Scholarship FAQ

The 2023 scholarship deadline has passed. Winners will be announced on NUPGE.ca

  1. Who can apply?
  2. Will the winner be publicized?
  3. How are the essays marked?
  4. What is the eligibility criteria?
  5. Can I apply for a scholarship if I already have post-secondary credits from a university or college?
  6. Can I apply if I am attending or have attended a private high school?
  7. Do private universities or colleges or other private diploma services qualify?
  8. Do universities or colleges outside of Canada qualify?
  9. Do any of the following unions qualify as belonging to NUPGE: CUPE, LIUNA, PSAC, Teamsters, UFCW, or Unifor?
  10. How do I find out if my parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is a member or retired from one of your Components or affiliated unions?
  11. How do I identify a union official from my parent’s, grandparent’s, or legal guardian’s union?
  12. How do I know if I qualify for the Brian Fudge Memorial Scholarship?
  13. How do I know if I qualify for the Scholarship for Indigenous Students?
  14. How do I know if I qualify for the Scholarship for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students?
  15. How do I know if I qualify for the Students of Colour Scholarship?
  16. How do I know if I qualify for the Terry Fox Memorial Scholarship?
  17. How do I know if I qualify for the Young Worker Scholarship?
  18. What is the award for each scholarship winner?
  19. Are scholarships taxable?

Who can apply?

A member or someone who has a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian who is a member or retired member of a NUPGE Component or affiliated union.

Will the winner be publicized?

The winners will be widely publicized across Canada on the internet through the websites and social media of NUPGE and its affiliates.

How are the essays marked?

All essays are marked by an external party who uses a marking guide for

  • content
  • relevance to the question asked
  • presentation

What is the eligibility criteria?

Students embarking on full-time or part-time studies at a Canadian public post-secondary institution are eligible to apply for these scholarships.

Can I apply for a scholarship if I already have post-secondary credits from a university or college?

No — you must be entering the first year of post-secondary education.

The only scholarship that is an exception is the Young Worker Scholarship, but you must be under 30 at the time of the scholarship deadline.

Can I apply if I am attending or have attended a private high school?

Yes – provided that the college or university you are entering is public.

Do private universities or colleges or other private diploma services qualify?

No — only attendance at a public university or college qualifies. Winners will be asked to provide proof of enrollment.

Do universities or colleges outside of Canada qualify?

No — the university or college that you are planning on attending must be located in Canada. Winners will be asked to provide proof of enrollment.

Do any of the following unions qualify as belonging to NUPGE: CUPE, LIUNA, PSAC, Teamsters, UFCW, or Unifor.?

None of the above unions belong to or are affiliated with NUPGE. For a list of NUPGE Components and Components’ affiliates, see the NUPGE.ca components page. Only unions on that list qualify. No application will be considered for any unions not on that list.

Ask your family member to provide a copy of their membership card or proof of membership. Failing that, you can call the main number of the union they belong to and they will help you.

Ask your family member to approach their shop steward or union representative for their contact information. Failing that, you can call the main number of the union they belong to and they will help you.

How do I know if I qualify for the Brian Fudge Memorial Scholarship?

Applicants are required to identify their field of study. If they are planning on taking a field of study in police, criminal justice, community services, or health care they qualify.

Examples of applicable programs are:

  • Personal Support Worker
  • Youth Worker
  • Social Worker
  • Nursing
  • Pre-med
  • Correctional Officer
  • Bio-medical Engineering
  • Biochemistry
  • Criminology
  • Sociology
  • Nutrition Sciences
  • Blood Work Technician
  • X-ray Technician

How do I know if I qualify for the Scholarship for Indigenous Students?

For the purpose of this scholarship, an Indigenous person (the legal term is Aboriginal person) in Canada, as recognized in the Constitution Act, 1982, is a person who identifies as First Nations (Status/Non-Status), Métis, or Inuit.

Indigenous identity data is collected solely to determine scholarship eligibility. Indigenous identity data will be stored on a secure server and retained for a period of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed. Indigenous identity data will not be sold or distributed.

Please note that scholarship winners will have their names and the name of the scholarship they won published online, but details about status, membership, etc. will not be shared.

There are 2 options to confirm your Indigenous identity for this scholarship.

Option 1—Legal documentation you must provide:

For First Nations applicants

For Métis applicants

  • a copy of a Métis Nation Citizenship card from one of the 4 regional/provincial affiliates of the Métis National Council (Métis Nation British Columbia, Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation Saskatchewan, and Métis Nation of Ontario); or
  • a copy of a valid Métis Citizenship and Harvester Identification Card from the Manitoba Métis Federation; or
  • a copy of a valid Citizenship card from the Métis Settlements of Alberta; or
  • a copy of a valid Citizenship card from the Northwest Territory Métis Nation.

For Inuit applicants

  • A copy of an Inuit membership card issued by any one of the 4 Inuit Treaty Organizations or Governments that are covered by the Inuit Nunangat Policy—
  • Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
  • The Nunatsiavut Government
  • Makivik Corporation
  • The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

For all applicants (voluntary)

  • In addition to any one of the types of legal documentation listed above, all applicants are welcome to submit an alternative identity term (e.g., Kanien’kehá:ka, Anishinaabe, Treaty #3, etc.) with their application.

Please note that membership to pan-Indigenous organizations will not be recognized.

Option 2—Candidate self-declaration

If a candidate does not possess proof of the documentation listed in Option 1, they must submit a statement (minimum 200 words) about their lived experiences and ongoing relationship to a legally recognized Indigenous community, Nation, or people. This includes specific information about their First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community and can include copies of historical documents or oral testimony.

The statement must be signed by 2 guarantors who are part of the community, Nation, etc. that the applicant describes their ties to. Guarantors must be over the age of 18 and cannot be members of the applicant’s immediate family (i.e., no siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, or any step variations).

How do I know if I qualify for the Scholarship for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students?

You are able to enter our Scholarship for 2SLGBTQIA+ Students if you self-identify as a lesbian, as gay, bi-sexual, as a transgender person, queer, intersex, Two Spirit, or other identities not explicitly listed in the abbreviation.

How do I know if I qualify for the Students of Colour Scholarship?

You qualify if you self-identify as a person of colour.

How do I know if I qualify for the Terry Fox Memorial Scholarship?

If you have a disability that has been identified by your school, your doctor, your psychiatrist or psychologist, or social worker, then you will qualify.

Some of the applicants have identified physical disabilities such as blindness, deafness, and mobility issues. Others have identified learning disabilities such as dyslexia, or mental health issues such as generalized anxiety disorder.

Applicants will be asked to self-identify as having a disability.

How do I know if I qualify for the Young Worker Scholarship?

This scholarship is for those who are who are under the age of 30 as of the scholarship’s deadline.

They can be members, children, or grandchildren (including foster children or grandchildren), or legal wards of a current or retired member of a Component or a Component’s affiliate of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and are attending or planning to enter a Canadian public, post-secondary education institution in the coming year.

For more details, contact scholarship@nupge.ca.

What is the award for each scholarship winner?

Each scholarship has the same award amount of $2,500.

Are scholarships taxable?

Yes — all scholarships are taxable as income. Upon receiving one of our scholarships, we will require your Social Insurance Number and an address to mail you a T4A slip. One will also be mailed to the Canada Revenue Agency. You must declare the $2,500.