University of Manitoba Scholarships for International Students 2026: Eligibility & How to Apply

The University of Manitoba (UM) in Winnipeg runs a funding system that rewards international students at every stage of study — but it rewards them in very different ways depending on whether you are arriving from high school or entering graduate school. Undergraduates compete for automatic entrance scholarships and a small number of high-value excellence awards. Graduate students, by contrast, can access one of the strongest university fellowship packages in Canada: the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF), now worth CAD 20,000 per year for master’s students and CAD 25,000 per year for doctoral students. Understanding which system you are in — and which deadlines belong to it — is the whole game, and it is what this guide sets out to explain.

Everything below is built from the University of Manitoba’s official published information: its Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) award pages, its Financial Aid and Awards listings, and its official admissions pages for the Fall 2027 intake. Where a figure comes from the most recent published cycle rather than a confirmed 2027 cycle — as with the undergraduate entrance tiers — the text says so plainly, because UM sets some values annually and you should never budget on a number the university has not confirmed for your year.

Start with the full picture of the university itself in our University of Manitoba profile on StudyGraduate, compare UM with other provinces in our guide to scholarships in Canada, and browse the wider StudyGraduate scholarships directory for national awards you can hold alongside UM funding.

University of Manitoba Scholarships at a Glance

The pattern to notice: undergraduate money at UM is front-loaded and modest unless you win the excellence competition, while graduate money is substantial but routed through departments. Your application strategy is therefore completely different at the two levels, and the rest of this article treats them separately.

Why Manitoba? Winnipeg’s Affordability Advantage

The University of Manitoba is Manitoba’s largest and oldest university, a member of Canada’s U15 group of research-intensive universities, with particular depth in health sciences, agriculture and food sciences, engineering, and Indigenous studies. Its two main campuses — Fort Garry on the Red River in south Winnipeg and Bannatyne in the downtown health sciences district — anchor a city that is consistently among the most affordable major student cities in Canada. Rents, transit and everyday costs in Winnipeg run well below Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, which means a CAD 20,000–25,000 fellowship or a carefully budgeted family contribution stretches noticeably further here.

That affordability interacts with immigration in a way applicants should know: Manitoba operates its own Provincial Nominee Program with a long history of retaining international graduates who study and work in the province. Nothing in this article promises nomination or permanent residence — those are government decisions — but students choosing a province with an eye to post-graduation pathways consistently shortlist Manitoba for this reason, and UM is the province’s flagship institution.

Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships

International Undergraduate Student Entrance Scholarship — the automatic award

This scholarship was established to reward academic excellence by international students graduating from international high schools and entering the University of Manitoba. It requires no application: you are considered automatically, provided you have applied for admission to any faculty or school at UM by the deadline of March 1, you are paying international student tuition rates, and you have achieved a minimum high school average of 85% based on your best five senior-level academic courses from UM’s approved General Entrance Scholarship list.

The most recently published value tiers are: an average of 95% or higher — CAD 3,000; 90% or higher — CAD 2,000; 85% or higher — CAD 1,000. UM sets these values annually, and the tiers above circulated as the 2024–25 published example, so treat them as the planning baseline and confirm the current year’s figures on UM’s Financial Aid and Awards pages when you apply. To actually receive the award you must register for at least 24 credit hours across the Fall and Winter terms — a standard full-time load — so a light first-year timetable can quietly forfeit the money.

International Excellence Entrance Scholarship — new for 2027, up to CAD 25,000

UM has introduced a far larger undergraduate prize for the 2027 intake: the International Excellence Entrance Scholarship, aimed at exceptional international high school graduates who combine outstanding leadership potential with academic giftedness. Each year one award of CAD 25,000 and two awards of CAD 10,000 are offered. To be considered for the top award you must be an international student, be enrolled full-time (minimum 80% course load) in your first year in University 1 or a direct-entry faculty, college or school, have achieved a minimum admission average of 90% across five senior-level courses (drawn from subjects such as Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, English, First Language Literature, Geography, History, Music and Visual Arts), demonstrate strong leadership qualities and sustained, meaningful community involvement, and have completed your UM admission application — including payment of the application fee — by December 1. Unlike the automatic award, this one needs a separate scholarship application with supporting documentation, also by the December deadline published for the cycle. Three awards a year is a competition, not an entitlement: apply seriously, budget without it.

Early Application Tuition Prize — CAD 5,000 for applying by December 1, 2026

One of UM’s most unusual offers is its Early Application Tuition Prize. Each year ten CAD 5,000 tuition credits are awarded — five to new domestic students and five to new international students — by random draw from eligible early applicants. Eligibility is simple: be a direct-entry applicant for the Fall (September) 2027 intake, submit a completed application and pay the application fee by December 1, 2026. Winners must meet admission requirements, accept their offer and register for Fall 2027 classes; the credit is applied to tuition, is non-transferable and is not redeemable for cash, and any portion unused against Fall tuition rolls to Winter 2028 tuition. A random draw is not a scholarship strategy, but applying by December 1 costs you nothing, simultaneously puts you in the International Excellence competition window, and earns you an earlier conditional offer — there is no rational reason for a serious UM applicant to apply later than December 1.

Bursaries and Continuing Undergraduate Awards

Scholarships are only half of UM’s undergraduate aid system. UM also runs a general bursary program for students who demonstrate financial need, administered through the Aurora student portal. The general bursary application typically opens in early August with an October 1 submission deadline. One eligibility rule is decisive for this article’s readers: international students in their first year of post-secondary study in Canada are not eligible for the general bursary program. First-year funding must therefore come from entrance awards, family resources and your study permit financial plan — bursaries become relevant from your second year onward, once you have a UM academic record and can demonstrate need through the Aurora application.

Continuing international undergraduates are recognised through the International Undergraduate Student Scholarship, which ranks eligible students by sessional GPA — a minimum 3.5 sessional GPA is required — with award values depending on available funds and ranking. Practically, this means your first-year grades are a funding application in themselves: a 3.5+ sessional GPA with a full 24-credit load keeps you in contention for continuing awards, bursary eligibility opens in year two, and faculty-level in-course awards add a third layer. Students who coast through first year because “the entrance scholarship was small” misunderstand UM’s system — the money here follows demonstrated performance over time.

Graduate Funding: Where Manitoba Is Genuinely Generous

University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF)

The UMGF is UM’s flagship graduate award, open to students of all citizenships — domestic and international alike — in eligible full-time master’s and doctoral programs. Following an increase effective September 1, 2024, the official values are: master’s awards of CAD 20,000 per year for 12 or 24 months (up to CAD 40,000 in total) and doctoral awards of CAD 25,000 per year for 12, 24, 36 or 48 months (up to CAD 100,000 in total). Older pages and third-party sites still quote the pre-increase figures of CAD 14,000 and CAD 18,000; those rates are superseded, and FGPS applied the new rates to new and ongoing awards from September 2024.

There is no direct application to FGPS. Students must be recommended by their department or unit, and departments determine the value and duration offered within the framework above, so the real UMGF “application” is your admission application and your relationship with your admitting department. Eligibility requires a minimum admission GPA of 3.0 (individual departments may set higher bars), registration full-time in a thesis, dissertation, major research paper or project program eligible for Tri-Agency (NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR) funding, satisfactory progress, and no active admission-related holds. Pre-master’s and occasional students are not eligible. While holding the award you must maintain a minimum degree GPA of 3.0 with no grade below C+, you must not change programs, routes or departments, total UMGF support is capped at four years across all levels, and if you receive another single award of equal or greater annual value you must notify the FGPS Awards Office and terminate the UMGF. The months of funding available shrink the longer you have already been in the program — master’s students who have completed 13 or more months, and doctoral students beyond the published windows, fall outside eligibility — so UMGF is fundamentally an entering-student award.

International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship (IGSES)

Layered on top of the UMGF is a pair of awards aimed squarely at the extra cost international graduate students pay. The IGSES offers incoming international graduate students scholarships valued at up to the amount of the international student differential tuition fee — in effect, offsetting the gap between international and domestic tuition rather than paying a stipend. The published terms offer it to students who are international (entering Canada on study permits), entering the first year of full-time study in the Faculty of Graduate Studies in a master’s degree or graduate diploma, paying the international differential fee, holding a minimum admission GPA of 3.5 based on the last 60 credit hours (or equivalent two full years) of study, and not receiving external award funding that pays their tuition. The IGSES may be held together with the UMGF and other UM awards, is applied first against tuition fees, and is offered until available funds are exhausted — one more reason early, strong graduate applications outperform late ones.

International Graduate Student Scholarship (IGSS) for continuing students

The companion award, the IGSS, supports continuing international graduate students, again applied against the international tuition differential. Together, IGSES and IGSS mean that a strong international doctoral student at UM can realistically assemble a package of differential-fee relief plus a CAD 25,000-per-year UMGF plus supervisor and departmental support — in a low-cost city. That combination, not any single headline award, is UM’s real graduate proposition.

National competitions: CGRS-D, and a warning about Vanier

Doctoral students at UM also compete in Canada’s national Tri-Agency competitions through the university. The current doctoral route is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), worth CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months. Be careful with older advice: the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, long quoted at CAD 50,000 per year, has been discontinued — any guide, agent or video still telling you to build a plan around Vanier is out of date. UMGF holders are in fact expected to apply for, and accept if offered, Tri-Agency scholarships for which they are eligible, including CGRS-D, so treat the national competitions as part of the UMGF pathway rather than an alternative to it.

Eligibility Summary

For undergraduate entrance awards you must be an international student paying international tuition, entering from high school (or as a direct-entry applicant, for the tuition prize), with admission averages calculated on UM’s approved subject lists: 85%+ across your best five senior courses for the automatic award, 90%+ plus demonstrated leadership for the International Excellence competition. Admission itself requires meeting UM’s English language proficiency requirements for your program. For graduate awards you must hold an offer of full-time admission to an eligible program, meet the GPA floors (3.0 for UMGF consideration by your department; 3.5 on the last 60 credit hours for IGSES), and — for the differential-fee awards — be paying the international differential and entering on a study permit.

What the Money Covers — and the Winnipeg Budget

UM entrance scholarships and the tuition prize are credits against tuition, not cash stipends. The UMGF is a fellowship paid to you as a student, which you then use across tuition and living costs. The IGSES and IGSS are explicitly differential-fee relief applied against tuition. None of these awards includes flights or a guaranteed residence place, and “UMGF plus differential relief” still leaves a budget to manage — it is a strong package, not a blank cheque.

For the study permit, remember that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) assesses living funds separately from tuition: a single applicant must show CAD 22,895 in living funds for applications from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, rising to CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026, plus first-year tuition and travel. Winnipeg’s lower rents help your real budget significantly, but the IRCC figures are national and do not shrink because Manitoba is affordable — show the full required amount regardless of your scholarship letters, using the awards to strengthen, not substitute, your financial evidence.

How to Apply, Step by Step

Undergraduates — Step 1: Apply for admission by December 1 if you possibly can. A completed admission application with the fee paid by December 1, 2026 makes you eligible for the Early Application Tuition Prize draw and keeps you inside the International Excellence Entrance Scholarship window.

Step 2: Submit the International Excellence scholarship application and documents by the published December deadline if you hold a 90%+ average and a real leadership record. Prepare your activity evidence early — sustained, meaningful community involvement is the stated test, not a list assembled in November.

Step 3: If December passes, protect the automatic award. Apply for admission by March 1 at the latest, with your best five senior-course grades as strong as you can make them, to be considered for the International Undergraduate Student Entrance Scholarship.

Step 4: Register for at least 24 credit hours across Fall and Winter to receive and keep entrance funding, and target a 3.5+ sessional GPA to unlock continuing awards and, from second year, bursary eligibility through Aurora.

Graduates — Step 1: Win admission to the right program. Choose a full-time thesis or research-based master’s or doctoral program eligible for Tri-Agency funding, and meet your department’s own deadline, which is the deadline that controls everything else.

Step 2: Make your admission file a UMGF file. Departments recommend students to FGPS; they recommend the applicants whose research fit, grades and references are strongest. A tailored statement, a supervisor conversation where the program expects one, and referees who can speak to research potential are your UMGF application in substance.

Step 3: Confirm your IGSES position on enrolment. Check that your admission GPA on the last 60 credit hours meets the 3.5 threshold and ask FGPS or your department how the differential scholarship applies to your account.

Step 4: Enter the national competitions when eligible. Prepare CGRS-D (doctoral) materials to your department’s internal deadline — UMGF holders are expected to apply for Tri-Agency awards they qualify for.

Required Documents

Undergraduate applicants need: the completed UM admission application and fee; official high school transcripts (your best five senior-level academic courses drive the automatic assessment); proof of English proficiency where required; and, for the International Excellence award, the scholarship application plus documentation of leadership and community involvement. Graduate applicants need: the graduate admission application; official transcripts (your last 60 credit hours are specifically assessed for IGSES); statement of intent or research statement as your program requires; curriculum vitae; and reference letters. Bursary applicants complete the general bursary application in Aurora with financial-need information. Keep one consistent document pack — transcripts, passport, English scores — because your study permit application will reuse it.

Deadlines and Timeline

Selection Tips

For undergraduates, the highest-value action is timing: one December 1 application date simultaneously buys you an early offer, the tuition prize draw and excellence-award eligibility, while your classmates applying in February compete only for the automatic tiers. Build the leadership evidence for the Excellence award across your final two school years — selectors ask for sustained, meaningful involvement, and depth in one or two commitments reads far better than a long list of one-day activities. For graduate applicants, UMGF outcomes are decided inside departments, so invest in fit: read the department’s research profile, name plausible supervisors or labs accurately, and make your statement answer why Manitoba specifically. Protect the GPA thresholds after arrival — 3.5 sessional as an undergraduate, 3.0 degree GPA with no grade below C+ as a UMGF holder — because at UM, continued funding is earned term by term.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

First, quoting outdated UMGF values: CAD 14,000/CAD 18,000 figures on older pages were replaced by CAD 20,000/CAD 25,000 from September 1, 2024 — in this case the error runs in your favour, but relying on stale pages in either direction is how budgets break. Second, assuming the automatic entrance tiers are guaranteed for 2027: UM sets values annually, and the CAD 1,000–3,000 tiers are the most recent published example. Third, applying after December 1 and losing both the tuition prize and excellence eligibility. Fourth, registering for fewer than 24 credit hours and forfeiting entrance scholarship payment. Fifth, expecting first-year bursary eligibility — first-year international students are excluded from the general bursary program. Sixth, planning around Vanier: it is discontinued, and CGRS-D (CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months) is the current doctoral competition. Seventh, trying to “apply for the UMGF” directly — only departmental recommendation exists, and forms sent to the wrong office achieve nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship worth now?

Following the September 1, 2024 increase, UMGF master’s awards are CAD 20,000 per year for 12 or 24 months (up to CAD 40,000) and doctoral awards are CAD 25,000 per year for up to 48 months (up to CAD 100,000). Older CAD 14,000/CAD 18,000 figures are superseded.

How do I apply for the UMGF?

You cannot apply directly. Your department or unit recommends you to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Your admission application to a full-time, Tri-Agency-eligible research program — with a minimum admission GPA of 3.0 — is the route in.

What average do I need for Manitoba’s automatic undergraduate entrance scholarship?

A minimum 85% average on your best five senior-level academic courses from UM’s approved list, admission applied for by March 1, and international tuition status. The most recent published tiers pay CAD 1,000 at 85%, CAD 2,000 at 90% and CAD 3,000 at 95%+; values are set annually.

What is the new International Excellence Entrance Scholarship?

A competitive award for the 2027 intake: one scholarship of CAD 25,000 and two of CAD 10,000 for international entrants with a 90%+ admission average and strong leadership and community involvement. Your admission application (with fee) must be complete by December 1, and a separate scholarship application is required.

Can international students get bursaries at UM in first year?

Not through the general bursary program — international students in their first year of post-secondary study in Canada are ineligible. Bursary eligibility opens later; the application runs through Aurora with an October 1 deadline in the fall cycle.

Does the IGSES cover my full international tuition?

No. The International Graduate Student Entrance Scholarship is valued up to the international differential fee — the gap between international and domestic tuition — applied against tuition. It can be held with the UMGF, which is where the living-cost support comes from.

Is Vanier still available at the University of Manitoba?

No. The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship has been discontinued nationally. Doctoral students should target the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), worth CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months, through UM’s internal competition process.

How much living money must I show for a study permit?

IRCC requires a single applicant to show CAD 22,895 for applications from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, and CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026, in addition to first-year tuition and travel — regardless of Winnipeg’s lower real living costs.

Sources & Verification

This article was prepared from the University of Manitoba’s official sources: the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies page “University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship (UMGF)” (current values of CAD 20,000 master’s / CAD 25,000 doctoral, durations, departmental recommendation process and eligibility), the FGPS notice of the UMGF increase effective September 1, 2024, UM’s official “Early Application Tuition Prize” page (CAD 5,000 credits, five international winners, December 1, 2026 deadline for Fall 2027), UM’s published International Excellence Entrance Scholarship terms (one CAD 25,000 and two CAD 10,000 awards, 90% average, December 1 admission deadline), UM Financial Aid and Awards terms for the International Undergraduate Student Entrance Scholarship (March 1 deadline, 85% best-five threshold, automatic consideration) and the Faculty of Graduate Studies terms for the IGSES/IGSS differential-fee scholarships. Undergraduate entrance value tiers are identified in the text as the most recent published tiers because UM sets them annually. Study permit living-funds figures follow IRCC’s published table, and CGRS-D follows the federal Tri-Agency program that replaced Vanier.

Disclaimer: Scholarship values, deadlines and eligibility rules change yearly, and some University of Manitoba values are set annually. Always confirm deadlines and amounts on the official University of Manitoba website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise admission, scholarship selection or visa approval.