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What Scholarships Can Pakistani Students Get in Canada?
Pakistani students can fund study in Canada through two real routes: university entrance scholarships for undergraduates, such as the University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson award and University of British Columbia international awards, and the federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral for PhD students already enrolled at a Canadian university. Funding follows admission, so you apply to the university first. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
Canada Scholarships at a Glance
Canada funds Pakistani students mainly at undergraduate level through university entrance scholarships and at PhD level through the federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral, with no single national award you apply for from Pakistan.
Country
Canada
Levels funded for Pakistani students
Bachelor’s, through university entrance scholarships, and PhD, through the federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral. The federal Master’s award is closed to international students, so Master’s funding comes through individual university awards.
Lead undergraduate award
University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship. It covers full tuition, books, incidental fees, and on-campus residence for four years, with about 37 scholars named each year.
Other undergraduate awards
University of British Columbia International Major Entrance Scholarship, valued at CAD 10,000 to 25,000 per year for the 2026/2027 year and renewable for up to three further years, plus UBC need-and-merit International Scholars awards for students who could not otherwise attend.
Lead doctoral award
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral, valued at CAD 40,000 per year for three years, non-renewable.
Sending partner
none. Canada has no Pakistan government portal. Funding follows your university admission.
Language
set by each university. Many accept a recognised English-medium-of-instruction letter or an alternative test in place of IELTS. Verify the rule for your programme.
Application cycle
undergraduate awards close in autumn or by mid-January before the September intake. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral runs an annual autumn competition with results in April.
Age limit
none published by these schemes. Verify any current age condition at the official source.
Funding note
university award values vary year to year with available funding.
MTZ role
profile assessment and application support. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
The Two Real Routes for Pakistani Students in Canada
Pakistani students reach Canadian funding through two real routes: university entrance scholarships at undergraduate level, and the federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral at PhD level. There is no single Canada-wide award you apply for from Pakistan.
University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship is the University of Toronto’s flagship undergraduate award for international students, and it is fully funded. It covers full tuition, books, incidental fees, and on-campus residence for four years. About 37 scholars are named each year, which makes it one of the most competitive undergraduate awards in Canada. You must be an international student requiring a study permit, in your final year of secondary school or a recent graduate, and starting at the University of Toronto in the September intake. You cannot already be in post-secondary study. Your school nominates you first, then you apply to the university, and only after that does the scholarship application open to you. The award is tenable only at the University of Toronto.
University of British Columbia International Entrance Awards
The University of British Columbia funds international undergraduates through merit awards on admission and through a separate need-and-merit stream. The International Major Entrance Scholarship is valued at CAD 10,000 to 25,000 per year for the 2026/2027 year and is renewable for up to three further years. The Outstanding International Student award is a one-time entrance award in the same CAD 10,000 to 25,000 band. For students who could not otherwise attend, the International Scholars stream runs need-and-merit awards, including the International Leader of Tomorrow Award and the Donald A. Wehrung International Student Award. You are considered for the merit awards automatically when you apply for admission by the deadline, while the International Scholars awards need a separate nomination and application. Award values vary year to year with available funding.
Federal Doctoral Funding: Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral
The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral is the federal PhD award, valued at CAD 40,000 per year for three years and non-renewable. It is run by the three federal agencies, and you apply to the one that fits your research field: health (CIHR), natural sciences and engineering (NSERC), or social sciences and humanities (SSHRC). International students became eligible for this award, but only if you are already enrolled in a doctoral programme at an eligible Canadian university at the time you apply. International awards are capped at roughly 15 percent per agency. Your department ranks your application first, then your university, then it goes to the national competition, with results in April. For a Pakistani student this means the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Pakistan route starts with a Canadian PhD admission, not with an application from home.
What Happened to the Vanier Scholarship
If you searched for the Vanier scholarship Pakistan route, that programme has closed. The Government of Canada held the final Vanier competition in 2025 and no longer accepts applications. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral replaced it, at CAD 40,000 per year for three years. Use the doctoral route above, and treat any site still advertising a live Vanier intake as out of date.
Who Can Apply, and on What Basis
Eligibility for Canada scholarships for Pakistani students depends on which route you take, but every route shares one rule: you need a Canadian university place, because the funding follows admission. The accordion below sets out who qualifies, route by route.
You apply as an international student who will study in Canada on a Canadian study permit. Pakistani nationality is not a barrier on any of the three routes. Undergraduate awards require that you are a non-Canadian needing a permit. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral is open to international students, while the Master’s level federal award is closed to international students and stays limited to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and protected persons.
For Bachelor’s study you use university entrance scholarships such as the Pearson award or the University of British Columbia awards. For a PhD you use the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral, once you hold a Canadian PhD place. For a Master’s there is no federal award open to you, so you rely on individual university awards, which MTZ assesses with you case by case. The undergraduate awards expect a strong secondary-school record and recognised leadership. The doctoral award judges academic record, research potential, and leadership in equal weight.
Each Canadian university sets its own English rule, and many accept a route that does not need IELTS. The short answer is that a recognised English-medium-of-instruction letter or an alternative test can satisfy the requirement at many universities. The full detail sits in the dedicated section below, because the rule is specific to each university and programme.
This is the point most families miss. Canada has no sending partner and no government scholarship portal for Pakistan, unlike some other countries. You apply for admission to a Canadian university first. Undergraduate awards are then assessed alongside or after your admission, and the Pearson award additionally needs a school nomination before its application opens. The doctoral award needs you to already be enrolled in a Canadian PhD when you apply. Plan the university application as step one, and the scholarship as step two.
The Pearson award and the University of British Columbia entrance awards are open across most undergraduate programmes. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral splits by research field across the three agencies, so your research subject decides which agency reviews you. None of these awards is limited to a single discipline, but your programme choice shapes which award and which agency apply to you.
None of these schemes publishes an age limit. The undergraduate Pearson award works on how recently you finished secondary school, not your age, and the doctoral award works on how many months of PhD study you have completed. Verify any current age condition at the official source before you apply. The MTZ enquiry form shows no age cutoff.
Studying in Canada Without IELTS: How the English Exemption Works
A Canada scholarship without IELTS is possible because each Canadian university sets its own English rule and many accept alternatives, but the exemption is granted by the university at admission, not by the scholarship itself. This section explains the real mechanism so you do not rely on a myth.
Canadian universities decide English proficiency independently, so there is no single national IELTS rule. Many accept one of these in place of IELTS: a recognised English-medium-of-instruction letter from your previous school or university, confirming several years of study fully in English; or an alternative test such as TOEFL, the Duolingo English Test, PTE, or CAEL. Some universities also offer conditional admission with a short English-for-academic-purposes course before your degree begins.
Two honest points decide whether this helps you. First, the exemption is a university admissions decision, so you must check the exact rule for your specific university and programme, because faculties differ even within one university. Second, because every Canada scholarship here follows your admission, meeting the university’s English standard, whether by IELTS, an English-medium letter, or an alternative test, is what unlocks both your place and your eligibility for the award. Clearing English the IELTS-free way removes a hurdle at admission; it does not lower the academic bar the scholarship sets.
Documents You’ll Need
The documents you submit for a Canada scholarship are the documents the Canadian university asks for at admission, plus the few extra items the award itself needs. This checklist is what you prepare; who qualifies sits in the Eligibility section above.
For undergraduate entrance awards (Pearson, University of British Columbia)
For the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral (PhD)
What Each Canada Scholarship Covers
Each Canada scholarship covers a different amount, from the full ride of the University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson award to a yearly stipend on the doctoral route, so the figure that matters is the one for your route, not a single headline number. The split below sets out what is covered and what you still pay.
Lester B. Pearson Scholarship
Covered
⚫ full tuition for four years, books, incidental fees, and on-campus residence
Not covered
⚫ airfare to Canada, the study-permit fee, and personal spending beyond residence
UBC international entrance awards
Covered
⚫ CAD 10,000 to 25,000 per year through the International Major Entrance Scholarship, renewable for up to three further years, or a one-time award in the same band through the Outstanding International Student award. The need-and-merit International Scholars awards can cover substantially more for students who could not otherwise attend.
Not covered
⚫ the gap between the award and full tuition and living costs on the merit awards, which you fund yourself, plus airfare and the study-permit fee
Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral
Covered
⚫ CAD 40,000 per year for three years as a research stipend
Not covered
⚫ a separate tuition payment, which your funding package and university handle, and any fourth-year and beyond, since the award is non-renewable
None of these awards guarantees your admission, and the university awards are tenable only at the awarding university. Entrance-award values vary year to year with available funding, which the University of British Columbia states directly. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
Figures here are in Canadian dollars, the currency the funders use. For a rough sense in rupees, 1 CAD is about PKR 200 on 12 June 2026, but this is indicative only. Budget conservatively at PKR 205 to 210 per CAD to allow for exchange-rate movement, and WhatsApp MTZ Islamabad or Lahore for the current rupee equivalent before you make any payment decision.
How to Apply for a Canada Scholarship from Pakistan
You apply for a Canada scholarship in a fixed order: secure the Canadian university place first, then trigger the award, because in Canada the funding follows admission. These five steps keep that order straight.
step-1 →
Choose your route and your target universities. For Bachelor’s study, shortlist universities with strong international entrance awards, such as the University of Toronto for the Pearson award and the University of British Columbia for its entrance awards. For a PhD, identify a supervisor and department that fit your research, since the doctoral award runs through your Canadian university.
step-2 →
Apply for admission to the Canadian university by its deadline. This is the gate for every route. Undergraduate admission for the September intake usually closes in the autumn before, and the University of British Columbia gives automatic merit consideration to applicants who meet its mid-January admission deadline. For a PhD you must hold or be taking up a Canadian doctoral place to be eligible for the federal award.
step-3 →
Trigger the scholarship for your route. The Pearson award needs a school nomination, after which the university sends you the scholarship application. The University of British Columbia considers you automatically for merit awards on your admission application, while its International Scholars awards need a separate nomination and application. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral starts once you are enrolled, when your department ranks your application for the national competition.
step-4 →
Submit by the institutional deadline. Each university sets its own internal dates. Doctoral internal deadlines commonly fall between August and October, ahead of the national autumn competition. Missing an internal deadline removes you from that year’s cycle, so MTZ confirms the live dates for your universities before you commit to a plan.
step-5
Receive results and confirm. Eiffel results are published from late March; the Climate Change result comes later in the cycle. Once admitted and selected, you confirm your final programme and move to your student visa appointment without delay, as slots are limited.
How MTZ Helps You Apply
MTZ helps you apply for Canada scholarships by assessing your profile honestly, matching you to the route and universities you can realistically win, building your application, and supporting you through submission and the study permit. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
We look at your grades, your level, your budget, and your timeline, then tell you plainly whether the Pearson award, the University of British Columbia awards, or the doctoral route is a real prospect for you. If a route is a poor fit, we say so rather than take you down it.
We shortlist the universities where your profile competes, and for a PhD we help you target a supervisor and department that fit your research, since the doctoral award runs through your Canadian university. The match is built around your admission first, because the funding follows it.
We help you prepare the items each award asks for, from your transcripts and English proof to your scholarship essays, references, and, for a PhD, your research proposal and supervisor approach. We work on substance and clarity, not templates.
We track each university’s admission deadline and the scholarship’s own dates, and we keep your nomination and submission steps in the right order so a missed internal deadline never costs you a year. We confirm the live dates before you commit to a plan.
Once you hold an offer, we support your study-permit application, including the financial and identity documents Canada requires after admission. This is the stage that turns an award into a seat in a Canadian classroom.
Start with the free scholarship eligibility assessment:
The Honest Limits You Should Know
MTZ does not award or guarantee any Canada scholarship, because every award is decided by the university or the federal funder, and a Canadian admission is required before any of this funding reaches you. These are the limits we want you to see clearly before you start.
Funding follows admission. Without a Canadian university place there is no scholarship, and admission is itself competitive and not guaranteed.
The awards are highly competitive. The University of Toronto names only about 37 Pearson scholars each year from applicants worldwide.
University entrance-award values move year to year with available funding, so a figure you read this year is not a promise for next year.
The federal Master’s award is closed to international students, so a Pakistani applicant cannot use it, and Master’s funding then depends on individual university awards.
The federal doctoral award reserves only a small share for international students, roughly 15 percent per agency, and needs you to be enrolled in a Canadian PhD when you apply.
No one can promise you a Canada scholarship for a fee. Treat any such promise, from anyone, as a warning sign.
Comparing the Canada Scholarship Routes
The three live routes differ by level, value, and how you apply, so the right one depends on whether you are starting a Bachelor’s or a PhD. Use this table to see them side by side before you choose.
| Route | Level | Award value (CAD) | What it covers | How you apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson | Bachelor’s | Full ride for four years | Full tuition, books, incidental fees, on-campus residence | School nomination, then admission, then the scholarship application |
| University of British Columbia entrance awards | Bachelor’s | 10,000 to 25,000 per year (merit), higher on need-and-merit awards | Part of tuition and living on merit awards; substantially more on International Scholars awards | Automatic on admission for merit awards; separate application for International Scholars |
| Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral | PhD | 40,000 per year for three years | A research stipend for three years; non-renewable | Enrol in a Canadian PhD first, then your department ranks you for the national competition |
Canada Scholarships: Questions Pakistani Families Ask
These are the questions Pakistani families ask most about Canada scholarships for Pakistani students, answered directly. Each answer leads with the short answer, then adds the detail.
Yes. Pakistani students can fund study in Canada at undergraduate level through university entrance scholarships, such as the University of Toronto Lester B. Pearson award and University of British Columbia awards, and at PhD level through the federal Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral. You apply to the university first, because the funding follows admission.
No. Canada has no single national scholarship and no Pakistan government portal for it. Unlike some countries, there is no sending partner. You apply to a Canadian university, and the award is then assessed by that university or, for a PhD, by a federal agency once you are enrolled.
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship is the University of Toronto’s fully funded undergraduate award for international students. It covers full tuition, books, incidental fees, and on-campus residence for four years. About 37 scholars are named each year, so it is highly competitive, and your school must nominate you before you can apply.
Often yes. Many Canadian universities accept a recognised English-medium-of-instruction letter or an alternative test such as TOEFL, the Duolingo English Test, PTE, or CAEL in place of IELTS. The exemption is an admissions decision made by the university, and it differs by university and programme, so confirm the exact rule for your course before you apply.
It has closed. The Government of Canada held the final Vanier competition in 2025 and no longer accepts applications. The Canada Graduate Research Scholarship Doctoral replaced it, at CAD 40,000 per year for three years. If a website still shows a live Vanier intake, it is out of date.
It is the federal PhD award, worth CAD 40,000 per year for three years and non-renewable. Pakistani students can apply, but only if you are already enrolled in a doctoral programme at an eligible Canadian university when you apply. International awards are capped at roughly 15 percent per agency, and you apply to the agency that fits your research field.
Not through the federal award. The federal Master’s award is closed to international students and stays limited to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and protected persons. For a Master’s you rely on individual university awards instead, which MTZ assesses with you case by case.
Yes, for every route. Funding follows admission in Canada. Undergraduate awards are assessed alongside or after your admission, the Pearson award needs a school nomination first, and the doctoral award needs you to be enrolled in a Canadian PhD at the time you apply.
The International Major Entrance Scholarship is valued at CAD 10,000 to 25,000 per year for the 2026/2027 year, renewable for up to three further years. The Outstanding International Student award is a one-time award in the same band. For students who could not otherwise attend, the need-and-merit International Scholars awards can cover substantially more.
None of these schemes publishes an age limit. The Pearson award works on how recently you finished secondary school, and the doctoral award works on the months of PhD study you have completed. Verify any current age condition at the official source before you apply.
Apply about a year ahead. Undergraduate admission for the September intake usually closes in the autumn before, and the University of British Columbia gives automatic merit consideration to applicants who meet its mid-January deadline. The doctoral award runs an annual autumn competition with results in April. MTZ confirms the live dates for your universities before you commit.
No. Airfare to Canada and the study-permit fee are not covered by these awards, and you budget for them separately. The Pearson award covers residence, while the University of British Columbia merit awards cover part of your costs, so plan for the gap and your travel.
No. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship, because every award is decided by the university or the federal funder. MTZ assesses your profile honestly, matches you to realistic routes, builds your application, and supports your study permit. Treat anyone who promises a Canada scholarship for a fee as a warning sign.
MTZ helps at every step. We assess your profile, shortlist the universities where you compete, help you target a PhD supervisor where relevant, build your documents and essays, manage your deadlines so none is missed, and support your study-permit application once you hold an offer. WhatsApp Islamabad or Lahore to start.
Start Your Canada Scholarship Application
Tell MTZ your grades, your level, and your timeline, and we will assess honestly which Canada scholarship route is realistic for you, then help you build the application. MTZ does not award or guarantee any scholarship.
Author: Mubbashir Qureshi, CEO, MTZ Global Visa Consultants Pvt Ltd. 25+ years personal experience guiding Pakistani students into study abroad and international education.
Last verified: 12 June 2026. Next review: 12 September 2026.
