Who is eligible for a Schulich Leader Scholarship?

Canadian citizens graduating from a Canadian high school, secondary school, or CEGEP in the same academic year, who have been nominated by their school, plan to study a STEM field at one of 20 partner universities, and demonstrate entrepreneurial leadership and academic excellence. Permanent residents and international students are not eligible.

How much is the Schulich Leader Scholarship worth?

Engineering scholarships are valued at $120,000 over 4 years (paid as $30,000 per year). Science, Technology, and Math scholarships are valued at $100,000 over 4 years (paid as $25,000 per year). Renewal each year requires meeting GPA and engagement criteria set by the host university.

How many Schulich Leaders are awarded each year?

100 scholarships per year across Canada: 50 in engineering at $120K each, and 50 in science, technology, or math at $100K each. Each high school can nominate one student (two if it had a 2026 Schulich Leader; Cégeps can nominate four), so getting your school's nomination is the first hurdle.

Can my school nominate more than one student?

Sometimes. Every high school in Canada can nominate one graduating student per year. A school that had a 2026 Schulich Leader can nominate two, and Cégeps can nominate four. Otherwise, if two strong candidates are at the same school, only one moves forward to the application stage. Internal nomination decisions vary by school. Some run a formal selection committee, others leave it to the principal or guidance counselor.

Schulich Leader Scholarships 2027: $120K STEM Award and How to Be Your School's Nominee

Q: When is the 2027 Schulich Leader Scholarship deadline?

Schools must submit their nominee by January 27, 2027. The nominee must then submit the scholarship application, including reference letters, by February 17, 2027. These dates are from schulichleaders.com.

If you are in Grade 11, now is the time to learn about the Schulich Leader Scholarship. It is worth up to $120,000, and you cannot win it if you do not know it exists.

Your high school can nominate one graduating student each year (two if it had a 2026 Schulich Leader; Cégeps can nominate four) for the largest undergraduate STEM scholarship in Canada. Engineering nominees compete for $120,000. Science, technology, and math nominees compete for $100,000. Only 100 students across the entire country win one. If your school does not nominate you, you do not even get to apply.

This guide was first written in May 2026 for Grade 11 students. Students aiming for the 2027 cycle are now in Grade 12, and schools must submit their nominee by January 27, 2027. Spend that time well and you can be the obvious pick.

TL;DR

100 Schulich Leader Scholarships awarded across Canada each year

50 in engineering ($120,000 over 4 years), 50 in science/tech/math ($100,000 over 4 years)

Your school nominates one student a year (two if it had a 2026 Schulich Leader; Cégeps can nominate four)

Eligibility: Canadian citizen, graduating from a Canadian school, headed to STEM at one of 20 partner universities

2027 cycle: your school must nominate you by January 27, 2027, and your application and reference letters are due February 17, 2027

The hard part is being the nominee, not winning after that

The numbers (verified)

These are the facts you should commit to memory before a conversation with your principal:

	Engineering	Science / Technology / Math
Number awarded each year	50	50
Award value	$120,000	$100,000
Annual payment	$30,000 × 4 years	$25,000 × 4 years
Renewal	GPA + engagement criteria each year	Same
Eligible universities	20 partner schools	20 partner schools

Source: schulichleaders.com and schulichleaders.com/apply/, checked September 23, 2026.

The 20 partner universities are UBC, Toronto, McGill, McMaster, Calgary, Alberta, Waterloo, Western, Queen's, Dalhousie, Guelph, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Memorial, Université de Montréal, York, Ottawa, New Brunswick, Simon Fraser, and Victoria. Quebec students nominated through CEGEP can also be considered.

The nomination comes first

Here is the key point for Grade 11 students:

The hard part is the nomination, not the application.

Every high school in Canada can nominate one graduating student a year. Cégeps can nominate four, and a school that had a 2026 Schulich Leader can nominate two. The Schulich Foundation awards 100 scholarships a year, and you can only compete for one if your school nominates you. If you can convince your principal or guidance counselor that you are the obvious choice for your school, you eliminate most of the competition before the application even starts.

Each school decides how it picks its nominee:

Some schools run a formal internal selection committee with a written application.
Other schools leave the call to a single counselor or principal.
If your school has not nominated anyone before, you can change that. See the section below on what to do.

Do not wait until December of Grade 12 to ask "how does my school nominate the Schulich Leader?" Ask early, so the people who decide know who you are.

The 12-month positioning playbook

This plan was first written in May 2026, so the May to August 2026 block has passed. If you are in Grade 12 now, start with the September to December 2026 block. If you are in Grade 11 now, the same plan works one year later.

May to August 2026 (summer before Grade 12)

Pick your STEM target. A clear, specific STEM direction makes your case stronger. "I am interested in renewable energy systems and have built two prototypes" says far more than "I am interested in engineering." Pick a sub-field that excites you and start producing artifacts: a coding project, a research write-up, a robotics build, a science fair entry. Document everything.

Get on your school's radar. Email your principal and guidance counselor over the summer. Subject line: "Schulich Leader Scholarship 2027: request to be considered for nomination." Attach a one-page summary of your achievements, your STEM direction, and your 2026-27 plans. This is unusual enough that they will remember you in January.

Identify two adult endorsers. A teacher who has watched you do real STEM work and a community figure (a coach, a maker-space mentor, an employer at a summer internship). Both will be asked for context if you are nominated.

September to December 2026 (Grade 12 fall semester)

Stack visible leadership. The Schulich Foundation specifically uses the word entrepreneurial in its criteria. Starting something shows that more clearly than joining. Founding a club says more than being treasurer of one. Running a fundraiser says more than attending one. Document outcomes in numbers: dollars raised, students recruited, hours volunteered, prototypes shipped.

Keep your average above 90%. Strong marks matter for this award, so keep your average as high as you can. If you are at 87 right now, focus the next four months on bringing English, math, and your STEM electives up.

Volunteer two more pieces of evidence. A short personal statement draft (you will need it for the application later anyway) and a one-page CV. Hand both to your guidance counselor in October. Make it easy for them to pick you, and to write a reference letter if they are one of your two referees.

January to February 2027 (the deadline window)

For the 2027 cycle, schools must submit their nominee by January 27, 2027, and nominees must submit the scholarship application, including reference letters, by February 17, 2027. (The 2026 cycle closed January 28 and February 18, 2026.)

By January 15: confirm with your principal or guidance counselor that your school plans to nominate. Ask who is making the call and when.

Once you are nominated: after the Schulich office verifies your school's nomination, you get an email with a link to the online application. Do not wait. It asks for two referees who upload letters, your top three achievements, three short essays, and a one-minute video. None of these can be done well in a weekend.

February 17, 2027: application and reference letters due. Your referees only get their request after you submit, so submit early enough for them to write, and at least 48 hours early in case the form has issues.

What gets you nominated

The Schulich Leader criteria name several things, not only top grades.

Academic excellence. 90%+ overall, with strength in math and science. National-level competition results (Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge, Canadian Computing Competition, Canada-Wide Science Fair) are valuable signals.

Entrepreneurial leadership. Did you start something? Did it have an outcome you can put a number to? Schulich's own criteria name leadership, charisma and creativity. Launching a school robotics team shows more initiative than serving as captain of an existing one.

Community impact. Volunteering with a clear focus area, ideally over multiple years. Two years of consistent commitment to one cause says more than ten different short volunteer stints to pad a CV.

STEM commitment that is specific. "I want to be an engineer" is generic. "I want to study electrical engineering at Waterloo because of my work on the school's solar car project" is specific. Specificity reads as authentic.

Financial need counts. Schulich says strong consideration is given to students with financial need. It counts you as having need if you plan to apply for government student aid, such as OSAP, for university (see the 2026 OSAP overhaul).

Common pitfalls

Three mistakes to avoid.

Asking your school in December of Grade 12. Too late. Ask well before then.

Treating it like a backup plan. A generic essay copied across ten merit scholarships will not fit what Schulich asks for. The application asks for short essays on what you are passionate about, your entrepreneurial mindset, and a meaningful risk you took, plus your career goals 10 years out.

Choosing a partner university you do not actually want to attend. The scholarship is paid by your host university. You commit to that school. If you list McGill because it sounds prestigious but actually want Waterloo for co-op, you could end up committed to the wrong school.

After the nomination: what the application asks for

If your school nominates you, here is what the application asks for in the 2027 cycle, per the Schulich Leaders FAQ:

Two referees. They upload one-page reference letters after you submit your application.
The partner universities you wish to attend. You must complete your admission application to each one by March 1.
Your top three achievements, 50 words each.
Your career goals 10 years from now, 50 words.
Three essays of up to 250 words each: what you are passionate about, how you show an entrepreneurial mindset (leadership, charisma and creativity), and a meaningful risk you took and its outcome. A fourth essay on extenuating circumstances is optional.
A one-minute video, your transcript, and a headshot.

The application takes real work over the three weeks between nomination and deadline. Block the time on your calendar before nomination day.

What if your school has never nominated anyone?

If your school has not nominated anyone before, you can ask it to.

Walk into your principal's office in September with a printed copy of the Schulich Leaders FAQ, a list of last year's winners from your province, and a sentence that goes something like: "I would like to be considered for our Schulich Leader nomination this year. Here is what the program looks like and here is why I think I am a strong candidate."

Asking directly gives your principal something concrete to say yes to.

Where this fits with everything else you should be applying for

The Schulich Leader is a high-ceiling, low-probability award. Even the strongest candidates should pair it with broader applications. Take the 2-minute funding type quiz to see other Canadian scholarships, grants, and bursaries that may fit you. You should have your full target list assembled by October of Grade 12.

If you are not in Grade 11 right now, related guides on this site:

Sources: Schulich Leaders official program site, nomination process page, Schulich Leaders FAQ, UBC Schulich page, University of Calgary Schulich page. Dates, nomination rules and application contents checked on schulichleaders.com on September 23, 2026.