Carleton University Scholarships for International Students 2026

Most Carleton scholarships are designed for students who are enrolled in a Carleton degree program (not standalone short online courses) and are “tenable at the University” during the Fall/Winter session; in practice, that usually means you need to be registered as a Carleton student and meet credit-load/GPA rules for the award.

Carleton offers scholarships across a wide range of subjects, and many entrance awards are not tied to a specific major (they’re based on your admission average and eligibility rules), while other awards are departmental/program-specific.

Carleton has scholarships open to international students broadly (so many nationalities can be eligible), plus some awards targeted to particular groups or regions depending on the donor’s purpose and award rules.

For example, Ezeoke Amarachi Queendaline (Nigeria) is a scholarship recipient studying at Carleton, and her story shows that international students can secure Carleton-based funding in research programs.

Carleton also lists some targeted awards for specific populations (for instance, awards intended for outstanding international students from African countries, and other special supports tied to particular circumstances), so nationality/region can matter for certain named scholarships even when many other awards are open more generally.

Often yes, especially if your prior education wasn’t in English or you don’t meet an exemption rule, Carleton may require proof of English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL/Duolingo, etc.), and requirements can differ between undergraduate and graduate study.

In Ezeoke Amarachi Queendaline’s scholarship story, she explicitly included IELTS as part of her preparation: “I ensured I gathered all necessary documents, such as transcripts, degree certificates, and language proficiency test results, like the IELTS.”

Yes. Minimum academic requirements depend on the program and level, and meeting the minimum only establishes eligibility to be considered (competitive programs can require higher grades).

For scholarships specifically, Carleton’s renewable entrance scholarships are commonly associated with an admission average threshold (for example, automatic consideration for certain entrance scholarships starts at 80%+ when other conditions are met), and in-course scholarships commonly depend on your Carleton GPA after you start studying.

A strong academic record helps a lot, but “minimum eligibility” depends on the scholarship type: some awards are automatic based on admission averages, while others are competitive and look for research fit, leadership, or community impact.

Ezeoke Amarachi Queendaline is a helpful real-world benchmark: she reported graduating with “a GPA of 4.52 on a 5-point scale” in her bachelor’s and “a GPA of 1.4 on the German scale (where 1 is the highest)” in her master’s, and then secured funded PhD study at Carleton in Biology (genetics focus).

She also credits preparation quality and well-rounded strength: “I believe what made my application stand out was the combination of strong academic performance, relevant research experience, and demonstrated leadership skills.”

Common documents include academic transcripts (and degree certificates if applicable), proof of English proficiency (if required), and, especially for graduate applications, materials like a CV, statement/motivation letter, and references.

Ezeoke Amarachi Queendaline lists these directly: “I ensured I gathered all necessary documents, such as transcripts, degree certificates, and language proficiency test results, like the IELTS.”

She also emphasizes the supporting pieces that often matter in competitive funding: “Take your time crafting your motivation letter and CV,” and “Don’t hesitate to reach out to your lecturers early for recommendation letters.”

Yes, and it can depend on how and what you apply to. For international undergraduate applicants, Carleton lists a direct-application fee option and also notes applying through Ontario’s centralized application system (which has its own fee structure).

For graduate applications, Carleton charges a non-refundable application fee (and some programs like the MBA can have a different fee), and you generally pay when submitting the application.