A letter of intent and statement letter are basically the same thing. Similar to a cover letter when applying for a job, it should highlight the applicant’s skills, experience, and qualities as related to the requirements of the award or scholarship, and why the applicant feels they should be considered. Generally speaking, only one letter of intent/statement letter per application is required.

A strong letter of intent/statement letter is written clearly, succinctly, and directly addresses the terms of reference for the award or scholarship the applicant is applying for. It is a formal, well-formatted letter free of typos and other errors.

If you have not written a letter such as this before, you may consider taking advantage of SFU Beedie’s Career Management Centre which offers comprehensive help with planning and composing cover letters and resumes.

While there is a suggested word limit of 500 words, it is more important that the letter not exceed two (2) pages.

The letter of intent/statement letter should be addressed to the adjudication committee (no specific names needed).

Letters of reference should explain why a particular applicant should be selected and what qualifies them for the opportunity for which they are applying. Letters of reference should be from the organization where the applicant took part in the activity related to the award or scholarship and should be typed on the organization’s letterhead.

Examples include: professors, student club leaders, professional mentors, etc. It should be someone who can speak to the applicant’s skills and experience. Letters of reference from the applicant’s family and/or friends will not be accepted.

Transcripts are not required. Please do not include it as part of your application.

All students are welcome to apply for scholarships and awards, however, applicants who meet all the award/scholarship criteria will be weighted more heavily in the adjudication process.

Complete applications for departmental scholarships and awards can be emailed to ugclerk@sfu.ca.

The deadline varies from term-to-term, however, in the Fall term the date will fall in September, in the Spring term the date will fall in January, and in the Summer term, the date will fall in May.

You can email the Undergraduate Program Assistant at ugclerk@sfu.ca with questions regarding the application process.
Award-specific questions should be directed to SFU Financial Aid and Awards at fa_awards@sfu.ca.

We thank all applicants for their submissions, however, due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to each applicant confirming receipt.
If you have sent your application to the correct email address (ugclerk@sfu.ca), you can consider that it has been successfully received and is under review.

Successful candidates will receive official confirmation via email from SFU Financial Aid and Awards approximately six to eight weeks after the application deadline.