Simon Fraser University Scholarships for International Students 2026: Entrance Scholarships Guide

Simon Fraser University offers something rare in Canadian higher education: a single undergraduate entrance scholarship for international students worth CAD 140,000. The International Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship pays $17,500 per term across eight terms — the full length of a standard four-year degree at SFU’s Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver campuses — and it comes with priority access to residence and front-of-the-line course enrolment for as long as you hold it. It is, by any measure, one of the most valuable general entrance awards open to international school-leavers anywhere in Canada. It is also fiercely competitive, decided by a December deadline that arrives months before most students have finished thinking about Canadian applications, and judged on far more than grades alone.

This guide explains exactly how SFU entrance funding works for international students in the 2026–2027 cycle: the Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarships (USES) competition and its published Fall 2027 dates, what the application actually asks for, the honest truth about the Uggla Family Scholarship (which international students ask about constantly — and which, at SFU, is not open to them), plus graduate entrance scholarships, fellowships and doctoral funding for students continuing beyond a bachelor’s degree. Start with our full Simon Fraser University profile for programs and tuition, browse the StudyGraduate scholarships directory, and set SFU’s offer in national context with our guide to scholarships in Canada.

SFU Scholarships at a Glance

The International Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship

The USES competition is SFU’s central major-entrance-scholarship process for high-school applicants. One complete application and supporting documentation puts you in contention for the awards you are eligible for. For international students, that means one headline award: the International Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship, valued at $140,000, paid as eight instalments of $17,500. In limited cases, SFU says an additional living allowance of $8,000 per term may also be offered to exceptionally talented recipients who demonstrate financial need — note the wording: it is possible, exceptional and need-based, not part of the standard award, and you should never include it in a budget until it appears in your own offer letter.

Minimum requirements

SFU’s official USES page sets the bar clearly. You must be applying to SFU for the fall term; you must be graduating from high school in your year of admission, or have graduated the previous year without enrolling in any post-secondary courses; and you must hold a minimum average of 90% — or 31 IB points excluding bonus points — in the courses required for admission to your primary program. Applicants who are not eligible for admission to their primary program are not considered for USES at all, so your scholarship fate is tied to your program choice: an application aimed at a program whose requirements you do not meet cannot be rescued by a brilliant essay. Beyond grades, you must demonstrate excellence in both academic and extracurricular activities, supply two complete references by 31 January 2027, and complete every item on your Student Centre To Do List so your admission application shows as “Complete” by the same date.

What the application actually contains

USES is not a grades-only competition, and SFU publishes the components so you can prepare. You will list and reflect on up to five extracurricular activities and achievements — volunteering, work, athletics, arts or other personal achievements — and any awards you have received. You will write a short essay of about 500 words describing how your personal experiences shaped your outlook on life and how that connects to your future at SFU. You will nominate two referees who have direct knowledge of what you describe: one academic reference (a counsellor, teacher or administrator who knows your academic ability) and one community reference (someone in a supervisory role for at least one listed activity — not a peer and not a family member). SFU contacts referees directly by email with an online reference form; referees do not upload documents. There is also an optional section where you can describe your financial circumstances — complete it honestly if need is part of your story, because the additional living allowance is decided on demonstrated need. Beedie School of Business applicants should note a useful rule: if your USES application meets the minimum requirements, it is reviewed in lieu of Beedie’s Supplemental Application for admission — but only if every component, references included, is complete.

Perks beyond the money

Two non-cash benefits carry real value in Metro Vancouver. USES scholars who apply to residence receive residence offer priority for the duration of their entrance scholarship — significant in a region where student housing is scarce and expensive. Scholars also receive “front of the line” course enrolment priority for the duration of the scholarship, which protects your ability to register in required courses and graduate on time. When you compare SFU’s $140,000 against headline awards elsewhere, count these: a delayed graduation term costs more than most scholarships pay.

The Uggla Family Scholarship: The Question Every International Student Asks

Because the Uggla name is attached to a famous international scholars program at the London School of Economics, international applicants often assume SFU’s Uggla Family Scholarship is open to them. At SFU, it is not — and learning that early will save you a wasted application cycle. SFU’s official Uggla page states the eligibility plainly: the scholarship is available to domestic (Canadian) students admitted for the fall term to any undergraduate degree. SFU’s Financial Aid listing confirms citizenship as Canadian/Permanent Resident, with ten scholarships awarded per year to students who face significant financial barriers to post-secondary education, with intent to support equity-deserving students including Indigenous, Black and racialised students, students living with disabilities and LGBTQIA2S+ students. On value, SFU’s own pages are not perfectly consistent — the Financial Aid listing shows $140,000 over eight full-time terms while the undergraduate admission page describes up to $170,000 over eight terms — so if you are a Canadian applicant, confirm the current figure with SFU directly. If you are an international applicant, your SFU route is USES: the same application window, a comparable headline value of $140,000, and eligibility that actually includes you. The international Uggla program you may have read about belongs to LSE in London, a different university and a different application entirely.

Are There Automatic Entrance Awards at SFU?

Students comparing Canadian universities often look for a guaranteed, grades-only automatic award of the kind some institutions publish as a table. SFU’s major entrance funding does not work that way: its substantial money flows through the competitive USES application, which is why the December deadline matters so much. Below that level, SFU’s Financial Aid and Awards office administers a wide range of entrance awards, scholarships and bursaries each term for domestic and international students, and continuing students can apply for scholarships, awards and bursaries in each term of study — amounts and criteria vary by award and faculty, and SFU does not publish a single guaranteed international automatic table comparable to some other universities. The practical translation: assume no automatic money, compete seriously for USES if you meet the 90% threshold, and then work SFU’s in-course award system once enrolled, where strong grades convert into term-by-term awards.

Graduate Funding at SFU

SFU’s Faculty of Graduate Studies administers internal and donor-funded awards through each academic unit, and most graduate entrance money is nomination-based: your department puts you forward, rather than you submitting a separate scholarship application. The key instruments international students should know are:

• Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship — an entrance award by nomination only, intended to recruit outstanding applicants to master’s and PhD programs with a multi-term or multi-year award. Its value depends on academic-unit approval and budgets, and not all departments offer it — ask your program directly what Dean’s Entrance funding it typically attaches to an international offer.
• Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship — likewise nomination-only, used by units to recruit outstanding master’s and PhD applicants; value set by the unit.
• Provost International Fellowship (PIF) — designed for outstanding international students who arrive with a major scholarship from their home country. It pays $1,500 per term, for up to two years at master’s level or four years at doctoral level, provided you continue to hold your home-country award, which must cover living expenses, health insurance and student fees other than tuition for at least three terms. Units are encouraged to match the PIF with teaching or research assistantships. Students do not apply; Graduate Studies handles nomination.
• President’s PhD Scholarship — approximately $7,000, for PhD students who have made excellent progress, held during or before the twelfth term, in programs that use the award.
• Graduate Fellowships and faculty fellowships — term-by-term fellowships administered through your unit’s graduate awards system, plus faculty-level awards such as the Faculty of Applied Sciences Graduate Fellowship (funded half by the Dean and half as a research assistantship from your supervisor) and departmental fellowships in areas such as computing science, where published values range from a few hundred dollars to around $20,000 for some professional master’s entrance fellowships by nomination.
• Teaching and research assistantships — the working backbone of most SFU graduate funding packages, arranged through departments and supervisors.

Two federal notes for doctoral applicants. The old Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship has been discontinued; Canada’s doctoral landscape now runs through the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D) at CAD 40,000 per year for up to 36 months, for which eligible doctoral students at SFU compete through the national process. And because so much SFU graduate funding is nomination-driven, your real scholarship application is your admission application plus an early, specific conversation with your prospective supervisor and graduate program chair about which awards you will be nominated for.

Eligibility Checklist

How to Apply for USES, Step by Step

1. Apply to SFU first. You need your SFU student number to access the scholarship application, so your admission application goes in before you can start USES.
2. Open the USES application from 1 October 2026. Read the whole application before writing anything; note the activity reflections and the 500-word essay.
3. Choose and brief your referees early. One academic, one community supervisor. Ask permission well ahead; SFU emails them a reference form link once you submit, and their references are due by 31 January 2027.
4. Submit the USES application by 15 December 2026 (11:59 p.m. Pacific). Draft essays in a word processor, keep copies, and do not leave submission to the final evening.
5. Complete your admission To Do List by 31 January 2027. Every required admission item must be done so your status shows “Complete”; references are due the same day.
6. Wait for review (February–March 2027). Winners are announced from mid-March through May 2027.
7. Apply for residence and your study permit promptly if you win — residence priority only helps if you actually apply to residence, and your permit file must show tuition plus IRCC living funds (CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026).

Required Documents and Evidence

• SFU admission application and student number
• Transcripts showing at least a 90% average (or 31 IB points excluding bonus) in required courses
• USES application: up to five activity entries with reflections, and the ~500-word personal essay
• Two referees’ contact details (academic + community supervisor); references submitted by referees by 31 January 2027
• Optional financial-circumstances statement (relevant to the possible living allowance)
• English proficiency scores meeting SFU admission requirements
• For graduate awards: program application, transcripts, references and research proposal as your unit requires; evidence of home-country scholarship for PIF consideration

Deadlines and Timeline (Fall 2027 Entry)

How to Improve Your Chances

Meet the threshold with margin. Ninety percent (or 31 IB points) is a minimum to be considered, not a winning score; successful USES files combine top grades with a coherent story across the five activity reflections and the essay. Choose activities you can evidence through your community referee — a supervisor who has actually watched you lead, serve or build something is worth more than a famous name who has not. Write the essay as an argument, not a biography: SFU asks how your experiences shaped your outlook and how that connects to your future at SFU, so name the programs, communities and opportunities at SFU that your outlook points to. Brief referees with your activity list and deadlines; a late reference is an incomplete application, and incomplete applications are not rescued. Apply to your primary program carefully — if you are not admissible to it, you are out of USES entirely, so a realistic program choice with the required courses beats an aspirational one without them. Finally, treat the optional financial-circumstances section seriously if it applies to you: the additional $8,000-per-term living allowance exists only for recipients with demonstrated need, and silence reads as absence of need.

Common Mistakes

• Applying for Uggla as an international student. At SFU, Uggla is restricted to domestic (Canadian) students. Your competition is USES.
• Missing 15 December. USES closes about six weeks before the general admission deadline; students who apply to SFU in January have already missed the scholarship.
• Submitting USES but leaving the admission To Do List incomplete. Both must be complete by 31 January 2027.
• Choosing a referee who is a peer or family member for the community reference — SFU explicitly excludes them.
• Budgeting the $8,000/term living allowance as guaranteed. It is offered only in limited cases to exceptionally talented students with demonstrated need.
• Assuming the $140,000 covers everything. It is paid term by term against your enrolment; you must still satisfy IRCC’s financial proof (tuition plus CAD 23,448 living funds from 1 September 2026) and maintain the scholarship’s renewal conditions.
• Graduate applicants waiting for a scholarship form. Most SFU graduate entrance awards are nomination-only — if you never ask your unit about nominations, you may never be considered.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the SFU International Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship?

CAD 140,000 in total, paid as $17,500 per term over eight terms. In limited cases, an additional living allowance of $8,000 per term may be offered to exceptionally talented recipients with demonstrated financial need. The award also carries residence offer priority and priority course enrolment.

What grades do I need for SFU USES?

A minimum average of 90%, or 31 IB points excluding bonus points, in the courses required for admission to your primary program. You must also be admissible to that program, be entering in the fall, and be graduating from high school this year or have graduated last year without post-secondary enrolment.

Can international students apply for the Uggla Family Scholarship at SFU?

No. SFU’s official Uggla eligibility restricts the award to domestic (Canadian) students. The international Uggla program is at the London School of Economics. International students at SFU should apply through USES, where the international award is worth $140,000.

What is the USES deadline for Fall 2027?

The application opens 1 October 2026 and closes 15 December 2026. References and all admission To Do List items must be complete by 31 January 2027. Winners are announced from mid-March to May 2027.

Does SFU give automatic entrance scholarships to international students?

SFU’s major entrance funding is competitive through USES rather than a guaranteed automatic table. Additional entrance awards and term-by-term scholarships, awards and bursaries are administered by Financial Aid and Awards, with criteria varying by award.

What graduate funding can international students get at SFU?

Nomination-based entrance awards such as the Graduate Dean’s Entrance Scholarship and Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship (values set by academic unit), the Provost International Fellowship ($1,500/term for students holding a major home-country scholarship), Graduate Fellowships, faculty fellowships, and teaching/research assistantships. Doctoral students also compete in the national CGRS-D program (CAD 40,000/yr), which replaced the discontinued Vanier.

Do I need to apply to SFU before starting the scholarship application?

Yes. SFU states you need your SFU student number — issued when you apply for admission — to access the USES application.

How many references does USES require?

Two: one academic reference (counsellor, teacher or administrator) and one community reference from a supervisor of at least one listed activity. Peers and family members cannot serve as the community referee. SFU contacts referees directly by email.

Renewal, Costs and What $140,000 Really Buys

The International Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship is structured as eight payments of $17,500 across eight full-time terms — the standard shape of a four-year SFU degree taken fall and spring. That structure carries practical consequences. First, the award is spread, not front-loaded: you cannot spend year three’s instalments in year one, so your family still needs a working cash-flow plan for each term’s tuition, fees, residence or rent, food and transit in Metro Vancouver, one of Canada’s most expensive regions. Second, continued payment depends on remaining a USES scholar in good standing under SFU’s scholarship conditions — full-time enrolment and the academic standard SFU sets for entrance scholarship holders — so read the conditions attached to your offer letter carefully and protect your GPA in your first two terms, when the adjustment to Canadian university study is steepest. Third, the award’s instalments are large relative to SFU’s international tuition but do not automatically cover the whole cost of attendance: depending on your faculty, a $17,500 term payment may cover most or only part of a term’s tuition, and it does not pay your rent. SFU’s co-operative education program is the realistic bridge for the gap — paid, degree-related work terms in British Columbia’s tech, business and public sectors both offset costs and build the Canadian experience that post-graduation work permits reward. Winners should also apply for residence immediately to actually use their residence priority, and continuing students should enter SFU’s per-term scholarships, awards and bursaries competitions, where strong in-course grades convert into additional support. Finally, keep the scholarship in perspective at visa stage: IRCC assesses your finances on tuition plus the official living-funds figure — CAD 22,895 for applications submitted up to 31 August 2026 and CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026 — and a scholarship letter strengthens, but does not replace, documented funds.

Sources & Verification

• Simon Fraser University — Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarships (USES): eligibility, $140,000 international award, dates and application components — sfu.ca USES
• Simon Fraser University — Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship (admission): 90% / 31 IB minimum, value ranges, perks — sfu.ca admission USES
• Simon Fraser University — Uggla Family Scholarship: domestic eligibility and program aims — sfu.ca Uggla and SFU Financial Aid “Other Entrance Scholarships” listing ($140,000, Canadian/Permanent Resident, 10 per year).
• Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Graduate Studies — Internal and donor-funded awards listings: Graduate Dean’s Entrance, Special Graduate Entrance, President’s PhD Scholarship, Provost International Fellowship ($1,500/term terms of reference).
• IRCC study permit proof-of-funds table: CAD 22,895 to 31 August 2026; CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026.

Disclaimer: Scholarship values, deadlines and eligibility change yearly. Always confirm deadlines and amounts on the official SFU website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise admission, scholarship selection or visa approval.