What Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award – UBC actually covers.
The Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award is one of the University of British Columbia's most prestigious and generous scholarships for international undergraduate students. It recognises students who combine stellar academic performance with demonstrated leadership that uplifts and empowers communities through empathy, collaboration, and active listening — qualities increasingly valued in today's globally connected world. The award covers the full cost of a student's degree program at UBC's Vancouver campus, including tuition and mandatory fees, as well as living expenses, and is renewable for up to three additional years provided recipients maintain strong academic standing. For African students aspiring to study in Canada's top-ranked research university, this award removes the financial barrier entirely. Applicants must be entering UBC from a recognised secondary school or transferring from first-year post-secondary study, applying for their first undergraduate degree. A critical eligibility requirement is demonstrated financial need — the scholarship is designed specifically to bring talented students to UBC who would otherwise be unable to afford it. Nominations must come through the applicant's school or a non-profit organisation, alongside a reference from an academic referee. UBC's International Scholars Program, under which this award falls, has a long tradition of bringing exceptional students from every corner of the world to contribute to campus life, research, and the wider community. African students are warmly encouraged to approach their school counsellors early to initiate the nomination process.
Who can apply.
Open to undergraduate applicants seeking to study in Canada. Eligible nationalities are listed below.
46 more eligible countries — full list available on the official application page.
Every academic discipline is accepted.
This programme does not restrict by field. Research proposals across humanities, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine are all accepted.
Four steps to a complete application.
Scholar Africa is a discovery and tracking platform — the application itself is submitted directly through the official provider site. The steps below mirror our HowTo schema.
Check eligibility
Confirm your nationality, academic level, and field of study match the criteria above.
Eligibility checklist
Prepare documents
Transcripts, recommendation letters, personal statement, and a valid passport.
Document checklist
Submit the application
Submit before January 15, 2027 via the official portal.
Submission checklist
Track your application
Use your Scholar Africa dashboard to monitor status and deadline reminders.
Post-submission checklist
What we checked, when we checked it.
Every scholarship on Scholar Africa goes through six checks (link, contact, organisation, winners, third-party, manual review). Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award – UBC currently scores 0.0/10.
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Other scholarships worth a parallel application.
Same eligibility window or destination. Many strong applicants apply to three or four programmes per cycle.