Mattinson Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

The Mattinson Scholarship for Students with Disabilities is a national scholarship available to students with disabilities.

Amount: $2000

Number Available: 4

Deadline: June 1, 2020[2021-2022 information is currently unavailable]

Up to four (4) scholarships at the bachelor level, distributed as follows:

1 in the category of Physical Disability*;
1 in the category of Sensory Disability*;
2 in any of the following categories: Physical Disability*, Sensory Disability*, Mental Health Disability* and Learning Disability*

*The Program Guidelines Document provides definitions for these terms.

Each year, member universities of Universities Canada are allowed to nominate one student each heading into the second or third year of a first bachelor’s degree. Objective: To encourage Canadian students with permanent disabilities to pursue university studies with the ultimate objective of obtaining a first undergraduate degree. Member institutions may only submit one nomination.

A list of member universities is available here.

Criteria

Eligible applicants must:

Be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada;
Be diagnosed with a permanent disability which is documented and is the primary disability for which they are applying*;
Be in full time studies;
Have second or third year standing in a first bachelor degree program in September 2019;
Have a minimum cumulative average of 80% (or equivalent) over the last 3 terms of available marks**.
Non-academic courses such as career or personal development related courses will not be considered.

*A permanent disability is a permanent functional limitation resulting from physical, sensory or mental health impairment or a learning disability which affects the ability of the student to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in post secondary learning. Please refer to the definitions above of each disability.

**Universities Canada’s policy on calculation of average has been developed in consultation with university and college admissions and financial aid officers from across the country. There is enormous diversity among the applicants for this scholarship program. The applicants come from different geographical regions and have reached various levels of studies. Furthermore, and of great significance, is the fact that the grading systems differ among educational institutions. It is Universities Canada’s policy to calculate the academic average of applicants so that it reflects an academically well-rounded individual, while recognizing the differences in the programs of studies. For this purpose, the most recent, followed by the highest available grades in the following categories will be considered: Language, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Sciences. Six courses are chosen for each applicant, with no more than two in each category. If there are not enough available courses, the calculation of academic average may be based on five or four courses.

There are no restrictions on the program of study or discipline.

Program must be of a minimum of 3 years in duration.

University preparatory programs in any jurisdiction are not eligible (e.g. CEGEPs – pre-university diploma).

How to Apply

The selection of scholarship recipients is made by a committee of Canadian university and college representatives chosen by Universities Canada. Once complete, the selection committee’s decision is irrevocable.

Evaluation criteria:

Academic performance;
Volunteer/community involvement and/or extracurricular activities;
Quality and relevance of the reference letters.

It is important that the individual who completes and submits the application (the applicant) is the individual who, if successful, will be the student receiving the scholarship. The applicant is considered as the owner of the application and must be eligible for the scholarship according to the program guidelines.

Paper Application:

Applicants must submit their nomination form to their nominating university.
Nominating universities must be a member of Universities Canada, and can only nominate one candidate. Each university sets its own internal policies, procedures and deadlines concerning the selection of the nominees. Please contact your university for more information on their internal deadline for nominations.
If you are selected as the candidate that your university wishes to put forward, your postmarked application form must be sent to Universities Canada no later than the application deadline of June 1 2020 .
All supporting documentation must be received by Universities Canada no later than June 1 2020 and can be sent as described in the Supporting Documentation section.
It is recommended that you send your application by registered mail or courier, to ensure the package can be tracked. Your application will be acknowledged by email once it has been received and processed by Universities Canada. To ensure that all supporting documents have been received and accepted, visit https://portal.scholarshippartners.ca to review your scholarship application information. To access your account, you will require your login information, which will be provided in your acknowledgement email.
Account maintenance will be conducted online.

All applicants will receive confirmation by email of the results of the selection process, once available.

Successful applicants will receive confirmation of their scholarship in July. Recipients will be required to complete the online scholarship acceptance process and forward any required documentation such as an official transcript and proof of registration from the educational institution they will be attending. It is the responsibility of the recipient to keep Universities Canada informed of any changes to their contact information through the online portal.

Supporting Documentation:

As part of this application, the supporting documentation described below is required. If any of these documents are not received and accepted, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated. Supporting documents must be received by Universities Canada on or before 2020-06-1.

Documents may be sent directly to the address below.

Letters of Reference

All letters must be dated, typewritten on letterhead, signed with an original non-electronic signature and include the reference’s contact information. If possible, the person writing the letter of reference should describe their relationship to the applicant in the letter. Reference letters must be written in the year of application.

Letter of Reference (Academic)

One letter of reference is required to support your application and must come from an individual who is not related to the applicant. The letter must come from a past or present teacher who knows you and is familiar with your academic history.

Letter of Reference (Extracurricular)

One letter of reference is required to support your application and must come from an individual who is not related to the applicant. The letter must come from a person who is familiar with your volunteer, community involvement and/or extracurricular activities.

Transcript

Please provide an official transcript of the last 3 terms of available marks, that is, marks for the period of September 2016 to December 2017. If you were not enrolled during this time, please provide marks for the last 3 available terms. A transcript will only be considered acceptable if it is presented on the official paper of the institution AND it bears the appropriate signature(s) and/or seal of the institution. Home school grades will only be accepted if they have been validated through a recognized, independent evaluation process.

Transcripts may be uploaded to the online application, however an original copy may be requested at any time, in order to verify its authenticity.

Supporting Documentation

The Nomination Form is to be completed by the Nominating Institution and uploaded to your online application, or submitted by paper.

Contact Information

Scholarship Partners Canada

Ref: Mattinson Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities

1710-350 Albert Street

Ottawa ON K1R 1B1

Tel.: (613) 563-1236

Toll free: 1-844-567-1237

Fax: (613) 563-9745

E-mail: awards@univcan.ca