Skip to main content

The Impact of Financial-Based Awards

Using actual data, let’s look at a third-year Smith Commerce student from Ontario who received a mix of Queen’s/Smith Needs-Based Awards as well as Government support.

This data exhibits two things:

  1. Students often receive multiple avenues of support to make their dream of being in the Commerce program a reality
  2. Demonstrates the power of aggregated funding and the difference it can make to a student’s journey through the Commerce program

First
Year

AWARD AMOUNT
Merit Based
Principal's Scholarship $6,000
Needs-Based
BCom’88 Honorary Award – Renewable Award $2,500/year
(of $10,000)
BCom’92 Entrance Award $3,900
Pfizer Warner-Lambert Student Technology Bursary $750
Queen's Admissions Bursary $535
OSAP (loan) $8,963^
OSAP (grant) $3,512
TOTAL $26,160

The student received $26,160, which is ~77% of the cost to attend the Commerce program
^ Repayable to OSAP

Second
Year

AWARD AMOUNT
Merit Based
D.I. McLeod Dean’s List Scholarship $75
Needs-Based
BCom’88 Honorary Award – Renewable Award $2,500/year
(of $10,000)
PwC Diversity and Inclusion Bursary $1,500
Queen's General and Visible Minority/Racialized Student Bursaries $440
OSAP (loan) $10,312^
OSAP (grant) $5,183
TOTAL $20,010

The student received $20,010, which is ~59% of the cost to attend the Commerce program
^ Repayable to OSAP

Third
Year

AWARD AMOUNT
Merit Based
D.I. McLeod Dean’s List Scholarship $75
Needs-Based
BCom’88 Honorary Award – Renewable Award $2,500/year
(of $10,000)
OSAP (loan) $7,140^
OSAP (grant) $3,143
Edgar J. Benson/Dr. Clifford A. Curtis Bursary $2,315
TOTAL $15,098

^ Repayable to OSAP. Gap in funding made up by student working part-time and savings from summer full-time position.

Three Year Financial Support Snapshot

$46,816
Student Paid
43%

$34,853
Financial Based Awards
33%

$26,415
Repayable (OSAP)
24%

$108,084 Total cost of Commerce program over 3 years

Breaking Down the Total Cost
of the Commerce Program

$34,028/year

$16,288 Domestic student fees. $14,315 residence and meal plan. $2,175 texbooks and supplies. $1,250 student fees