Guides for Alberta students

Scholarships, research programs, contests and deadlines, each written for Alberta high school students. No recycled advice from American sites that doesn't apply here.

• Grade 12 scholarship timeline for Alberta students

  A month-by-month plan for Grade 12 students in Alberta: which scholarships open when, from Loran in the fall to local awards in the spring.

• Alberta scholarship deadlines, month by month

  When Alberta scholarships close: a year of 987 dated deadlines by month, why May carries 399 of them, and the single dates that hide dozens of awards.

• Loran Award: what it pays and how to apply

  Applications open September 9 and close October 15 at noon ET. What the award actually pays, the 88% average bar, and the $6,000 finalists get.

• Alexander Rutherford Scholarship: amounts and how to apply

  Applications open August 1 with no closing deadline. What each grade pays (up to $2,500 total), the 75% five-course average you need, and how to apply.

• How to write a scholarship essay that gets read

  A practical structure for scholarship essays, what selection committees actually look for, and the mistakes that get applications skipped.

• How to ask for a scholarship reference letter

  Who to ask for a reference letter, when to ask, and exactly what to give your teacher or counsellor so the letter is strong and on time.

• Local scholarships: smaller awards, much better odds

  Why community scholarships in places like Medicine Hat and Lethbridge are easier to win than national awards, and where to find them.

• Research programs for Alberta students: who pays

  Which Alberta research programs pay, what marks they ask for, and the geography rule that decides which HYRS campus you apply to. Deadlines run March.

• How to get medical experience in high school

  Where an Alberta student can actually get clinical exposure: AHS volunteering from 15, Discovery Days, HOSA chapters, and the biology competitions.

• Computing contests and camps in Alberta

  Coding contests, hackathons and camps open to Alberta high school students, nearly all free, and the ones only a teacher can register you for.

• Volunteering for Alberta high school students

  Hospital placements through AHS, science centre shifts, youth councils, and the awards that pay for a volunteer record. What is open right now.

• Chemistry competitions in Canada: the CCC and CCO ladder

  One entry point, one date. How the Canadian Chemistry Contest feeds the Olympiad, why there is no junior division, and when a teacher has to sign you up.

• Why Grade 11 is the best time to start on scholarships

  What Alberta students can do in Grade 11 to set up their scholarship applications: marks that count, activities that matter, and a simple prep list.

• Scholarships for Medicine Hat students

  Every scholarship pool a Medicine Hat student can draw from: local service clubs, city and county awards, school funds, and how to work through them.

• Scholarships for Red Deer students

  Every scholarship pool a Red Deer student can draw from: single-school awards, the two your counsellor hands out, the Community Foundation, and the co-op.

• Scholarships for Lethbridge students

  Every scholarship pool a Lethbridge student can draw from: the ULethbridge award calendar, one Polytechnic form worth 400 awards, and the county funds.

• Trades scholarships and RAP in Alberta

  How the Registered Apprenticeship Program works in Alberta schools, the scholarships attached to it, and the money nobody else applies for.

• Nine dead scholarships still on Alberta counsellor lists

  We checked a national-awards list used by Alberta schools against each provider's own site. Nine awards no longer exist, and one charity folded in 2024.