Carleton University Scholarships for International Students

Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, hands international undergraduate students two awards automatically, without a separate scholarship form. The President’s Welcome Award for International Students is worth CAD 2,000 to 5,000 in the first year, and a renewable entrance scholarship adds up to CAD 3,000 a year for four years. Carleton assesses both from your admission file.

The larger awards need an application. Carleton’s Prestige Scholarships, led by ten Chancellor’s Scholarships of CAD 32,000 each, close on 1 March 2027, a month before the main international admission deadline of 1 April 2027. Every figure below is from Carleton’s own scholarships and deadlines pages, linked at the end of this page.

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Carleton University scholarships 2027: quick facts

Quick facts2026-27

Scholarship from	Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Last date to apply	1 April 2027 (main international admission deadline); Prestige Scholarships close 1 March 2027
Awards for international students	President’s Welcome Award CAD 2,000-5,000 (first year, automatic); renewable entrance scholarship CAD 1,000-3,000 a year for four years (automatic at 85% or better); Prestige Scholarships CAD 20,000-32,000 over four years or full tuition (application required)
Official website	admissions.carleton.ca/scholarships

Go to official website

Which Carleton awards are open to international students

Carleton groups its first-year money into three families. Two are automatic and one needs a written application, so an Indian student who applies for admission before 1 April 2027 is already in the running for the first two.

President’s Welcome Award for International Students: CAD 2,000 to 5,000 for the first year, unlimited number of awards, automatic for international students entering directly from high school and paying international fees.
Renewable Entrance Scholarships: CAD 1,000 to 3,000 a year for four years, worth up to CAD 12,000 in total, automatic for every admitted student with an admission average of 85% or better who meets the English language requirements.
Prestige Scholarships: CAD 20,000 to 32,000 spread over four years, or full tuition for the Riordon Scholarship. These need an application by 1 March 2027 and an admission average of 90% or better.

President’s Welcome Award for International Students

This is the award built specifically for fee-paying international students. Carleton values it at CAD 2,000 to 5,000 depending on the grades in your admission file, and the university places no cap on how many it hands out. It is paid in the first year only and it stacks on top of a renewable entrance scholarship, so a strong applicant can hold both.

Two conditions decide eligibility. You must be an international student entering Carleton directly from high school, and you must be paying international tuition fees. Students transferring from another university or college do not qualify for this award.

Renewable entrance scholarships: CAD 1,000 to CAD 3,000 a year

Every admitted student with an 85% or better admission average is considered automatically at the time of admission. Carleton calculates that average from the marks your high school submits in support of your application, so the percentage is Carleton’s own conversion, not your board percentage.

Admission average	Value each year and maximum over four years
95% to 100%	CAD 3,000 a year, maximum CAD 12,000
90% to 94.9%	CAD 2,000 a year, maximum CAD 8,000
85% to 89.9%	CAD 1,000 a year, maximum CAD 4,000

The scholarship renews each year if you keep an annual GPA of 10.0, which is A- standing at Carleton. Miss that bar in a year and the award stops for the following year.

Prestige Scholarships: CAD 20,000 to CAD 32,000, apply by 1 March 2027

These are Carleton’s headline awards and the only first-year scholarships that need an application. You must be entering directly from high school or CEGEP with an admission average of 90% or better, and the selection committee also weighs leadership and extracurricular work through secondary school. Students who have already attended a college or university are not eligible.

Prestige award	Number and value
Chancellor’s Scholarships	10 awards, CAD 32,000 (CAD 8,000 a year for four years)
Richard Lewar Entrance Scholarships	7 awards, CAD 21,500 (CAD 6,500 in year one, CAD 5,000 in each of years two to four)
Carleton University Scholarships of Excellence	3 awards, CAD 20,000 (CAD 5,000 a year for four years)
Carleton University SHAD Scholarships	2 awards, CAD 20,000 (CAD 5,000 a year for four years)
Jay Woo and CAA Scholarship	1 award, CAD 20,000 (CAD 5,000 a year for four years)
Riordon Scholarship	1 award, full tuition in all four years, capped at the Canadian domestic full-tuition amount

The application is an email to [email protected] and must land by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on 1 March 2027. If that date falls on a weekend, Carleton moves the deadline to the first working day after it. Prestige awards renew with the same annual GPA of 10.0.

Eligibility for Indian students

You must be admitted to a Carleton undergraduate degree and be paying international tuition fees.
The automatic entrance scholarship needs an 85% or better Carleton-calculated admission average plus Carleton’s English language requirements for international applicants.
The President’s Welcome Award needs you to come straight from high school, not from a college or another university.
The Prestige Scholarships need a 90% or better average, documented leadership, and an application email before the March deadline.
Award holders must keep paying international fees. If your fee status changes to domestic, the international award stops.

How to apply for Carleton scholarships

Apply for admission to Carleton for the September 2027 intake, well before the 1 April 2027 international deadline.
Submit your high school transcripts and English proficiency evidence. The automatic awards are calculated from these documents, so a late file means no scholarship offer.
If you have a 90% or better average and leadership to show, email your Prestige Scholarship application to [email protected] by 1 March 2027, 11:59 PM EST.
Watch for the scholarship line in your offer of admission. Carleton includes the entrance scholarship in the offer letter, and the President’s Welcome Award is applied to your first-year fees.
Accept the offer and register. The award appears on your student account and the renewal rules apply from your first winter term.

Important dates for the 2027 intake

1 March 2027: Prestige Scholarship application deadline and program-specific application deadlines.
5 March 2027: deadline for additional admission material for some programs.
1 April 2027: main application deadline for international students whose transcripts come from outside Canada and the United States.
1 May 2027: deadline to apply for a Leadership Entrance Bursary.
30 June 2027: deadline to apply for an Entrance Bursary.

Some Carleton programs close earlier than the general dates, so check the program page before you plan your application around April.

What Carleton costs international students

Carleton froze international undergraduate tuition for three academic years, 2026-27 through 2028-29, so the fee you see now is the fee you pay. The published international tuition is CAD 39,000 a year for Arts, Science, Mathematics, Economics, Health Sciences, Humanities, Journalism and Global and International Studies degrees; CAD 45,000 a year for Accounting, Commerce, Entrepreneurship and Media Production and Design; and CAD 55,000 a year for Architectural Studies, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Science, Engineering, Industrial Design and Information Technology. Most programs add about CAD 2,500 in miscellaneous fees.

Living costs sit on top. Carleton budgets CAD 14,010 for an on-campus residence place with a meal plan over eight months, CAD 1,400 for books and supplies and CAD 3,000 for personal expenses. For the study permit, IRCC asks a single applicant to show at least CAD 23,448 for living expenses in addition to first-year tuition and travel.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a separate application for Carleton entrance scholarships?

No. Carleton considers every admitted student with an 85% or better admission average automatically at the time of admission, and the President’s Welcome Award for International Students is also automatic. Only the Prestige Scholarships need an application, which is an email to [email protected] by 1 March 2027.

How much can an Indian student get from Carleton in the first year?

A student with a 95% or better Carleton admission average can hold a CAD 3,000 renewable entrance scholarship plus a President’s Welcome Award of up to CAD 5,000, so CAD 8,000 in the first year. A Prestige Scholarship winner can add CAD 8,000 more in the first year of a Chancellor’s award.

What is the last date to apply to Carleton for September 2027?

1 April 2027 is the main deadline for international students whose transcripts come from outside Canada and the United States. Program-specific deadlines fall on 1 March 2027 and some programs close earlier.

Does the Carleton entrance scholarship renew every year?

Yes, if you keep an annual GPA of 10.0, which is A- standing. The award is paid for up to four years and the maximum value is CAD 12,000 for the top band.

Can I combine the President’s Welcome Award with other Carleton scholarships?

Yes. Carleton says the President’s Welcome Award is offered in the first year in addition to other entrance scholarships, so it stacks with a renewable entrance scholarship.

Is the Riordon Scholarship really full tuition?

Yes, the Riordon Scholarship covers tuition in all four years, but it is capped at the Canadian domestic full-tuition amount, which is lower than the international fee.

Official links

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