Foresters Competitive Scholarship

Why choose the Foresters Competitive Scholarship?

Rewarding inspiring students

The Foresters Competitive Scholarship acknowledges students who engage with their community. It focuses not only on academic excellence but also leadership development. Foresters takes students’ community service and extra-curricular activities into account when awarding scholarships.

Scholarships are renewable

The scholarship funds are renewable for up to four years. Funds are intended to help reduce the financial burden of education and open the door to academic achievements.

Scholarship amount

Foresters is granting more than 400 scholarships this year. Recipients may receive up to $2,000 each year and up to $8,000 in local currency over four years.

The funds are only applicable to the first post-secondary diploma or degree of the recipient.

Eligibility requirements

When applying for the scholarship, new and returning applicants must either be a current Foresters member or have a parent, legal guardian, grandparent or spouse who is a member. Applicants must also be 24 years or younger at the time of their application through the time payment is issued.

New and returning applicants also have slightly different requirements.

New applicants are students in their final year of secondary school or are in the process of completing their post-secondary education. Requirements are:

• Cumulative 3.2 GPA or 80% average
• A minimum of 50 hours of community service completed in the two years before the application deadline
• Must be enrolled in a minimum two-year, full-time undergraduate program at a recognized school in Canada or the US in Fall 2025

 

Returning candidates are students who have earned or applied for the Foresters Competitive Scholarship previously. They need to meet the following requirements:

• Cumulative 3.0 GPA or 75% average
• A minimum of 15 hours of community service completed in the one year before the application deadline
• Must be enrolled in full-time studies in the Fall semester of the academic year they are applying as a returning candidate in Canada or the US

You can find our full eligibility requirements in the Competitive Scholarship Guidelines.

Application process

The application process is easy. If you’re interested in applying for the Foresters Competitive Scholarship, follow these steps:

• Create an account on MyForesters
• Go to the Scholarship section and click Apply Now.
• Continue your application when redirected to the International Scholarship and Tuition Services (ISTS) Scholarship Portal
• Use your account to submit supporting documents and track the status of your application. Make sure you submit everything before the deadline.

Or

Students can also apply straight from Foresters.com.

We get a high number of applicants every year. Applicants are ranked³ according to the following components:

• Community service: 50%
• Grades: 25%
• Essay: 25%

Complete your application in five steps

Gather required documents

You’ll need to request an electronic transcript from your most recent school. This can be your high school or post-secondary institution.

Prepare a 250-word essay about your volunteer experience

Tell us about how you’ve made a difference in your community! Write a 250-word essay about your volunteer experience. Here are some great questions you can ask yourself while writing your essay:

• Why was the experience meaningful?
• How did it positively impact your community?
• How will receiving this scholarship will help you achieve your educational goals?

Fill out the application form

When filling out your application form, make sure you’ve carefully reviewed each section and provided accurate information.

Attach all the supporting documents

Attach academic transcripts or anything else specified in the application guidelines.

Submit your application by the deadline

You must submit your application by the deadline to be considered. Be mindful of additional submission requirements, such as mailing instructions. This year’s Scholarship application window is open from December 5, 2024, to April 30, 2025. Mark the date in your calendar so you don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity.

We will contact successful applicants to accept their scholarship by mid-June 2025. If you’re successful, please accept or decline your award by the deadline indicated on the acceptance letter. You can learn about any additional requirements by following the instructions you receive.

Don’t forget to notify ISTS of your chosen school or institution to ensure your cheque is issued to the right place. Scholarship funds will be issued by August 31, 2025.

If you have any specific questions about your application, contact ISTS at Forester@applyISTS.com. You can also read our scholarship FAQ for more information.

Don’t wait! Get your application in early so we can let you know if anything is missing.

Footnotes

Foresters Financial, Foresters, Foresters Care, Foresters Moments, Foresters Renew, Foresters Member Discounts, Foresters Go, the Foresters Go logo and Helping Is Who We Are are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

¹ This program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. Eligible members, their spouse, dependent children, and grandchildren may apply subject to the eligibility criteria. Please visit https://www.foresters.com/en-ca/member-benefits/scholarship-new-applicants for further details.

² Description of member benefits that you may receive assumes you are a Foresters member. Foresters Financial member benefits are non-contractual, subject to benefit specific eligibility requirements, definitions and limitations and may be changed or cancelled without notice or are no longer available.

³ Meeting or exceeding the requirements of the scholarship does not guarantee that you will be chosen as a scholarship recipient.