15 Scholarships for Canadian High School Students

There are a number of scholarships for Canadian high school students out there. 

We’ve made a list of scholarships which will help you fund your high school studies and your study abroad plans. 

These scholarships have been listed in three categories; those specifically for Canadians, those for Canadians living as citizens or permanent residents in the U.S and as a closure, general scholarships to which Canadians can apply to and get accepted. 

As a Canadian high school student, this will serve as a great study help. 

Scholarships for Canadian High School Students

Here, we go through the Canadian scholarships for high school students. High school students who live in Alberta are particularly encouraged to participate in these scholarships as a couple of them are targeted at the pool of students living within the province. 

1. Premier’s Citizenship Award

Award: Unspecified

Brief description

The Premier’s Citizenship Award is one of the Scholarships for Canadian High School Students which awards outstanding Alberta students for public service and volunteer service in their communities. 

This award is one of the 3 Alberta Citizenship Awards which recognize students who have contributed positively to their communities. 

The Government of Alberta awards one student from each high school in Alberta every year and each award recipient receives a letter of commendation from the Premier.

Premier’s Citizenship award is based on nominations from the school. The award is not based on academic achievement. 

Eligibility 

• Must be nominated for the awards
• Must have demonstrated leadership and citizenship through public service and voluntary services. 
• Must have made a positive impact in the school/community 

• Must be a Canadian Citizen, a Permanent Resident, or Protected Person (visa students are not eligible)
• Must be an Alberta resident.

2. Alberta Centennial Award

Award: Twenty-five (25) $2,005 Awards annually. 

Brief description

The Alberta Centennial Award is one of the most coveted Canadian scholarships for high school students. As one of the 3 Alberta Citizenship Awards which recognize students who have contributed positively to their communities, the award places the recipients on a State-high pedestal. 

Alberta Centennial Award is awarded to Albertan students for service to their communities. 

Eligibility 

• Alberta high school students who have received the Premier’s Citizenship Award.

3. Social Media Ambassador Scholarship

Award: Three (3) to Five (5) $500 awards 

Brief description

The Social Media Ambassador Scholarships is a popular Student Ambassador award for Canadian students.  

It is a scholarship for the Abbey Road Programs Summer Fellowships. 

The scholarship requires recipients to share their summer experiences by posting up videos, pictures and articles on their social media accounts. 

Outstanding Ambassadors will have their work profiled and showcased on the Abbey Road website.

Eligibility .

• Must be a high school student aged 14-18
• Must be a student from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, UK, or other Central European countries 
• Must demonstrate high academic and extracurricular performance
• Should have a competitive overall G.P.A.

4. Adult High School Equivalency Scholarship 

Award: $500

Brief description

The Adult High School Equivalency Scholarship is an award to students taking adult education. The scholarship is one of the  Scholarships for Canadian High School Students which encourages adult high school graduates to continue their education for a tertiary degree. 

Eligibility 

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person (visa students are not eligible), 
• Must be an Alberta resident
• Must have been out of  high school for a minimum of three (3) years before starting a high school equivalency program
• Must have completed a high school equivalency program with an average of at least 80%
• Must be currently enrolled full-time in a post-secondary institution in Alberta or elsewhere
• Must have obtained a signed nomination by the head of the institution at which the applicant completed their high school equivalency program. 

5. Chris Meyer Memorial French Scholarship

Award: One full (tuition paid) and one partial (50% of tuition paid) 

Brief description

The Chris Meyer Memorial French Scholarship is another Canadian scholarship awarded by the Abbey Road. 

This scholarship is awarded to outstanding students of French Language and Culture.

The award recipients get enrolled into the Abbey Road’s 4-week French Homestay and Immersion Program in St-Laurent, France.

Eligibility 

• Must be a high school student aged 14-18
• Must be a student from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, UK, or other Central European countries
• Must demonstrate high academic and extracurricular performance
• Should have a competitive overall G.P.A.

6. Green Ticket Scholarships

Award: Abbey Road offers one full and one partial Green Ticket Scholarship equal to one full and one partial round-trip airfare to any Abbey Road summer program destination.  

Brief description

Another of Abbey Road’s scholarships, the Green Ticket Scholarships is a scholarship which seeks to reward students who have been committed to the environment and nature. 

This is a scholarship which encourages students to be more conscious of the natural environment and their local communities. 

Eligibility 

• Must be a high school student aged 14-18
• Must be a student from the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, UK, or other Central European countries
• Must demonstrate high academic and extracurricular performance
• Should have a competitive overall G.P.A.

7. Lives to Change Scholarship

Award: Full-scholarship

Brief description: The AFS Intercultural Program’s Lives to Change Scholarship is a Canadian scholarship for high school students which allows for an opportunity to enroll for a study abroad program without any participation fees.  

Students awarded get a chance to make a choice of the study location and, during the program, will be immersed into a study of the local culture and language of the chosen host country. 

Awarded students will live with host families who will provide them the best insight towards the culture and life of the community. 

Eligibility: 

• Must be aged 15 – 18  before the day of departure 
• Must be a  Canadian citizen  or a permanent resident of Canada 
• Must have submitted medical records for assessment. 
• Must be a full-time high school student who have good grades 
• Must demonstrate motivation to experience an intercultural experience.

8. Viaggio Italiano Scholarship

Award: $2,000

Brief description: The Viaggio Italiano scholarship is a scholarship for students who have never learnt Italian before.

It is however a need-based scholarship for families earning $65,000 or less as household income. 

Eligibility:

• Applicant is expected not to have prior knowledge of the Italian language 
• It is open to all nationalities.

Canadian Scholarships for High School Students in the United States 

The scholarships for Canadian high school students in the United States include a couple of awards given to U.S citizen and permanent residents. Canadians who are also U.S citizen or permanent residents are encouraged to apply for these. 

9. Yoshi-Hattori Memorial Scholarship

Award: Full-scholarship, One (1) award.

Brief description

Yoshi-Hattori Memorial Scholarship is a merit and need based scholarship available for just one high school student to spend a full year at the Japan High School Program. 

The scholarship was established in memory of Yoshi Hattori and aims to promote intercultural growth, connection and understanding between the U.S and Japan

During the application process, you will be required to write a number of essays whose prompts vary annually. 

Eligibility: 

• Must be a high school student who is either a US citizen or a Permanent Resident 
• Must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Must have made thoughtful essay submissions for the scholarship. 
• The family of the candidate who will qualify must have $85,000 or less as household income.

10. National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NLSI-Y) 

Award: Full-scholarship.

Brief description: 

For Canadians who are permanent residents in the US, the National Language Security Initiative for Youth (NLSI-Y) is an opportunity for high school students. The program seeks for applications from every sector of the diverse community of the U.S.

The program is designed to promote the learning the 8 critical NLSI-Y languages — Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajik), Russian and Turkish. 

Award recipients will obtain a full scholarship to learn one foreign language, live with a host family and obtain an intercultural experience. 

There is no guarantee that there will be a tour of historical sites during the academic trip, unless it is pertinent for a particular course in the program. 

Eligibility: 

• Must be interested in obtaining an intercultural experience through learning one of the 8 critical NLSI-Y languages. 
• Must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident 
• Must be a high school student.

11. Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad Program

Award: Full-scholarship.

Brief description: 

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program is a high school scholarship program for international students to apply for studies in the United States for one semester or for one academic year. It is a merit based scholarship especially for high school students who live in a predominantly Muslim population or community. 

YES students serve as ambassadors from their communities to the U.S. 

As it is an exchange programs, U.S citizens and Permanent Residents who enroll for the program also get an opportunity to travel to a country with a significant Muslim population for one semester or one academic year. 

Canadians who are citizens or permanent residents can apply. 

Countries on the list include, Albania, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Egypt, Gaza, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Israel (Arab Communities), Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria,  North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and West Bank.

Eligibility: 

• Must be interested to obtain an intercultural experience in a host country with significant Muslim population. 
• Must be a U.S citizen or permanent resident 
• Must be a high school student as at the time of application.

12. Key Club/Key Leader Scholarship

Award: One $2,000 award for tuition.  

Brief description

The Key Club/Key Leader Scholarship is a High school scholarship which considers students who have leadership potentials and are a member of the Key Club. 

To be considered as a leader the student must demonstrate leadership characters such as flexibility, tolerance and open-mindedness.

An essay may be required for the application.

Eligibility 

• Must be a U.S citizen 
• Must be a Key Club member or Key Leader
• Must hold a 2.0 for summer programs and a 3.0 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale for year and semester programs. 
• Previous recipients of a YFU scholarship are not eligible.

Global Scholarships for Canadian High Schools Students 

The global scholarships for Canadian high school students include a few general scholarships which are neither region based or country based. 

They are neutral scholarships, open to every high school student across the globe. And of course, Canadian high school students are eligible to apply. 

13.  Halsey Fund Scholarship

Award: Unspecified 

Brief description

The Halsey Fund Scholarship is a scholarship for the School Year Abroad (SYA) program. The SYA is a program which seeks to integrate real-world experiences into day-to-day school life. The program seeks to provide a year of intercultural engagement between high school students from different countries. 

Halsey Fund Scholarship, one of the top  Scholarships for Canadian High School Students is a scholarship which funds one student for the SYA school enrollment. 

The funds also cover the round-trip airfare. 

Eligibility 

• Must be a high school student 
• Must demonstrate exceptional academic ability,
• Must be committed to their home school communities
• Must be passionate about exploring and learning other cultures. 
• Should show need for financial aid
• Applicant can be of any nationality.

14. CIEE Program Scholarships

Award: Unspecified 

Brief description

The CIEE Program Scholarships is a Canadian scholarship which was established to increase access to study abroad opportunities for students in different nations. 

This program seeks to increase intercultural engagement between students in order to create a more peaceful global community. 

CIEE Program Scholarships provides financial aid to young people from Canada, the United States and around the world to study abroad. 

Eligibility 

• Applicants can be from any nationality 
• Should have an interest in learning about other cultures and peoples
• Must have applied to an institution abroad.

15. Need-Based Summer Abroad Scholarship 

Award: $250 – $2,000

Brief description

The Need-Based Summer Abroad Scholarship is a program aimed at encouraging and assisting students from diverse cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds to experience immersive cross-cultural programs through a variety of need-based summer abroad scholarships. 

This project is targeted at high school students who have shown potential for leadership and have been involved in civic engagements and volunteer activities.

Eligibility 

• Must be a high school student
• Must have shown leadership skills through practice
• Must have been involved in civic engagements and volunteerism.

Find out the Unclaimed and Easy Canadian Scholarships.

Conclusion

Having gone through these scholarships for Canadian high school students, you may also want to check out our well researched article on how to get scholarships in Canada.