The McCall MacBain Scholarships: A Comprehensive Guide

The McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill University offer a transformative opportunity for exceptional students who aspire to become impactful leaders and drive positive change in the world. This comprehensive guide delves into the details of the scholarship, covering eligibility criteria, application process, benefits, and the unique leadership development program it offers.

What is the McCall MacBain Scholarship?

The McCall MacBain Scholarships are designed to bring together exceptional students who strive to engage in positive change by taking on meaningful leadership roles. The scholarship enables Scholars to pursue a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. More than just financial aid, the McCall MacBain Scholarships foster a community of interdisciplinary leaders equipped to tackle complex challenges.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the McCall MacBain Scholarship in 2025, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

Be a current student on track to earn their first bachelor’s degree by August 2026.
Have earned their first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2020 or later).
Have earned their first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago, and were 30 years or younger on January 1st, 2025.

In addition to these criteria, applicants must also meet the minimum degree and language requirements for McGill master’s program admission and the GPA requirements of their desired program at McGill. The scholarship seeks candidates with:

Exceptional character: Value excellence, hard work, service, and lifelong learning; strive to act with integrity, honesty, and empathy; possess the tenacity to pursue long-term goals.
Community engagement: Value working for and with others to address challenges facing a community.
Leadership potential: Believe in working with and leading others towards a common goal; ready to take on tough leadership roles to advance meaningful change.
Entrepreneurial spirit: Able to identify unmet needs and motivate others in developing creative solutions to address those needs.
Academic strength and intellectual curiosity: Have a deep interest in and curiosity about people, ideas, and the world around them; interested in working with people who have different perspectives.

Eligible Programs at McGill University

The McCall MacBain Scholarship covers over 150 different master’s programs and 3 second-entry professional undergraduate programs at McGill’s downtown and Macdonald campuses. The program must be pursued full-time and consist of 45 credits or more. It does not cover graduate certificates, executive master’s programs (EMBA, IMHL, IMPM), PhDs, part-time programs (e.g. GMSCM) and joint degree programs.

Application Process

The application process involves several key steps:

Apply to McGill University: Applicants must apply separately and be admitted to their desired graduate program(s) at McGill. Most people will apply for the scholarship before they apply to a graduate program at McGill. In most cases, you can start applying to your intended McGill programs in mid-September.
Apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarship: The McCall MacBain Scholarship deadline is 12-15 months before the start of your program at McGill. The application includes several short essays with word limits ranging from 225-300 words each.
University Endorsement (if applicable): Current students and recent graduates (those who graduated in 2023, 2024, or 2025) from Canadian and American universities, and the partner universities abroad are invited to endorse multiple candidates for this scholarship. U-M Nomination is required, but students will apply through McCall-MacBain's system, not U-M's system. After the submission deadline, ONSF will gain access to those application materials. We will review all applicants and select the ones which we believe are the best fit with the McCall MacBain criteria to endorse for final consideration. Otherwise, you may be required to seek an endorsement from a fellowship advisor or a senior member of the university administration (president, vice-chancellor, rector, provost). The university representative is typically a senior member of the administration (President, Provost, Vice-Provost). At American universities, a fellowship advisor may submit the endorsement. To apply, download a PDF of your McCall MacBain application and upload it to CURF's McCall MacBain Nomination Request form.
References: As part of your scholarship application, you will need to ask two people to submit reference forms: an academic reference and a community reference. Please ask people who know you well. Once you have started your application, you can request references immediately. There is no need to wait until you have completed your application. Through the online application, you will be able to provide contact details for your reference writers. Examples for the community reference include, but are not limited to, a representative of an organization where you have volunteered, an employer, a university staff member who knows your campus involvement, a community mentor, or a sports coach. You can submit a professional reference instead of an academic reference.
Transcripts: You will need to upload an unofficial transcript as part of your online scholarship application. Transcripts in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by a translation. Submit both the transcript and its translation as one PDF.
Test Scores: It is not necessary to submit standardized test scores as part of the McCall MacBain Scholarship application. If you already have a strong test score, you may include it to help demonstrate your academic qualifications. You may need to submit your score to McGill University at a later date as part of your program application. Please read McGill’s English language proficiency requirements. If it is required in your situation, you will need to provide it to McGill University when you apply for programs of interest.

Scholarship Benefits

The McCall MacBain Scholarship offers a comprehensive package of financial and developmental opportunities:

Tuition and Fees: Covers tuition and fees for an eligible master’s program or a second-entry professional undergraduate program at McGill.
Living Stipend: Provides a living stipend of $2,300 CAD per month during academic terms. Scholars receive a living stipend of $2,300 per month during academic terms. While some scholars remain enrolled full-time during the summer, others pursue full-time work, a combination of paid work and research, entrepreneurial pursuits, or other meaningful activities.
Relocation Grant: Includes a one-time relocation grant for moving to Montréal.
Summer Funding: Offers options for summer funding.
Leadership Development Program: Provides access to a unique interdisciplinary leadership program.
Mentorship and Coaching: Matches each scholar with an experienced mentor, an executive coach, and advisors.
Community: Connects scholars with a diverse cohort of individuals from various fields.
Additional Funding: Yes, McCall MacBain Scholars may accept up to $10,000 per year in additional merit-based funding.

Leadership Development Program

The McCall MacBain Scholarships are about much more than financial support. The scholarship provides scholars with opportunities to develop as interdisciplinary leaders in a complex world. As part of an interdisciplinary cohort, scholars learn to tackle complex challenges and deepen their impact through a leadership skills development curriculum. Scholars participate in annual summer retreats, bi-weekly seminars, supplemental programming, field trips, and other events. In their second year, scholars travel to another part of Quebec or Canada to engage in place-based learning.

Every scholar is matched with an experienced mentor, an executive coach, and advisors. During the academic year, these individuals will challenge scholars to reach their goals and help them set new ones. Mentors are selected for their distinguished careers in fields relevant to their scholars’ interests.

The McCall MacBain House, conveniently located at the entrance of McGill’s downtown campus, provides space for scholars to gather, study, learn, and collaborate. It includes access to meeting rooms and a kitchen. Scholars attend bi-weekly leadership seminars and workshops at the McCall MacBain House.

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Awards for Finalists and Regional Interviewees

Candidates who participate in final interviews, but are not selected as McCall MacBain Scholars, are eligible to receive a one-time Finalist Award. The Finalist Award for Canadian applicants is $10,000, and the Finalist Award for international applicants is $20,000 (reflecting the higher cost of tuition). The Finalist Award may be used for full-time enrolment in an eligible master’s or second-entry professional undergraduate program offered by McGill University on its downtown, MacDonald, or Outaouais campuses.

Candidates who distinguish themselves at regional interviews, but are not invited to final interviews, are eligible to receive a one-time Regional Award. The Regional Award for Canadian applicants is $5,000, and the Regional Award for international applicants is $10,000 (reflecting the higher cost of tuition). The Regional Award may be used for full-time enrolment in an eligible master’s or second-entry professional undergraduate program offered by any public university in Canada.

Re-Applying for the Scholarship

In most cases, yes, assuming you still meet the eligibility criteria and you update and resubmit your application. As of the 2022-2023 cycle, applicants may not apply more than twice to the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. Applications submitted in 2020 or 2021 are exempt from this rule.

Applicants who apply only once may not re-apply in the following situations:

Candidates who accepted a Regional Award in a previous year.
Candidates who accepted an invitation to attend final interviews in a previous year.

Key Considerations

Academic Strength: While GPA is important, the selection committee is interested in the fit with your proposed McGill programs, as well as the breadth and difficulty of the courses taken alongside your other commitments. The measure of academic strength is not limited to a narrow focus on GPA.
Separate Applications: Remember that you must apply separately to eligible programs at McGill University as well as apply to the McCall MacBain Scholarship.
Program Start Date: You can apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarship in 2025 if you are planning to apply for Summer / Fall 2026 admission to a full-time master’s or second-entry professional undergraduate program at McGill University.

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