application and document requirements for that route. Check the University of Alberta’s after-degree nursing requirements.
If your transcript includes courses with titles that differ from those on the prerequisite list, ask whether the faculty needs course descriptions or syllabuses. Do that early if your former institution takes time to issue them. Then check awards specifically for after-degree applicants. An undergraduate award that looks promising in a broad search may have entry conditions that need a separate eligibility check.
If you want a Master of Nursing
Read the nursing faculty’s admissions page alongside the requirements for your intended stream. Check the nursing degree requirement, how the school assesses your grades, whether it requests professional registration or experience evidence for your route, and which English results it requires. The University of Alberta publishes separate admission criteria for its Master of Nursing, including English-language instructions for international applicants. Read the Master of Nursing application instructions.
Prepare an academic or professional example that fits your stream. A nurse interested in a research program could describe a clinical question they observed, what evidence would help answer it, and why the department is a good fit. An applicant interested in a practice-focused stream could explain what they hope to improve in their work and how the program supports that goal. Use examples you can discuss and substantiate if the faculty asks.
How to compare international nursing tuition and scholarships
Start with the university’s international tuition figure for your program and intake. Ask whether it applies to the whole academic year, a term or a specified number of credits. Then request a list of compulsory fees and check whether the faculty lists any costs connected with labs, uniforms, clinical placements or required documentation. Use figures for your exact route.
| Budget stage | What to list |
|---|---|
| Before an admission decision | Application fees, transcripts, document delivery and any language testing you need |
| After admission and before the first award payment | Acceptance deposit if applicable, initial tuition, travel, temporary accommodation and any required early purchases |
| For the academic year | Remaining tuition, compulsory fees, living costs and verified nursing or placement expenses |
Now enter each award as either confirmed or competitive. A confirmed award has an amount and terms you can use. A competitive award gives you a second budget scenario. This approach is especially useful when you are deciding between a university with a large advertised scholarship and another with lower tuition.
Example of what a nursing scholarship may leave you to pay
These figures are illustrative only. They show how to compare costs. They are separate from the published university examples above.
| First-year calculation | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| International tuition | CAD $28,000 |
| Compulsory fees and program expenses | CAD $2,000 |
| Estimated living expenses | CAD $17,000 |
| Total of these expenses | CAD $47,000 |
| Confirmed entrance scholarship | CAD $12,000 |
| Remaining amount to cover | CAD $35,000 |
If the university applies the award to your tuition account, ask when the credit appears and whether you need to pay a deposit before then. If a nursing bursary is still pending, keep it out of the confirmed calculation. You can add travel and other expenses once you have quotes.
The living-expense figure in this table is an example for comparing offers. Check the applicable study permit financial requirements separately and use the official amounts when preparing that application. See Canada’s study permit proof-of-financial-support requirements.
What to check when an award is described as fully funded
If you come across a listing for fully funded nursing scholarships in Canada, open the official award page and look for the actual coverage. Does the scholarship pay the full international tuition? Is there a living allowance? Does the funding apply for the entire degree? Does it cover compulsory fees and any costs tied to clinical training? The answers tell you whether the offer suits your circumstances.
A large four-year maximum can look different when divided into annual payments. Ask whether the first-year amount is the same as later payments and what conditions apply to renewal. If you are saving in naira, keep your worksheet in Canadian dollars and use a dated conversion quote, including transfer costs, when you work out what you need to set aside.
Nursing scholarship deadlines for the 2027 intake
The University of Alberta’s undergraduate admissions calendar lists as its entrance award application deadline. Its Collaborative BScN page lists March 1 for the application deadline. Confirm both dates for your campus and entry route before you apply. The entrance award deadline comes first. See the undergraduate admissions calendar and the Collaborative BScN program page.
| What to track | Where to check | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance scholarship application | Undergraduate awards calendar | Date, closing time, and whether an admission application must already be submitted |
| Nursing admission application | Page for your program and applicant category | Program, campus, intake and deadline |
| Transcripts and prerequisite documents | Nursing admissions instructions and applicant portal | Whether uploads are enough initially and when official records are due |
| Graduate nursing award nomination | Nursing department or graduate coordinator | Internal deadline, eligibility date and documents required |
| Admission acceptance and any deposit | Your individual offer | Due date, amount and when you expect a funding decision |
Set your personal deadline before the university’s cutoff. That gives you time if an online payment fails or your transcript arrives late. If you’re applying from Nigeria, confirm the university’s local closing time and convert it before putting the deadline on your calendar.
If a scholarship deadline has passed while admission remains open, ask the university which awards still accept consideration for your intake. Then decide whether you can afford to apply using the funding routes that are still available. You may have a viable application even if one award has closed, provided the remaining cost fits your budget.
How to apply without wasting money on the wrong route
1. Confirm your applicant category
Write down your highest qualification, the country where you earned it and the program you want. Ask the school which route applies if you’re unsure. This step is particularly useful if you have both secondary-school and tertiary qualifications or if you hold a degree in a related health field.
2. Identify one award you can verify
Find an official award page and record the eligibility rules, amount or value range, application route and deadline. Add a note for anything the page leaves open, such as international eligibility or the date by which you need a study permit. Get those answers before spending time on essays or submitting documents that the award does not require.
3. Request documents in the right order
Start with documents that depend on other people: transcripts, references and, where needed, proof of professional registration. Give referees the exact program name and the points the application asks them to address. Check which records the institution accepts from you and which it wants sent directly.
4. Give the scholarship application its own evidence
Your nursing admission statement can focus on your academic preparation and reasons for pursuing the program. Your scholarship statement can address the award’s selection criteria. If it asks for leadership, explain an initiative you helped deliver. If it asks about financial need, build a clear account of the cost and the resources available to you. Use concrete facts and answer the actual question on the form.
5. Review the offer and award letters together
Check the deposit deadline, international tuition, confirmed award amount, payment dates and any conditions. If the scholarship decision is pending, ask when it is expected. Where a non-refundable payment falls due first, decide whether the offer is financially workable under the information you already have.
Frequently asked questions
Can international students apply for nursing scholarships in Canada?
Yes. Start with awards that explicitly include international students and confirm your program and stage of study. The University of Alberta’s international entrance scholarship is an undergraduate route. Its Alice R Thomas & Bryan Campbell-Hope award is a separate, nomination-based route for eligible graduate nursing students. See the international entrance scholarship criteria and the international graduate nursing award criteria.
Can I use an entrance scholarship for an after-degree nursing program?
Check the scholarship’s rules for applicants who already have a degree. Then confirm whether the nursing faculty classifies you as a first-year undergraduate entrant for that award. Ask the awards office about your exact program before treating a general entrance scholarship as part of your funding.
Can I apply for a nursing scholarship before getting my admission offer?
Some awards have a separate application during the admissions cycle. Others require enrolment or a faculty nomination. Check the award’s instructions for the order of steps and track its deadline separately from the nursing application. For the University of Alberta’s named graduate nursing award, the department handles nominations. See the university’s nomination instructions.
What should I do if an award amount is missing?
Ask the award office for the current amount, number of awards and payment timing. If it cannot confirm the figure yet, leave the award out of your baseline budget and set a date to follow up. The University of Alberta notes that award values and counts can vary by year for its named international graduate nursing scholarship. Read the university’s guidance on award amounts and deadlines.
Is a scholarship enough to cover a nursing degree?
Compare the written award terms with your full cost estimate. Check tuition, fees, living expenses and any amounts due before funding arrives. Then repeat the calculation for each year. An award can make the first year affordable while leaving a later gap if payments end or renewal depends on conditions you still need to meet.
Before you submit your first application
Choose one nursing route and one intake. Confirm that you meet the program’s entry requirements, then put the program and one eligible award side by side. Write down the deadlines, total cost, confirmed funding and the amount you would need to pay yourself.
If you have enough for only a few applications, prioritise the ones where you qualify, you can complete the paperwork on time, and the remaining cost is manageable. A smaller award with clear terms can help you make a better decision than a larger one you have yet to qualify for.
