Canada Merit Scholarship Foundation

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The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) awards highly prestigious scholarships for students entering university or community college in Canada.

The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation grants Loran Awards to 30 students each year. Loran Awards are tenable at only twenty-five universities throughout Canada; however, the lower level awards (provincial awards and finalist awards) can be used at any public Canadian university or college. Eleven Loran scholars have gone on to win Rhodes Scholarships. As of 2007, Loran Awards are valued at $75,000 over four years of study, including summer enrichment funding, mentoring and counselling.

The Loran Awards selection criteria are extremely rigorous. The selection process is as follows:

• 1,800 nominees come as sponsored candidates, with endorsements from their schools. Evaluations are made by 26 Area Committees in 21 centres from St. John's to Victoria, and then as many as 250 semifinalists are chosen for Area interviews.

• 2,200 candidates from across Canada come through the CMSF Direct Pool as self-nominated candidates. The 12-member National Assessment Panel sits during December and January and evaluates the application of each candidate. CMSF ensures that in the Direct Pool there is proportional regional representation from across the country.

• From the group of 76 finalists in Toronto, up to 30 are offered Loran Awards.

Contents 1 Criteria 2 Financial Value 3 Experiential Value 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Criteria

Loran Awards are granted to talented young Canadians on the basis of character, service and leadership potential.

[edit] Financial Value

The Loran Award is has three main financial components:

• The institution at which the scholar chooses to study grants a tuition waiver.

• As of 2008, the Award offers an $8,000 living stipend per annum.

• Scholars have access to $7,500 for three summer experiences.

[edit] Experiential Value

One of the many things that makes a Loran Award unique is the mentorship program. In addition to this program, CMSF offers funding for three summer experiences:

• The Enterprise Summer

• The Personal and Community Development Summer

• The Public Policy Summer

[edit] See also

• Morehead Scholarship (oldest merit-based undergraduate scholarship in the United States)
• Canada Millennium Scholarship (Canadian equivalent of US National Merit Scholarship program, awarded to ~2000 students every year)

[edit] External links

• Canada Merit Scholarship Foundation's official site
• Loran Awards official site