Funding Opportunities

New Horizons: Global skills, Indigenous Knowledge, and Student Mobility Project 

Lakehead International was successful in securing nearly $500,000 from the Universities Canada Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) pilot program for its New Horizons Project. The goal of New Horizons is to provide opportunities for Indigenous students and low-income students to develop international experience and cultural intelligence, expand their knowledge of issues relevant to Indigenous peoples globally, and provide students access to innovative and culturally relevant supports, resources, training, and financial backing needed to participate in international mobility opportunities.  

While all eligible undergraduate students will be considered, the national program targets groups for whom international experiences have traditionally been less accessible. These groups are:

1. Indigenous students (i.e. students who self-report being an Indigenous person)
2. Students from low-income backgrounds (i.e. recipients of OSAP grants)
   *International students and Masters/PHD students are not eligible for funding through GSO. 

All students who apply and are accepted to the Global ME (Mobility Engagement) program will receive information from the Global Mobility Programs Coordinator about eligibility and application processes regarding the GSO funding opportunity.

All outbound Global ME (Mobility Engagement) students are eligible to receive the Global ME award if they have not received external funding to support their program (i.e. GSO, north2north, etc.).

The amount of the Global ME Award is determined on several factors, including the location of the host institution, the length of the program, and more. The Coordinator, Global Mobility Programs will inform students shortly after being accepted to the Global ME program what the amount of their individual award will be.

Global ME Awards are distributed to students upon arrival in their host country. More information about this will be delivered at the Pre-Departure Session.

Some of Lakehead University's international partner institutions also offer awards for inbound students. Current opportunities include:

North2North
The north2north consortium provides application-based grants for students pursuing a north2north exchange experience in Norway or Finland. Students will apply for these grants at the time of the north2north application (mid-February of each year). You can find more information here.

Global Korean Scholarship
The Global Korean Scholarship (GKS) is offered by some of our partner institutions in South Korea. This scholarship opportunity is funded by the Government of South Korea and provides inbound Global ME students studying in South Korea with stipends to support their cost of living. This is a highly competitive scholarship and students must apply in order to be considered. Please connect with globalme@lakeheadu.ca for more information about GKS.

Ontario Rhone-Alpes (ORA) Program
Selected participants of Ontario Rhone Alpes (ORA) programs who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents will receive a scholarship from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities of $2500 for one semester of study or $3500 for a full year (two semesters) of study.  International students can participate in the ORA exchange but are not eligible for the ORA scholarship. Students pursuing the ORA Summer Language Program will receive a scholarship of $1200.

Ontario Baden-Württemberg (OBW) Program
Selected participants of Ontario Baden-Württemberg (OBW) programs who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents will receive a scholarship from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities of $2500 for one semester of study or $3500 for a full year (two semesters) of study.  International students can participate in the OBW exchange but are not eligible for the OBW scholarship. 

When students participate in a semester or full-year exchange program, they are still registered as full-time Lakehead University students during the semester(s) they are abroad. This typically means that students who receive funding through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) will be eligible to receive it during their time abroad. To receive clarification on how studying abroad can impact your OSAP funding, we encourage outbound students to reach out to a Student Central Professional at studentcentral@lakeheadu.ca.