Main AwardSpring deadline
February 19, 2027
Entrance awards and the entrance bursary are due at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications open November 1, 2026.
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McMaster Financial Aid 2027: Scholarships & Bursaries
This McMaster financial aid guide covers September 2027 automatic entrance scholarships, application-based awards in AwardSpring, the Entrance Bursary, OSAP, international funding, and tuition. It separates automatic scholarships from application-based awards and bursaries so applicants can build a realistic plan instead of assuming one award covers the full cost.
Reviewed August 25, 2026 · 2027 dates are labelled only where McMaster has published them
Build the McMaster funding plan in layers
Do not treat one entrance scholarship as the complete budget. Check each funding route separately, then compare the result with current tuition and living costs.
1. Apply to McMaster
Receive the MacID and faculty assessment.
2. Check automatic awards
Use the exact faculty threshold without rounding.
3. Complete AwardSpring
Finish the General Application and every matched follow-up.
4. Apply for aid
Add the entrance bursary, OSAP, or another eligible route.
5. Close the gap
Compare confirmed funding with the full cost plan.
September 2027 scholarships and confirmed award deadlines
McMaster University scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid
Yes. McMaster offers automatic and application-based scholarships for domestic and international undergraduates. Published September 2027 automatic entrance awards range from $500 to $3,000 by faculty. The domestic Access Award provides up to $20,000 per year, and the Marjorie Anderson Financial Award is worth $80,000 over four years. McMaster also lists international entrance awards from $7,500 to $200,000. Automatic awards need no application. Most application-based scholarships and bursaries use AwardSpring after an applicant receives a MacID.
Automatic awards
$500–$3,000
Published faculty thresholds include the University Entrance Award and lower Faculty-specific Achievement Award bands.
Extended-care tuition bursary
Up to $8,500 yearly
Eligible incoming former youth in extended society care apply by June 1, 2027 for equal consideration.
McMaster automatic entrance scholarships for 2027
The McMaster University Entrance Award is for eligible students admitted full-time from high school into Level 1 of a first baccalaureate degree. The final admission average is calculated by the admitting faculty, the award does not require an application, and averages are not rounded. The September 2027 thresholds are:
Swipe or scroll horizontally to compare every faculty.
| Faculty or program | Final admission average | Automatic award |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Science | 98.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Bachelor of Technology | 90.00%+ | $3,000 |
| DeGroote School of Business | 92.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Engineering | 97.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Computer Science | 97.00%+ | $3,000 |
| iBioMed | 98.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Health Sciences | 98.00%+ | $1,000 |
| Nursing or Midwifery | 93.00%+ | $1,000 |
| Humanities | 94.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Science | 97.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Social Sciences | 93.00%+ | $3,000 |
| Wilson College | 95.00%+ | $3,000 |
An initial scholarship offer is conditional until McMaster receives final grades. McMaster recalculates admission averages in August and can add, adjust, or cancel an award. A student can receive either the McMaster University Entrance Award or a Faculty-specific Achievement Award—not both automatic awards.
Faculty-specific Achievement Award bands for 2027
McMaster also publishes lower automatic bands for five faculties or programs. These awards require no separate application and cannot be combined with the University Entrance Award.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to compare every faculty.
| Faculty or program | Final admission average | Achievement Award |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 90.00%–93.99% | $1,000 |
| Social Sciences | 90.00%–92.99% | $1,000 |
| Honours Health Sciences | 93.00%–97.99% | $500 |
| Nursing | 91.00%–92.99% | $500 |
| Midwifery | 91.00%–92.99% | $500 |
McMaster entrance awards and bursaries by application
Application-based entrance awards use AwardSpring. Applicants first apply to McMaster and activate the MacID using the barcode and Student (Person) ID Number in the acknowledgement letter. McMaster says a new applicant's profile can take a few business days to connect after the applicant uses OUAC and signs in to Mosaic for the first time. Sign in to AwardSpring with the McMaster email address and MacID password, complete the General Application, and finish the follow-up requirements for each matched opportunity.
The 2027 Undergraduate Entrance Bursary is worth $1,000 to $5,000 for eligible incoming Level 1 Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees entering their first undergraduate degree who demonstrate financial need. The current Access Award can provide up to $20,000 per year for four years plus one guaranteed McMaster work experience to eligible applicants from equity-deserving groups in Ontario's Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Marjorie Anderson Financial Award for Indigenous students is valued at $80,000 over four years.
AwardSpring applications open November 1, 2026. The entrance award, entrance bursary, and Access Award are due February 19, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Marjorie Anderson Financial Award is due April 30, 2027. Specialized faculty and external awards can use different dates, so applicants should confirm every matched opportunity.
McMaster funding checklist
- 1.Match the exact faculty and program to the September 2027 automatic-award table. McMaster does not use one university-wide entrance-scholarship average.
- 2.Do not round an admission average. McMaster explicitly says the automatic scholarship thresholds use the final faculty-calculated average without rounding.
- 3.Activate the MacID after applying, sign in to AwardSpring, complete the General Application, and finish every matched follow-up such as an essay or reference.
- 4.Submit the main AwardSpring entrance-award and entrance-bursary applications by February 19, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET; do not assume every specialized award shares that deadline.
- 5.Treat the entrance bursary, application-based entrance awards, automatic award, and later general bursary as separate funding routes with separate eligibility rules.
- 6.McMaster's Registrar now publishes the official 2026–2027 undergraduate fee schedule. Use the exact program and residency row in the linked schedule; Fall 2027 and 2027–2028 tuition remain pending.
How to read your McMaster AwardSpring status
AwardSpring workflow reviewed September 13, 2026
Completing the General Application does not finish every matched award. Check the Dashboard for follow-ups such as references or essays, then use the Scholarships tab to confirm each opportunity:
- Applied
- McMaster says the application is complete and submitted.
- Complete Follow-Up
- More requirements remain. Open the opportunity from the Dashboard and complete them by its own deadline.
- Closed
- The deadline has passed. If you already applied, check the Dashboard for that submission's specific status.
- Awarded ($1)—General Bursary
- This means the application is undergoing final assessment. It does not guarantee General Bursary funding or show the final amount.
Confirm or edit a submission
Open Scholarships and filter for Applied. McMaster says this status means the application was received by the deadline and remains eligible for further review. If a change is needed before the deadline, open the submitted application from that filtered list, revise it, and resubmit it. After the deadline, a scholarship can display Closed even when an application was submitted; use the Dashboard to find that application's own status.
Find the General Bursary
In the General Application's Financial Information section, answer Yes to the first question about aid that requires demonstrated financial need, then complete every financial question and submit the General Application. If the application demonstrates need, McMaster says the student is automatically applied; find it under Scholarships by filtering for Applied. Automatic application does not guarantee funding.
McMaster's General Bursary Program covers eligible students in undergraduate degree programs, excluding Mohawk McMaster Nursing and Conestoga McMaster Nursing. This program rule is separate from the other bursary eligibility and government-aid conditions below.
Follow McMaster's AwardSpring guideMcMaster tuition for 2026–2027
McMaster's Registrar now links the official 2026–2027 undergraduate and professional-program fee schedules. McMaster charges tuition by unit at a faculty- and residency-specific rate; use the exact row for the program rather than one campus-wide headline. Fall 2027 and the 2027–2028 schedule remain pending.
Applicants should use the live fee schedule and cost estimator, then add supplementary fees, residence or rent, a meal plan, books, transportation, health coverage, and program-specific charges. Fees are posted to student accounts in early August and remain subject to change.
Youth in Extended Society Care Tuition Bursary
McMaster's current incoming-undergraduate bursary can cover tuition and compulsory fees up to $8,500 per year and is renewable at the same value for up to four years. Eligible applicants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees. They must have spent at least one year in Ontario extended society care in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and meet McMaster's other admission, OSAP, documentation, and full-time enrolment conditions.
Incoming students apply in AwardSpring by June 1, 2027 for equal consideration. McMaster says decisions will be communicated by June 15, 2027, with later decisions possible only if funding remains.
McMaster bursaries after enrolment
McMaster's General Bursary Program is separate from the entrance bursary. Current students complete the AwardSpring General Application and matched follow-ups. McMaster normally uses an OSAP or other government-aid assessment to establish need, and students eligible for government aid are expected to apply. A need-based opportunity normally appears after the assessment shows at least $1 of entitlement.
McMaster lists exceptions for applicants who cannot use the standard OSAP route. They include Indigenous and international students, students with certain government-aid restrictions, some students with disabilities on reduced course loads, out-of-province aid recipients, and students receiving social assistance. International undergraduates generally need to be in Level 2 or higher for the general bursary. The application becomes available in AwardSpring in August.
OSAP and government aid at McMaster
McMaster administers OSAP for eligible full-time and part-time Ontario students. General eligibility includes Ontario residency, eligible citizenship or immigration status, an approved program and course load, satisfactory academic progress, demonstrated financial need, and good standing on prior student loans. McMaster directs eligible OSAP funding to the student account first for tuition and fees; any remaining amount follows the government disbursement process.
Students from another Canadian province or territory use the government-aid program where they qualify. U.S. citizens may use eligible U.S. government or private loan options rather than OSAP.
Read the OSAP 2026–2027 application guideMcMaster scholarships for international students
McMaster says it has more than $20 million in entrance awards for international-fee-paying undergraduates, with current values ranging from $7,500 to $200,000. Eligible students can receive one application-based award, one automatic award, and multiple financial awards, subject to full-time fall and winter enrolment, final admission conditions, and continued international tuition status.
Faculty examples differ substantially. Current automatic DeGroote awards begin at $15,000 in first year and rise to $25,000 for students with a 95% or higher average, with renewable upper-year amounts. Humanities and Social Sciences currently list $10,000 in first year plus $5,000 in each eligible upper year for students entering with at least 85%. Science lists $10,000 in first year plus $7,500 in eligible upper years. Engineering lists several $10,000 one-time program awards.
The main AwardSpring application-based deadline is now February 19, 2027. International applicants should still inspect each matched award because faculty-administered and specialized opportunities can use different requirements or dates.
Use one McMaster funding plan, not one assumed scholarship
Build the plan from confirmed tuition and living costs, then layer the faculty's automatic threshold, eligible AwardSpring opportunities, the entrance bursary, OSAP or government aid, and realistic family or employment resources. Students applying to a selective program can pair this section with the McMaster Health Sciences guide and the McMaster admission requirements.
Official McMaster sources
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers based on McMaster's current entrance-award, AwardSpring, tuition, bursary, OSAP, and international-student guidance.