A SYMBOLIc AND PRESTIGIous scholarship

The Order of the White Rose is evolving and, in 2025, becomes an annual Canada-wide scholarship program with a leadership development support. Initiated by Polytechnique Montréal, this program is made possible thanks to the support of the Philanthropic Circle of the Order of the White Rose. These non-renewable $50,000 scholarships will be awarded to Canadian female engineering students who wish to pursue graduate studies (master’s or PhD) in engineering at the institution of their choice, in Canada or abroad.

2025 edition: What’s new?

• A larger number of scholarships will be awarded in order to increase financial and academic opportunities for female students;
• A leadership development support will enable laureates to strenghten their competencies and their confidence to become agents of change in engineering and beyond;  
• A broader selection process will allow universities to nominate between 1 and 3 candidates.

ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS

To be eligible for the scholarship, the candidate must, as of the application submission deadline at her home institution, be:

• Identify as a woman;
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• A graduate of an engineering program at a Canadian university and have completed her bachelor's degree in December 2024, or be in the process of completing it in May or August 2025;
• Enrolled, or in the process of enrolling, in a graduate studies program in engineering (master’s or PhD) to begin the year after receiving her bachelor’s degree*.

*As of June 30, 2025, the candidate must be admitted or in the process to be admitted in a graduate studies program in engineering (master's or PhD) and have sent proof of the offer of admission to Polytechnique Montréal at orderwhiterose@polymtl.ca . The official proof of enrollment will be required if the candidate is selected and will be a condition of receiving the scholarship.

HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION PORTFOLIO

The candidate must submit her application portfolio to the department responsible for this comptetition at her home institution (where the candidate completed her bachelor's degree) for the first step of preselection. This institution is responsible for organizing the internal competition to choose one to three finalists, and for sending the finalists’ portfolio to the Order of the White Rose scholarship selection committee.

For the candidate:

The candidate’s submission (written in French or English) must contain, in the following order:

• The filled identification form (see above to dowload it)
• A letter of motivation detailing, among other things, the candidate’s aspirations and what the scholarship will allow her to accomplish (400 words max.);
• A curriculum vitae: the candidate must explain the precise role she played in any published research; likewise, she must describe her contributions to any project or initiative she has taken part in, so that the selection committee members can properly understand her involvement and role;
• A detailed description of achievements and social engagements (maximum 700 words),
• The most recent official transcript with the mention of the final mark;
• An official proof of enrolment in a graduate studies program (master’s or PhD)
• A letter of support signed by a person in authority at the candidate’s home institution (e.g., professor, dean, department head);
• Any other document deemed relevant. (700 words max.)

This scholarship’s highly symbolic nature means that it benefits from extensive cross-Canada media coverage. The recipient is expected to be available for that purpose. The Polytechnique Montréal Communications and Public Relations service provides coaching ahead of the award ceremony to help the recipients feel more comfortable speaking with media present.

For the home institution:

The institutions can send till three applications. Each application portfolio may be preselected at your institution with the following stipulations:

• Each candidate selected must have completed her bachelor's degree at your institution
• Each complete portfolio must be sent as a PDF file to orderwhiterose@polymtl.ca

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Polytechnique Montréal Order of the White Rose scholarships aim to reward the full body of work by female students during their undergraduate studies, as well as their outstanding commitment and, in so doing, to call attention to the important role of women in the field of engineering. The recipients are a source of inspiration for their peers and embody the coming generation in the eyes of the Canadian scientific and engineering community.

Academic record (30%)
The candidate will be evaluated on the excellence of her academic record and must have maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0 (or equivalent). Scholarships and other support received as well as the duration of previous studies will also be analyzed.

Technical achievements (30%)
The candidate must demonstrate that she has contributed to various technical achievements during her university career. Technical achievements are defined as those pertaining to any scientific, technological or professional activity.

Social commitments (40%)
The candidate must demonstrate that she has taken part in various activities other than academic and technical during her university studies. Examples of such non-technical achievements include any social, cultural and sports endeavour, as well as any project that promotes communication, leadership, involvement with the community and/or women, and international outreach initiatives.

Descriptions of activities must be sufficiently detailed to allow the members of the selection committee to evaluate all aspects of the candidate’s personality.

AWARD

• One scholarship of $50,000 (non-renewable)
• Leadership development support
• Membership in an engaged community of engineering students

2025 CONTEST SCHEDULE

For candidates: The deadline for submitting your application portfolio is determined by your home university, which is the institution where you completed your bachelor's degree. To find out your university's deadline, contact the department responsible for scholarships.

• For candidates from Polytechnique Montréal, the deadline for submitting an application portfolio is May 16, 2025 at 4:30pm. For any additional information regarding the Polytechnique internal competition, please write to us at bourses.sep@polymtl.ca.

For universities: The department responsible for co-ordinating this competition in the participating institution has until June 30, 2025, to e-mail the finalists’ application portfolio to the Polytechnique Montréal Order of the White Rose selection committee at orderwhiterose@polymtl.ca.