hi! I’m currently in the middle of the decision process of whether I attend UofT. I got into the Arts and Sciences Faculty with Innis College. My main issue is regarding residence fees, if I apply to Innis college scholarship before the deadline, by when would I get acceptances/rejections regarding scholarships?
hey there,
omg congrats on your acceptance!
this is a really great question. residence fees at innis are honestly getting so high, even if innis is known as the lowest priced dorm at U of T.
so i definitely get why you’re looking to get scholarships to help out.
i know that there are admissions scholarships that you’re automatically considered for, and those would have been included in your admission offer. but since you’re talking about scholarships that need applications, im assuming that you’re talking about innis leadership awards for incoming students.
would you hear back about these scholarships before your deadline to respond to your admission offer?
well, your deadline to respond is going to be either late may or early june. (it should say the exact date on your admission letter!) but, decisions about these scholarships often aren’t released until late spring, which i know is vague but i fearrrr that’s all i’ve got.
all i can say is, it is not uncommon for students to hear back about scholarships after the response deadline. there is a decent chance it could happen to you.
regardless, i want you to know that these innis leadership scholarships are not your only opportunity to get financial aid.
government financial aid
if you’re from canada, a great thing to do is apply for government financial aid programs. for example, students from ontario are able to apply to OSAP. meanwhile if you’re not from ontario, there are still provincial student aid programs for each province.
in-course scholarships
there are also going to be several “in-course” scholarships available to you during your time at U of T. this “in-course” name basically just means “not admission and not graduating, but while you’re here”.
first, there will be in-course scholarships that you can apply for within your program. the bigger your program is, the more scholarships they’ll have to offer. you’ll usually get an email about these mid-way through the fall semester (though i’m not sure if programs offer ones for first years, sometimes it starts in second year?).
second, there will be in-course innis awards available to you. for example, there are gpa-based awards that tons of people get during their second, third, and fourth year. and there are several more leadership awards that you can apply to during the spring of each year.
some more resources
a great tool for sorting through the many scholarships at U of T is the award explorer. definitely use filters though, to find ones that would be applicable for you.
you can also use this U of T financial planner to help yourself budget. it’s meant to help students see how much money they’ll need to cover tuition and fees, housing costs, food, etc during a year. it can be pretty overwhelming, and this can be helpful in sorting it all out!
finally, i just want to say that innis residence is a really amazing place to live! i lived there, and i’ve heard nothing but good things about it (unlike other residences). the location is insanely convenient, there is plenty of student support available, there are lots of events with free food, and it’s just a great place to find community. i could go on and on!!
i will leave you with some important dates to keep in mind:
- applications for provincial financial aid programs become available from your home province or territory around may of each year.
- the deadline to apply to incoming innis leadership awards is april 14.
and yeah, i hope this helps you make your decision! sending good vibes <3
over and out,
aska