Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation

Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation
Abbreviation	CMSF
Formation	1988
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Official languages	English, French
Executive Director	Franca Gucciardi (Loran scholar '90)
Key people	Dr. Robert Cluett (Founder) Peter George, C.M. (Chair)
Website	www.cmsf.ca

The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) is a national charitable organization awarding scholarships for students entering university or community college in Canada. Founded in Toronto in 1988, it awards the prestigious Loran Award as well as the Garfield Weston Award scholarships.

Loran Award

The Loran Award is a large and prestigious undergraduate scholarship in Canada.^{[citation needed]} It is valued at up to $75,000 and awarded to 30 students each year. The Loran Award has been awarded since 1990, and is administered by CMSF.

Loran Awards are tenable at twenty-four public universities throughout Canada; however, the lower level awards (provincial awards and finalist awards) can be used at any public Canadian university or college. Twelve Loran scholars have gone on to win Rhodes Scholarships. The Loran Award is granted over four years of study, and consists of tuition waivers, living stipends, summer enrichment funding, and mentoring. Since the award was established in 1990, the foundation has selected 443 Loran scholars.

Candidate selection

The Loran Award selection process is rigorous. The selection process is as follows:

• Approximately 1,800 nominees come as sponsored candidates, with endorsements from their schools. Each secondary school can sponsor up to three students for the Loran Award. Evaluations are made by 26 Area Committees in 21 centres, from St. John's to Victoria, and then as many as 250 semifinalists, or approximately 10 candidates, are chosen for Area regional interviews. 50-60 candidates are then invited to attend National Selections in Toronto.

• Approximately 1,800 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, and telephone interviews are conducted with semi-finalists. 15-25 candidates are then invited to attend National Selections in Toronto.

• 76 finalists are chosen from across Canada and flown to Toronto for National Selections.

• Up to 30 candidates are offered Loran Awards.

Awards

Several scholarships are awarded by the Foundation.

• $75,000 Loran Award, awarded to 30 finalists.

• $3,000 Loran Finalist Award, offered to all finalists who attend National Selections but are not selected as Loran scholars. 42 available.

• $2,000 Loran Provincial Award, offered by regional committees outstanding semi-finalists who are not asked to attend National Selections. 40 available.

• Honour Citation, granted to students who distinguish themselves at regional interviews but are not offered any monetary awards.

• Semi-Finalist Certificate, issued to students selected for a regional interview.

Criteria

Loran Awards are granted to Canadian students on the basis of character, service and leadership potential.

Financial value

The Loran Award is valued at up to $75,000 and has three main financial components:

• The institution at which the scholar chooses to study grants a tuition waiver up to $8,000 per annum.
• As of 2008, the Award offers an $8,000 living stipend per annum.
• Scholars are awarded $7,500 for three summer enrichment experiences.

The Loran Award is tenable at the following universities in Canada:

Atlantic Canada: Dalhousie University, Memorial University, Mount Allison University, Université de Moncton, University of King's College, University of New Brunswick.

Québec: McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Montréal.

Ontario: McMaster University, Queen's University, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, York University.

Prairies: University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan.

British Columbia: Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria.

Experiential value

One of the many things that makes a Loran Award unique is the mentorship program, where each Loran scholar is paired with a mentor who is in their field of academic interest. Furthermore, CMSF offers funding, up to $7,500 each summer, for three summer experiences:

• The Enterprise Summer
• The Personal and Community Development Summer
• The Public Policy Summer

Garfield Weston Award

The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation also administers the Garfield Weston Award for outstanding college or CEGEP-bound students in Canada. Established in 1999 with the support of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, it awards up to 25 scholarships to entering college students, and up to 25 scholarships to upper year college students.

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)

External links

• Canada Merit Scholarship Foundation's official site
• Loran Awards program
• Garfield Weston Awards program