Here’s a scholarship trick most international students never learn: at the University of Saskatchewan, you can win two entrance awards from one single application. No essay, no separate form, no extra deadline. Just apply for admission on time, and the university stacks the money automatically.
Between the International Excellence Award and the Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship, that combination can add up to $13,000 — and IB Diploma students have an even bigger prize waiting. Let’s break down exactly how it works.
Key Takeaways
- The International Excellence Award is worth $10,000, awarded automatically with no separate application.
- It stacks with the Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship, worth $500 to $3,000, for up to $13,000 total.
- IB Diploma students can win one of four $20,000 IB Excellence Awards, with admission due by 15 February.
What scholarships does USask offer international students?
The University of Saskatchewan runs several entrance awards for incoming international undergraduates, and the standout feature is how little effort they require. The International Excellence Award, the Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship, and the IB Excellence Award all work off your admission application alone.
The International Excellence Award pays $10,000 as a one-time award, considered automatically based on your academic achievement at admission. The Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship sits alongside it, worth $500 to $3,000 depending on your admission average.
Why does this matter? Because most students assume scholarships mean extra work — essays, forms, deadlines to track separately. Here, a single strong application to study at USask can trigger two awards at once.
How much money can you actually stack?
Recipients of the International Excellence Award are explicitly eligible to also receive the Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship, so the two combine rather than compete. Here’s what that stack looks like at its maximum:
Unique insight: most students only search for one scholarship and stop once they find it. Because the International Excellence Award and Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship both trigger from the same admission file, checking both means you could be leaving up to $3,000 on the table without realising it.
IB Diploma students have a separate, bigger target. USask offers four one-time IB Excellence Awards worth $20,000 each, based on your predicted or anticipated IB scores.
Who is eligible for these awards?
The International Excellence Award is open to international applicants entering any direct-entry undergraduate program, spread across colleges including Agriculture and Bioresources, Arts and Science, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Kinesiology, and the Edwards School of Business.
The Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship is available to all admitted undergraduates, including international students, with the exact amount tied to your admission average. The IB Excellence Award is narrower still, reserved for students holding, or predicted to earn, a full IB Diploma.
Not applying with an IB Diploma? That’s fine — most international applicants will be considered for the International Excellence and Guaranteed Entrance awards regardless. The IB award is simply an extra target if it applies to you.
How do you apply for a USask entrance scholarship?
There’s no separate scholarship form for any of these awards. You apply for undergraduate admission, and eligible students are automatically considered based on their academic record. Here’s the path:
- Submit your admission application and fee by the deadline — this alone puts you in the running.
- Send your transcripts and documents to the Admissions Office by the follow-up deadline.
- Meet English language requirements alongside your academic entry requirements.
- Wait for assessment. Colleges automatically evaluate eligible students for the entrance awards.
- Check your offer letter. Any awarded scholarships will be confirmed there.
Notice how much rides on hitting two dates, not one? Submitting your application on time only gets you halfway — your transcripts and documents need to land by the second deadline too, or your file isn’t complete for assessment.
When are the deadlines for 2026/2027?
For the 2026 cycle, undergraduate admission applications were due 15 February 2026, with transcripts and documents required by 1 March 2026. As of mid-2026, both of those dates have passed.
Timing reality: The 2026 entry deadlines have closed. USask runs this process annually with a mid-February admission deadline and an early-March document deadline, so if you’re targeting 2027 entry, start gathering transcripts and English test scores well ahead of next February.
Why does the gap between the two deadlines matter so much? Because transcripts, especially from overseas schools, can take weeks to arrive. Starting early is the only way to guarantee both dates are met comfortably.
How to strengthen your chances
Since these awards are automatic and grade-driven, your application timeline and academic record do all the work. A few things that genuinely help:
- Apply well before 15 February. Early applications avoid last-minute document stress.
- Chase your transcripts early. Overseas schools can be slow, so request them months ahead.
- Aim for a strong admission average. It drives both the Excellence Award and your Guaranteed Entrance tier.
- Check the IB award if it applies. A predicted full IB Diploma can unlock $20,000.
There’s no essay to polish here. Your transcript, submitted on time, is the entire scholarship pitch — so protect your grades and your paperwork equally.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the International Excellence Award worth?
It’s a one-time award of $10,000, given automatically to eligible international students based on academic achievement at admission. No separate scholarship application is required.
Can I get more than one scholarship?
Yes. Recipients of the International Excellence Award are also eligible for the Guaranteed Entrance Scholarship, worth $500 to $3,000, bringing the possible total to $13,000.
Do I need to apply separately for these awards?
No. Applying for undergraduate admission is enough; eligible students are automatically considered for entrance scholarships based on their admission average.
What is the IB Excellence Award?
It’s a one-time award of $20,000, with four available each year for international IB Diploma students, based on predicted or anticipated IB scores.
What is the deadline for 2026/2027?
For 2026 entry, admission applications were due 15 February 2026, with documents due 1 March 2026. Both dates have passed, so plan ahead of the equivalent dates for 2027 entry.
The bottom line
The University of Saskatchewan makes international scholarships almost effortless: no essays, no separate forms, and awards that stack instead of compete. Up to $13,000 from two automatic entrance scholarships, or $20,000 if you’re an IB Diploma student. For a strong applicant, that’s real money for almost no extra work.
The 2026 deadlines have closed, but this repeats every year in mid-February and early March. So don’t wait. Request your transcripts now, prepare your English test scores, and apply for admission well ahead of next year’s dates. Then check the official USask admissions scholarships page for the exact figures. One clean application could quietly earn you thousands.
Sources
- University of Saskatchewan, Scholarships (Admissions), https://admissions.usask.ca/money/scholarships.php
- University of Saskatchewan, International Excellence Awards, https://admissions.usask.ca/money/search-awards.php?award=301371ES01
- University of Saskatchewan, Search Entrance Awards, https://admissions.usask.ca/money/search-awards.php
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