Jusoor-ISOW Scholarship at Wilfrid Laurier University 2023-2024 Bachelor's
About the Scholarship
Since 2016, Jusoor has proudly partnered with International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) at Wilfrid Laurier University to provide scholarships to outstanding Syrian women pursuing their bachelor's and master's degrees under our 100 Syrian Women, 10,000 Syrian Women Scholarship Program. From our 41 current 100 Syrian Women scholars, 18 have studied at Wilfrid Laurier University and have found a welcoming second home thanks to ISOW’s generous support. Jusoor is especially grateful to ISOW’s Faculty Advisor, Dr. Gavin Brockett, intern Taryn Tufford and ISOW President Saja Saymeh for providing such attentive care to all Jusoor-ISOW scholars.
As a Jusoor-ISOW scholar, you will not only join Jusoor’s 100 Syrian Women network but embark on a life-changing experience among your scholar peers at Laurier University. Although Jusoor-ISOW scholars each have their own story and specialized discipline of study, they all bring unique talents to their cohort through community volunteering and extracurricular activities.
In general, 100 Syrian Women demonstrate exemplary social service with leadership, academic excellence, and civic responsibility, have characteristics reflecting the importance of empathy, humility, courage, and resilience, and have the potential to serve as global leaders.
This scholarship will support one female Syrian scholar to complete her bachelor's degree in a scientific field of study at Wilfrid Laurier University. The scholar should reflect excellent leadership skills, academic motivation and curiosity as well as empathy and courage.
Please see ISOW’s and Wilfrid Laurier University pages to learn more about them.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligibility
- Applicants must meet the following criteria
- Be a female.
- Be a Syrian or a Palestinian from Syria, holding either a Syrian passport, Syrian national ID card, or Palestinian travel papers.
- Hold at least a high school diploma; applications from students currently enrolled in their last year of high school are also welcome.
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or better.
- Not already have completed a bachelor’s degree.
- Have a strong record of leadership and community engagement, as demonstrated through volunteer and/or work experience. This can be formal or informal volunteer experience.
- Demonstrate willingness and intent to contribute to the redevelopment of Syria.
- Demonstrate willingness and intent to participate in ISOW initiatives on campus and to be an active member of Jusoor’s community.
- Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate financial need.
- Must be living in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt or Iraq.
Selection Criteria
- 1. Academic achievement
- 2. Personal achievement and leadership
- 3. Financial need
- 4. Interest in and commitment towards rebuilding Syria
Funds Coverage
This is a full scholarship and covers all tuition, fees, health insurance, airfare, and a living stipend for the duration of the program. The only expenses you are expected to cover if selected for the scholarship are your visa application fees. (Jusoor cannot provide an estimate on visa application fees. Please check with your local embassy.) Please note funds cannot be disbursed until the awardee arrives in Canada.
How to Apply
Frequently Asked Questions
How many awards will given?
- For this selection cycle one bachelor’s degree will be funded.
Is there an age limit to be eligible?
- No. Although our mission focuses on empowering Syrian youth, we have had several middle-aged 100 Syrian women scholars–all of whom have done exceptionally well in their programs. we welcome applicants of all ages.
I’m married and/or have children. Am I eligible?
- Yes, a few of our 100 Syrian women scholars have been married with families.
If awarded the scholarship, can the funding support my husband and/or children?
- Unfortunately not. The scholarship is intended to support only the scholar herself. Due to limited resources, Jusoor and ISOW cannot provide any financial or relocation assistance for your family, including help with visa arrangements.
Which study programs are eligible?
- For this application cycle, only certain fields of study in the Faculty of Science are eligible.
Do I need to apply for admission to Wilfrid Laurier University before submitting my application?
- No. The only application you need to complete is the scholarship application provided on this page.
I earned my high school diploma in Syria. Am I still eligible to apply?
- Yes, absolutely.
I earned my high school diploma in Syria and am having trouble obtaining my documents as proof of attendance and/or graduation. Can Jusoor help?
- Unfortunately not. Through experience in this matter, we have learned Jusoor cannot be of assistance. This issue must be resolved with your university and the Ministry of Education where applicable.
Do I need to pay a fee to apply to Wilfrid Laurier University?
- No, you do not have to pay a fee.
Can Jusoor offer to fund any English exam or graduate school testing I might require?
- Jusoor can offer a stipend for English testing only to the student who is accepted for the scholarship.
I’m already enrolled in a bachelor’s degree and am applying as a transfer student. Am I eligible for the scholarship?
- Yes, we welcome applications from transfer students.
I already hold a bachelor’s degree. Am I eligible for the scholarship?
- No, all applicants must be applying to complete their first bachelor’s degree.
What documents do I need to apply for?
- We encourage all applicants to prepare these documents as early as possible. Both black and white and color copies are accepted. All files must be PDFs.
- Copy of passport or national ID
- Copy of high school transcripts (official if available), or current bachelor's degree program transcripts.
- CV
- Academic letter of recommendation (from a teacher)
- Professional reference (from your current or previous work or volunteer experience)
- Copy of TOEFL or IELTS scores if you’ve taken either exam
What requirements does my CV need to meet?
- Your CV may be in any format you like but we ask you to keep it concise. There is no maximum page length.
What requirements does my academic letter of recommendation need to meet?
- This letter should be written by a current or previous teacher, academic advisor, or other similar faculty members of yours. The letter must be on official university letterhead, dated and signed with the recommender’s e-mail address included. There is no limit to the letter’s length. You may only submit one academic letter of recommendation.
What requirements does my professional reference need to meet?
- This reference should be written by a current or previous professional supervisor/manager of yours while you were employed in a paid or volunteer position.
- The letter must be on letterhead of the organization, dated and signed with the reference’s e-mail address included. There is no limit for the reference length. You may submit one professional reference.
What do you look for in the ideal applicant?
- We look for a balance of the following:
1) strong GPA and record of academic achievement
2) volunteer and/or work experience relevant to your field of study
3) proven leadership ability as demonstrated through volunteer and/or work experience
4) willingness and demonstrated intent to contribute to the redevelopment of Syria,
5) willingness to participate in the ISOW community on campus as well as in Jusoor’s community.
6) a clear and realistic plan for personal and career success post-graduation.
7) A motivated, self-starter attitude
8) Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate financial need.
What advice can you give for responding to the application essay questions?
- We encourage you to fully address the question while being clear, concise, thoughtful and providing relevant examples.
- The questions are subjective with no “right” or “wrong” answer. In fairness to other applicants, we cannot offer specific advice on the essay questions.
What is the interview process like?
- If selected as a finalist, you will be virtually interviewed by a panel of Jusoor and ISOW team members to assess your suitability for the scholarship. We may ask you to elaborate on the information provided in your application, and will also ask you to respond to a series of questions based on real-life scenarios which scholars face during their academic programs. We are interested to see how you might respond to typical challenges faced by scholars and how you would contribute to furthering Jusoor’s and ISOW’s missions while fulfilling your personal goals.
- Interviews generally last for 30 minutes to 1 hour and are conducted in English.
When will I be notified of my application status?
- We try to be as transparent with our selection process as possible. We expect to conduct interviews with shortlisted candidates throughout February 2022 and select awardees by late March 2022 (subject to change).
- All applicants will be notified via e-mail of their status after each stage of the selection process.
What are my chances of obtaining a Canadian visa if awarded the scholarship?
- The scholarship award is conditional on the awardee receiving their visa. If the awardee is not granted admission or does not receive their visa, the scholarship will be awarded to the next highest-scoring applicant. This being said, all Jusoor-ISOW scholars to date have obtained their Canadian visas. Visa processing time in their cases has ranged from two weeks to a couple of months.
When are scholarship funds disbursed?
- Scholarship funds cannot be disbursed until the awardee arrives in Canada.