Western University National Scholarships: How Students Can Win Up to $100,000

A 90 percent average is not enough. Western University’s most prestigious first-year awards go to students who combine high grades with original thinking, leadership, and a record of service. That combination is what the Western University National Scholarship Program is built to find.

If you are aiming at Western’s main campus in London, Ontario, this is the award family that can change the cost of a four-year degree. The top packages reach $100,000. Several others sit between $50,000 and $96,000. Even applicants who reach the interview stage but do not take a flagship award can still leave with a National Merit Award plus Western’s regular admission scholarships.

This guide explains what the program actually funds, who can apply, how nomination works, and what a competitive file looks like. Official details live on Western’s registrar pages, and those pages should be your final check before you submit.

Scholarship Summary

Host Country: Canada
Host University: Western University (London, Ontario)
Scholarship Type: Undergraduate Scholarships
Eligible Countries: Canadian citizens and permanent residents for most awards; international (visa) students for designated international awards; Black students for the James Jenkins awards; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students for the related National Indigenous Scholarship Program
Scholarship Benefits: Up to $100,000, etc.

What the Western University National Scholarship Program Really Rewards

Western describes National Scholarships as awards for all-round excellence. Selection is not a simple grade cutoff. The university looks for:

Outstanding academic performance, with a minimum overall average of 90 percent on Grade 12 U/M courses or the equivalent
Evidence of creative and innovative thought
A genuine appetite for learning
Exceptional work in extracurricular life, including the arts and athletics
Sustained community service at school and beyond

That last point is not decoration. Western places special weight on ongoing contributions to school and community life. A student who only looks strong on a transcript will struggle against a nominee who has led something that lasted.

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The awards are available only at Western’s main campus. Faculty Entrance Scholarships stay inside the faculty that granted them. Recipients must apply for admission to main campus and register as full-time students. International Baccalaureate and CEGEP students are eligible if they meet the academic standard.

Awards and Values: What You Can Actually Receive

Values change slightly from year to year. The figures below reflect Western’s published National Scholarship Program list for the recent cycle. Confirm current amounts on the official program page before you apply.

Flagship and presidential awards

Neen Hodgins National Entrance Scholarship: one award at $80,000, paid at $20,000 a year for four years
President’s Entrance Scholarships:
- one at $70,000 ($25,000 in year one, then $15,000 a year for years two to four)
- four at $65,000 ($20,000 in year one, then $15,000 a year)
- up to 15 at $50,000 ($20,000 in year one, then $10,000 a year)
James Jenkins President’s Entrance Scholarship for Black Students: five awards at $50,000 ($20,000 in year one, then $10,000 a year)
Beryl Ivey Continuing Entrance Scholarship: one award at $96,000, paid at $24,000 a year for four years. This award includes a financial-need component and a supplemental application.
Neen Hodgins President’s International Entrance Scholarship: one award of up to $80,000, paid at $20,000 a year for four years
International President’s Entrance Scholarships: three awards at $100,000

Faculty and follow-on awards

Faculty Entrance Scholarships: up to 15 awards at $30,000 ($12,000 in year one, then $6,000 a year for years two to four)
National Scholarship Study Abroad Awards: up to 46 awards of $2,500 for a term of up to four months, or $5,000 for a stay longer than four months. These are not available to International President’s Entrance Scholarship recipients.
National Merit Awards: $2,000 for one year. These go to students who were interviewed for a National Scholarship but did not receive a National Scholarship or a Schulich Leader Scholarship, and who then accept admission to main campus. Merit Award winners can still receive Western’s regular admission scholarships.

Western’s welcome pages also note that some award structures have included first-year residence support in certain years. Treat residence language as year-specific and check the current brochure.

Important stacking rule: students who receive a National Scholarship or a Schulich Leader Scholarship are not also eligible for the Western Scholarship of Excellence, Western Scholarship of Distinction, Western Admission Scholarship, Welcome to Canada Admission Scholarship, or Continue in Canada Admission Scholarship.

Who Is Eligible for Western University National Scholarship

Citizenship rules are not the same for every award inside the program.

Most National Scholarships require Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status.
The International President’s Entrance Scholarships and the Neen Hodgins President’s International Entrance Scholarship are reserved for international (visa) students. International students studying in Canada can apply for those awards if they are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
The James Jenkins President’s Entrance Scholarships for Black Students are open in a way the general domestic awards are not. Black applicants should read the current eligibility note on the registrar page rather than assuming a citizenship bar.
All applicants need a minimum overall average of 90 percent on Grade 12 U/M courses or equivalent.
You must apply for full-time study at Western’s main campus.
A school nomination is required for the National Scholarship Program. Schools may nominate up to four students, plus one additional international student.

The related National Indigenous Scholarship Program is a separate competition. It awards five scholarships of $50,000 to incoming Indigenous undergraduate students (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) on main campus: three from Canadian high schools and two from a postsecondary institution. Selection weighs academic excellence, creative thinking, and meaningful contribution to Indigenous communities. The annual deadline is also February 14. Identity verification and a distinct essay are required.

Scholarship Benefits Beyond the Dollar Figure

The headline number matters, but so does the structure.

Most major awards are paid across four years, which reduces the risk of a one-year windfall followed by a funding cliff.
Faculty awards lock funding to a faculty, so program choice at application time matters.
Study-abroad awards give National Scholars extra money for a term or longer exchange.
Interviewed finalists who miss a major award can still collect a Merit Award plus automatic admission scholarships.
The Beryl Ivey award is designed for a student who combines excellence with demonstrated financial need.

This is not a living-stipend graduate fellowship. It is an undergraduate entrance package. Budget for residence, meal plans, books, and travel using Western’s current cost pages, then treat the scholarship as tuition and related support rather than a full cost-of-living grant. Official finance guidance is here: Review Costs and Financial Support.

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How to Apply for Western University National Scholarship: The Sequence That Actually Works

The application is not a single form. Miss one piece and the file is incomplete.

1. Apply to Western through OUAC first.
You need an Ontario Universities’ Application Centre reference number to open the National Scholarship application. Western’s system can take at least five business days after the OUAC submission before the scholarship portal recognizes you. Do not wait until February.

2. Open the online National Scholarship application.
The student portal is reached from Western’s National Scholarship pages. You will enter your OUAC number and date of birth. Clear cache if the login fails.

3. Request a school nomination immediately.
The application includes a Nomination Request Form. You enter the email of a principal, guidance counsellor, or school designate. That person receives instructions for the nomination and transcript. Schools set their own internal shortlists. Many cap nominations at four students. Ask your counsellor weeks before Western’s deadline, not days.

4. Arrange a reference.
A school reference is part of a complete file. Give the referee time and a brief reminder of your roles, results, and service record.

5. Write the essay.
Western requires an original essay on an issue of public concern that matters to you. Length is typically 1,000 to 1,250 words, uploaded as a PDF. The essay is where creative and innovative thought becomes visible. A recycled graduation speech will not do that work.

6. Complete supplemental forms if needed.
The Beryl Ivey Continuing Entrance Scholarship and the Neen Hodgins National Entrance Scholarship require a supplemental application on top of the main National Scholarship file.

7. Meet the hard deadline.
The online application and all supporting documents must be in by February 14, 11:59 p.m. EST. Mailed documents must arrive by that date, not merely be postmarked. For 2027–28 entry, expect the application to open around mid-November 2026. The 2026–27 deadline has already passed.

Official starting points:

Questions can go to Norma Merino at nmerino@uwo.ca or 519-661-2111 ext. 85958.

What Makes an Application Competitive

Western interviews a subset of nominees. That means the written file has to earn a conversation.

A strong nominee usually shows four things at once:

Grades comfortably above the 90 percent floor, not perched on it
A project, research interest, artistic body of work, or athletic record that is specific rather than generic
Service that continued over time and had a result other people can describe
An essay that takes a public issue seriously and shows how the writer thinks

Schools cannot nominate an unlimited list. If your school has more strong candidates than nomination slots, start the internal conversation early. International students should confirm that the school is using its extra international nomination, not substituting them into a domestic slot.

Read recent recipient lists on the President’s Office honour roll. The names and award titles will not write your essay for you, but they show the range of faculties and profiles Western has already chosen.

Related Funding You Should Not Ignore

The National Scholarship Program is the prestige track, not the only track.

Automatic admission scholarships are based on final high-school average and do not require this application.
Schulich Leader Scholarships support STEM students and sit in a different competition.
Western’s Admission Scholarship for Black and Indigenous Students is a separate admission-based award that requires self-identification.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities entrance awards can stack for students who are not National Scholars.

Apply to the National program if you meet the bar. Also accept that most strong students will still need OSAP, family support, or work income for living costs.

Common Mistakes That Sink Otherwise Strong Files

Waiting for a Western offer before starting the scholarship application. You need the OUAC number first, but you should not wait for an admission decision.
Asking for a nomination in the last week of January when the school already filled its four spots.
Treating the essay as a personal statement about why you like Western. The prompt is an issue of public concern.
Skipping the supplemental form for Beryl Ivey or Neen Hodgins and then wondering why those awards were never in play.
Assuming an international student can use the domestic award list. Check the specific award names.
Missing the fact that mailed transcripts must arrive by February 14, not leave the school office on February 14.

Planning Timeline for the Next Cycle

If you are targeting September 2027 entry, work backward from February 14, 2027.

October–November 2026: confirm Western as a serious choice; draft activities list; talk to your counsellor about nomination policy.
Mid-November 2026: watch for the live application, brochure, FAQ, and supplemental PDF on the registrar site.
November–December 2026: submit OUAC, wait for Western to load your record, open the National Scholarship application, send the nomination request.
January 2027: finish the essay, confirm the reference and transcript, complete any supplemental form.
By February 14, 2027: submit everything. Then prepare for a possible interview.

Application Deadline: February 14 annually (11:59 p.m. EST). Applications for the 2027–28 academic year typically open in mid-November 2026.

Final Word

The Western University National Scholarship Program is competitive because the university is not only buying grades. It is selecting first-year students it wants to hold up as National Scholars. The money is large. The process is picky. The students who win treat nomination, essay, and service record as one file, not three afterthoughts.

Start with the official program page, get your OUAC number early, and give your school enough time to nominate you. If you are Indigenous, also read the National Indigenous Scholarship Program page and complete the identity declaration. If you are an international student, aim at the international presidential awards rather than the domestic list.

Official program page: https://registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/scholarships_awards/admission/national_scholarship_program.html

Award values, nomination rules, and deadlines can change. Use Western’s current documents for the year you are applying.

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