Occasionally, students are faced with unexpected situations which may lead to immediate financial constraints. The University of Windsor has emergency bursary support assistance available to international students to assist them during a temporary and unexpected period of financial difficulty.
In order to satisfy student visa requirements, International students are expected to have the financial resources in place to manage their financial plan while attending the University of Windsor. We recognize that the global pandemic has created significant financial challenges for many students and families globally, however the University of Windsor is limited in the level of financial support that we are able to provide. Due to limited funds, each student's situation will be reviewed carefully as we are unable to guarantee that all requests will be approved.
Students impacted by the current Russia/Ukraine crisis are eligible to apply.
Bursaries are intended to cover a temporary and/or unexpected loss of resources and are not intended to supplement a student’s income or to pay for items which should have otherwise been budgeted for. A student’s tuition and fees must be paid in full in order for a loan or bursary application to be considered and a student must be in good academic standing. Exceptions may be made for example, in the case of graduate students where a tuition deferral arrangement has been made against the student’s graduate assistantship. Other valid exceptions may apply.
Some examples of where a bursary may be approved are as follows:
- Travel resulting from a death in the immediate family,
- Medical expenses not covered by the University’s Green Shield or OHIP Equivalent Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP),
- Loss of essential property not covered by insurance,
- Wire transfers are delayed unexpectedly.
- Graduate assistantships arriving from countries where currency exchange controls do not allow them to bring enough money to cover initial expenses,
- Students on foreign scholarships whose cheques have been delayed by governments or banks abroad.
Examples of situations which cannot be covered are:
- Basic rent and living costs,
- Transportation and other costs involved in returning home at the end of studies,
- Research expenses and thesis costs,
- Sending money back home,
- Cosmetic medical costs such as non-emergency dental care,
- Tuition, fees, or other direct educational costs that should have otherwise been planned for.
To apply, log in to UWinsite Student (https://student.uwindsor.ca/), navigate to the Student Homepage > Award Profile.
Instructions on how to complete an Award Profile can be found here.
Once your profile is complete and the award results page is presented, scroll down to find the following award: - Emergency Bursary Support (Hardship - International)
- Select ‘Yes’ to apply.
- The following 2 questions will be asked:
- Please describe in detail (maximum 500 words) the emergency financial situation that you are currently experiencing and what is your financial plan if emergency financial assistance cannot be approved?
- How much funding do you require (maximum funding available is $1000 per academic year) and please specify how these funds (if approved) will be allocated?
- Supporting documentation will be required to be uploaded to your profile to corroborate your situation.
