Financial Assistance
International Student Support (ISS) realizes how important financial assistance is for any international student who may be faced with unexpected financial difficulty. Below is a list of the financial assistance and award opportunities available to international students.
The Student Awards and Scholarships office aims to help Toronto Metropolitan University students and staff with the Scholarship and Awards application process. Check out their website for scholarships and awards available to undergraduate students (external link) .
Through the Yeates School of Graduate Studies there are a number of scholarships and awards available to graduate students (external link) on a competitive basis.
Sources of Financial Support for International Students
Applications for the Spring/Summer Term have closed. Applications for the Fall Term bursary will open in September.
International students are required to provide proof of financial support in order to satisfy study permit requirements. Therefore, international students are expected to have sufficient financial resources in place while attending TMU. However, the university recognizes that unforeseen circumstances can lead to sudden and acute financial emergencies that jeopardize a student’s ability to continue their studies.
The Emergency Bursary for International Students is intended to provide one-time only, non-repayable financial assistance of up to $5000 for students in such cases. It is not intended to provide general scholarship funding, anticipated/future emergency funding, family or pet support, or repayment of loans or credit card bills.
Examples of unforeseen circumstances leading to acute financial emergencies include, but are not limited to, natural disasters, global conflicts, theft, scams, food or housing insecurity, unexpected job loss, family breakdown, serious illness or death of immediate family, abuse, and sudden medical costs not covered by insurance. Due to limited funds, we are unable to guarantee that all requests will be approved nor that the maximum requested amount will be approved.
As part of the application, you will be required to
- Provide appropriate documentation to substantiate the emergency that has occurred. (ex., police reports, email communication, banking documents, etc.)
- Demonstrate that you have exhausted all other available resources
- Using The GoodFood Centre (external link) to reduce/replace weekly grocery bills.
- Using personal resources including part-time employment and savings.
- Investigating faculty or program-specific supports (ex. TRSM student financial aid)
- Applying for other awards/scholarships/student loans.
How to Apply
- Confirm your eligibility with this checklist.
- Log into AwardSpring (external link) and create a profile if you have not done so already.
- Ensure that your budget form is correct and up to date for the current semester.
- Select the “International Student Emergency Bursary” from your dashboard. (If the bursary does not appear, try searching for it in the “Scholarships” tab. If the issue persists, join a drop-in advising session for further troubleshooting).
- Complete the application, following the guidelines provided in this table.
- Submit your application and await the committee’s decision email.
Application Processing Timeline
Bursary applications are reviewed on a weekly basis, following the below general structure (with some variation for university closures and holidays). Full and complete bursary applications submitted by Thursday evening will be reviewed the following Monday, with application decisions being communicated by Tuesday via email (emergencybursary@torontomu.ca). Note that any incomplete or incorrect information (ex. budget form, timeline of events, other resources, etc.) will result in delayed processing.
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday Deadline to submit Emergency Bursary application for the next committee review. |
Friday |
Monday Committee reviews Emergency Bursary applications from the previous week. |
Tuesday Applicants are contacted via email with the decisions. |
Wednesday |
Thursday Upon receipt of the Declaration Form, funds are released. |
Friday |
Disbursement of Funds
Before funds can be released, the student must sign and return the Declaration Form attached to their approval email, confirming that they will only use the funds for their intended purpose as indicated in the application (ex., living expenses). Upon receipt of the signed Declaration Form, the Awards Team will disburse the funds via e-transfer, unless the funds are intended for tuition support, in which case the funds will be disbursed directly to the student account. If funds have still not arrived after one week of submitting the Declaration Form, please contact issask@torontomu.ca.
Tax Considerations
Bursaries are considered part of a student's annual taxable income. The university will issue a T4A slip to all bursary recipients to report on their income tax return.
Scotiabank Scholarship
This scholarship was established in 2001 with support from the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) to enhance and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of Toronto Metropolitan University and the greater Toronto communities. Through the facilitation of the Scotiabank International Student Scholarship in International Student Support (ISS), Toronto Metropolitan University wants to demonstrate support for international students and encourage success in their academic life.
Eligibility
Based on the agreement with Scotiabank, this scholarship is awarded to upper-year full-time undergraduate international students with a strong academic achievement. Unfortunately, first-year international students are not considered eligible for this scholarship.
How it Works
- Students do not need to apply for this scholarship.
- Upper-year international students are automatically nominated at the beginning of the Winter semester based on their cumulative academic performance (CGPA) after the previous Fall exam results.
- International Student Support (ISS) will contact the winners to inform them of their success in winning the scholarship and proceed with issuing the funds to each student's account on MyServiceHub.
Description:
The Shukrana Foundation International Student Excellence Scholarship will support international women in STEM from South Asia who are excelling in their undergraduate STEM program and are experiencing financial need.
Eligibility Conditions:
To be eligible for this award, applicants must:
- Be an undergraduate student.
- Be an international student.
- Be enrolled in a full-time course load (80% or more of a full course load or at least 4 billing units). This includes students in an approved reduced course load, i.e.students registered with Academic Accommodation Support.
- Be enrolled in a STEM program.
- Be enrolled in their third year or fourth/final year of studies.
- Meet a minimum CGPA of 3.67.
- Demonstrate financial need as determined by the university.
- Self-identify as a woman, including cisgender or transgender.
- Self-identify as South Asian.
Additional Requirements:
Applicants must submit a written statement (500 words) detailing their academic and career goals and how the completion of their education aided by this scholarship will enable them to make a positive impact in the world.
Award value:
There are two annual awards of $5,000
Applications:
Applications available via AwardSpring (external link) . Please note that the information on this website is subject to change without notice. Always consult AwardSpring for the most up to date information about awards and scholarships.
Application Deadline: October 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
Application: AwardSpring (external link)
Award Amount: $7,400
Award Descriptions
The Dr. Ebrahim Award of Excellence is intended to support an international student in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th-year who demonstrates a high level of involvement in their community and academic excellence.
Eligibility
- Applicant must be registered as an Undergraduate student
- Applicant must be enrolled in Full-time studies
- Applicant must be in their second year, third year, or fourth/final year of studies
- Applicant must meet a minimum CGPA of 3.67
- Applicant must be an international student.
- Applicant must demonstrate Financial Need as determined by Toronto Metropolitan University
OR
- Applicant must have an approved accommodation for a reduced course load.
- Applicant must be registered with Academic Accommodation Support.
- Applicant must be registered as an Undergraduate student
- Applicant must be enrolled full-time in a reduced course load.
- Applicant must be in their second year, third year, or fourth/final year of studies
- Applicant must meet a minimum CGPA of 3.67
- Applicant must be an international student.
- Applicant must demonstrate Financial Need as determined by Toronto Metropolitan University
Additional Requirement
In a 500-word personal statement, explain how you have achieved to balance academic excellence and involvement in the wider Toronto Metropolitan or GTA community and how this relates to your academic, professional and/or personal goals.