The Louise McKinney Scholarship Program is a scholarship program in Alberta, Canada, that recognizes and rewards outstanding academic achievement by students who have completed high school.
The scholarship is awarded to students who have maintained high academic averages throughout high school and have demonstrated leadership qualities and involvement in school and community activities.
The scholarship is named after Louise McKinney, a prominent Canadian suffragette and politician, who was the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The scholarship program was established in her honor in 1982.
Louise McKinney Post-secondary Scholarship Summary
- Scholarship Value: $2,500
- No. of Scholarships: Each year, up to 1,450 scholarships are given out.
Louise Mckinney Scholarship Criteria for Eligibility
- Applicants must be a citizen of Canada, protected persons, or permanent residents.
- Applicants must be an Alberta resident, and to be considered an Alberta resident, one of the following conditions must apply:
- One parent or legal guardian has maintained permanent residence in Canada for at least 12 consecutive months immediately before commencing post-secondary studies and be residing in Alberta, or
- Alberta is the last place the student has lived for 12 consecutive months immediately before commencing post-secondary studies, or
- The student’s spouse/partner has maintained permanent residence in Alberta for 12 consecutive months before the person attending post-secondary.
- You must not be in a graduate program or an apprentice.
- You are expected to be in good academic standing as determined by your institution.
- You must be enrolled full-time in the second or subsequent year of an undergraduate or professional program at Alberta’s publicly funded post-secondary institution.
- Students nominated for the Jason Lang scholarship in the same year are not eligible for this scholarship.
- You must have completed at least 24 credit hours in the previous fall/spring semesters.
- You must submit your completed application form and documents, like your school transcript, before the specified deadline.
- Alberta Student Number (ASN) and Social Insurance Number (SIN) are mandatory.
A Louise McKinney Scholarship is not available to students who:
- Have been nominated for a Jason Lang Scholarship in the same school year
- Are in a graduate program
- Are an apprentice, or are upgrading.
How to Apply for Louise McKinney Scholarship
To apply for the Louise McKinney Scholarship in Alberta, Canada, you need to follow these steps:
Meet the Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, you must be an Alberta resident and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or protected person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada). You must also have completed high school within the last 18 months.
Submit Application
Applications for the scholarship are processed through the Alberta Student Aid program. You can apply online by visiting the Alberta Student Aid website and creating an account if you don’t already have one.
Complete Application Form
Fill out the online application form with your personal details, including your name, address, contact information, Social Insurance Number, and school information.
Provide Supporting Documents
You will need to submit supporting documents, such as transcripts of your high school marks, any post-secondary marks if you have them, and any other relevant documents that support your application.
Submit Application by Deadline
The application deadline for the Louise McKinney Scholarship is typically in early August. Make sure to submit your application before the deadline to be considered for the scholarship.
Check for Notification
After the application deadline, Alberta Student Aid will review your application and notify you of the outcome. If you are awarded the scholarship, you will receive a notice of award with instructions on how to claim your scholarship.
Louise McKinney Scholarship Selection Process
The Louise McKinney Scholarship mainly looks at how well students have done in school. This means they check how good you are performing academically. But remember, each school has only several available scholarships, and when the application date might be different at each place.
To find out more about scholarships at a particular school, you can ask the Student Awards Office of that institution. If you’re thinking about switching schools or what you’re studying, it’s smart to check with the Student Awards Office of your current school to see if you could still get a Louise McKinney Scholarship in your new situation.
What if I’m not selected for the Scholarship?
If you’re not selected for the Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship, there are still many other opportunities available to you. Alberta has a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, and awards that recognize a variety of achievements.
You may also be eligible for financial aid through programs like the Alberta Student Aid Program. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t receive this specific scholarship – there are plenty of other options out there.
How many GPA do I need to be eligible?
To be eligible for the Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Keep in mind that this is just the minimum requirement, and many successful applicants have much higher GPAs.
It’s also important to note that your GPA is just one factor that will be considered in the selection process. The selection committee also looks at factors like your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and leadership experience. So even if your GPA isn’t as high as you’d like, there are still ways to make yourself stand out as a candidate.