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Giving to McMaster

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Establish a student award

Your gift can help ensure that qualified students have access to a McMaster education regardless of their economic situations.

McMaster offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate awards including academic grants, athletic financial awards, bursaries, exchange awards, Ontario graduate scholarships, travel awards and undergraduate scholarships.

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

You can support undergraduate students by establishing a scholarship, bursary, academic grant, travel award, exchange award (for study abroad), or athletic financial award.

You can support graduate students by establishing a scholarship, bursary, academic grant, travel award, or Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

WHAT DO THESE TERMS MEAN?

Academic Grant: Based on a combination of academic merit and financial need.

Athletic Financial Award: For outstanding student athletes.

Bursary: Based primarily on financial need.

Exchange Award*: For students who participate in a formal exchange program to study abroad in the fall/winter semester. This is an award by application.

Ontario Graduate Scholarship: A merit-based scholarship at the Master’s or PhD level, based on province-wide competition.

Scholarship*: Based primarily on academic merit.

Travel Award*: For students who participate in summer travel and return in the fall semester.

MINIMUM AMOUNTS TO ESTABLISH AN AWARD

An endowed award will exist in perpetuity, as the capital remains untouched. Only a portion of the investment income is awarded each year. The minimum annual value required for a new endowed award is $800, which requires a commitment of $25,000 at the current expenditure policy rate of four percent.

An expendable award exists only for the period of time that funding is provided and is expended in its entirety for this duration, annually. It does not earn investment income. The minimum value of a new annual award is $1,000, which requires a commitment of that amount annually for a minimum of five years.

*Awards that require an application (such as exchange awards, travel awards and some scholarships) require a minimum annual value of $3,000. This requires a commitment of $75,000 for an endowed award or a commitment of $3,000 annually for at least five years for an expendable award.