Reference letters for Canadian university and scholarship applications

Admission to most first-year programs is decided on your marks and required courses. McGill says letters of reference are required for only a very limited number of its programs, and that you'll see them on your checklist if they apply. Don't send letters nobody asked for. McGill says unrequested documents won't be reviewed.

UBC is the main exception for admission. Its Personal Profile asks for two referees, and UBC may contact them to check the activities you describe. Read our UBC Personal Profile guide before you choose them.

Scholarships are where references really count. Large national awards such as Loran, Schulich Leader and Terry Fox all need at least one referee, and several university awards, including U of T's National Scholarship, Queen's Chancellor's Scholarship and Western's National Scholarship Program, start with a school nomination.

Some awards cap how many students one school can put forward, so your school decides before you apply. Ask your guidance counsellor in September which ones your school takes part in.

Each Canadian high school can nominate one student a year for U of T's National Book Award, and only nominees can apply for the National Scholarship. Schulich Leader also allows one nominee per high school, or two if the school had a 2026 recipient. Western lets a school nominate up to four students for its National Scholarship Program, plus one international student.

Queen's Chancellor's Scholarship works through a High School Official form. When you submit your Major Admission Award application, Queen's emails the official you named, and that person confirms whether you're the school's nominee. Queen's says a student on a gap year must be nominated by the last high school they attended full time.

Pick someone who has watched you do the thing the award rewards. Loran suggests a teacher, coach, employer or community leader. Terry Fox suggests people who know your character and your activities, and says it's wise to explain the award to them first.

Loran, Terry Fox, UBC and York all rule out relatives. Loran and UBC also rule out friends, and UBC rules out paid agents. At UBC, one referee must be able to speak to an activity you wrote about in a long answer, and if you're in high school one referee must be a school official such as a counsellor or teacher.

Ask early and give your referee the date in writing. Online forms usually go out only when you enter the referee's details or submit your own application, so a late start squeezes their time. Loran asks you to leave several days between your submission and the deadline.

These are the reference and nomination dates published for Fall 2027 entry. Our Grade 12 timeline puts them next to OUAC and college dates.

York's guidance for referees is a useful model for any award. It asks referees to say how long and in what role they've known you. Academic letters should speak to your potential in university. Activity letters should describe your role, what you achieved and the difference it made, including leadership, effort and any adversity you overcame.

Format rules differ. Schulich letters are one page at most and addressed to the Schulich Leader Scholarships Selection Committee. Loran's form allows 250 words. York wants a signed letter on letterhead with contact details. Send your referee a short package so they don't have to guess.

At Loran and Terry Fox, it's your job to make sure referees submit on time. Loran lets you watch your referee's progress after you log back in. If they don't see the email within two hours of your submission, ask them to check spam. If your referee can't finish, Loran lets you ask another qualified person, but you need to email Loran to change it.

Schulich's reference requests go out only after you submit your full application, so finish early. UBC contacts referees after offers go out, so keep their phone and email current and tell them a call may come.

A reference can also replace an English test in some cases. UBC's English waiver request needs a letter from your English teacher, counsellor or principal saying your English is close to a native speaker's, sent with your transcript by February 15.

Western's waiver for Ontario high school students asks for a letter from your current ENG4U teacher or your ENG3U teacher. Applicants outside Ontario ask their final-year English teacher. Our English language tests guide compares the waiver rules.

A parent can't be the referee for Loran, Terry Fox, UBC or York, because all four rule out relatives. You can still help a lot behind the scenes.

Keep a shared list of activities with start dates and hours, because referees and forms ask for detail. Put every nomination and reference date in the family calendar. Let your child make the ask and send the thank-you note. Our parent guide covers the rest of Grade 12.

Many national awards need Canadian status. Schulich Leader requires Canadian citizenship. U of T's National Scholarship is open to citizens, permanent residents and protected persons. Western's National Scholarships need citizenship or permanent residence, except its international President's awards. SHINE excludes international students.

UBC's referee rules apply to every applicant, including students at schools outside Canada. York has separate international entrance awards, and some need an application. See our international students hub and Caribbean pathways guide.