By Elayne Teixeira -Millar
Ryerson University has joined The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF) and is now offering students the Loran Award, a prestigious full-ride scholarship.
The Loran Award is granted to 30 Canadian high school or College of General and Vocational Education (CEGEP) students annually on the basis of academic achievement, extracurricular activities and leadership potential.
Ryerson has joined universities such as McGill, Dalhousie and Queen’s and is the 25th Canadian University to offer the award for undergraduate study.
According to Alan Shepard, provost and vice president academic, Ryerson was chosen by the CMSF partnership due to its unique programs and rising reputation.
A student awarded the Loran Award receives a full tuition grant, $8,000 for living expenses and a guaranteed spot in campus residence.
The grant is renewable for up to three years if the student maintains a GPA of 3.3 and the Loran recipient can choose to apply to any of the universities on the list of CMSF partners.
In order to be eligible for the award, students must be nominated by their school, have an average of at least 85 per cent and must go through a lengthy application and interview process to be selected.
The CMSF receives applications from more than 4,000 high schools and CEGEPs in Canada each year.
There are currently 221 Loran scholars located across Canada, the US and internationally. Several have been chosen as Rhodes scholars, named Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and WXN’s Top 100 Women in the young leaders category.
Loran scholars are highly sought-after students and Shepard thinks they will do great things for Ryerson.
“They will bring their leadership skills to the university and they will be excellent students,” he said. “[The Loran Award] will be a great investment in their careers and the university’s reputation.”
Tyler Web, a first-year photography student, points out that a scholarship like this is another way of helping with the greater issue of rising tuition that university students have to deal with.
“When I was in high school, my marks would have ben interesting but I think I oculd have applied.” said Web. “I was talking to someone the other day who was against tuition drops and more for scholarships to create higher levels of education.”
Mark Jackson, a third-year business management student, agrees that scholarships are a good way of getting more students to apply to Ryerson.
“I think its great actually,” he said. “It’s a free pass and they [are forced to] focus on their studies.”
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