Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowships

Established in 1985, the prestigious Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowship has been offered to French and English-speaking Canadian graduate students who wish to broaden their geographic and cultural horizons. The fellowship is available to students holding a bachelor’s degree who desire to pursue graduate studies in Canada’s second official language.

The Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowship was established by Richard J. Schmeelk as a mean to promote harmony and collaboration between Canada’s French and English-speaking communities, and to encourage cultural exchanges. The Schmeelk Canada Foundation offers fellowship recipients a unique opportunity to expand their network and discover diverse opportunities country-wide.

Value

  • Master's Fellowship: $20,000 per academic year, renewable for a maximum of $40,000 or up to two years.
  • PhD Fellowship: $10,000 per academic year; renewable for a maximum of $40,000 or up to four years.
  • English-speaking students from outside Quebec holding a bachelor's degree pursuing a law degree at Université Laval are eligible for a fellowship of $10,000 per academic year, renewable for a maximum of $40,000 or up to four years

Application Deadline

  • 1:00pm EST, April 30, 2025

Application

The student is considered the owner of the application and must be eligible for the scholarship according to the program guidelines. The student will need to add awards@univcan.ca to their safe senders in their junk email options so that they can continue to receive important messages from SPC.

  1. Note: In compliance with Privacy Law, information about a student’s application will not be released to anyone who has not been specifically authorized by the student. Third parties (parents, guardians, etc.) may contact SPC on behalf of the student, in person, by phone, or by email, to receive information about the application but only if authorized on the account. To add an individual to the file, the student must complete the “Access to File” section of the application.
    Submit an online application by visiting https://portal.scholarshippartners.ca/welcome/Schmeelk-EN/ 
  2. The application, including all supporting documentation, must be submitted to SPC no later than the application deadline of 1:00 PM EST, April 30, 2025. 
  3. Documents will be reviewed by SPC staff to ensure all requirements have been met. 
  4. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email following processing by SPC. 
  5. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all supporting documents have been received and accepted by visiting https://portal.scholarshippartners.ca to review their scholarship application status. 
  6. Account maintenance will be conducted online.

Selection Process

The selection of scholarship recipients is made by a committee of Canadian university and college representatives chosen by Scholarship Partners Canada (SPC). The Schmeelk Foundation exercises no influence in the adjudication process. Once complete, the selection committee’s decision is irrevocable.

The Selection Committee reviews the applications based on the following criteria:

  • Demonstration of superior leadership through his or her involvement, accomplishments and impact to society and willingness to remain involved.
  • Promoting cultural harmony, language immersion, and mutual understanding among French and English-speaking Canadians across diverse regions of Canada
  • Academic merit.

The applicants’ profile will be evaluated based on the quality and relevance of the application package. The Selection Committee reserves the right to request an interview with any applicant.

Eligibility

An eligible applicant must:

  • Be fluent in English and French
  • Be 40 years of age or younger 
  • Have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency status
  • Hold a bachelor's degree and be planning to enter full-time studies in a master's or PhD program in the fall 2025 academic term.
  • Not be receiving a salary or special allowance from employer while studying.
  • Have a minimum cumulative average of 70% (or equivalent) over the last three terms of available grades. Non-academic courses such as career or personal development-related courses will not be considered.

Applicants must meet the following criteria based on language and university enrollment:

  • Quebec French-speaking applicants must be enrolled at The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario), or at the University of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta).
  • English-speaking applicants from outside Quebec must be enrolled at the Université Laval (Quebec City) or at the Université de Montréal (Montreal) and its affiliated schools (Polytechnique Montreal and HEC Montreal)

Field of Study/Program Requirements:

  • Applicants will need to have been accepted into a master's or PhD program in the fields of Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, Actuarial Sciences, Architecture, Political Science or Law*.
  • Must attend the academic program in person and reside in the general area where the university is located.
  • Be a full-time student in accordance with the requirements of the university and the program of study. To renew the fellowship, fellows must confirm that they remain in good standing with their university and their program by submitting a transcript from the last academic year.
  • Eligible institutions are:
    • Western University
    • University of Calgary
    • Université de Laval
    • Université de Montréal and its affiliated schools (Polytechnique Montréal and HEC Montréal.

*Law degrees are only eligible for students attending Université Laval who have already completed a bachelor's degree.

Contact

Questions regarding this fellowship program, eligibility to apply or to hold the award, and the application process must be directed to awards@univcan.ca providing the reference Richard J. Schmeelk Canada Fellowship in the subject line of the email.