Scholarships & Financial Assistance


With education costs on the rise, enhancing student assistance is a top priority for Acadia. Each year, we award more than $4 million to students in the form of scholarships, scholar-bursaries, bursaries, awards, and prizes. By maintaining a strong scholarship and financial assistance program, we are able to attract, retain and support our students.

As a donor to scholarships and financial assistance, you can direct your gift toward: general award funds or awards for specific departments, faculties, research, or athletic teams; any existing named awards; or you can create a personal legacy by establishing a named award yourself. By supporting scholarships and financial assistance, you can help to ensure access to all of the rewards of an Acadia education.

If you would like to give generally to the Scholarships and Financial Aid, please click here.

Neil Fisher Entrance Awards

Award | Eligibility: Arts, English, History, Entering first year, Nova Scotia

The Neil Fisher Entrance Awards are awarded annually to two students entering Acadia University, planning to major in English or History, and who has been involved with extracurricular activities. Preference will be given to students from Colchester County or Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

The endowed award was established in 2007 by The John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation, in consultation with the Fisher Family, to honour Mr. Neil Fisher (BA Acadia 1954; BED Acadia 1955) who taught John Bragg at Oxford High School. Neil was a proud Acadia Axeman Basketball Player.

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New Brunswick Bursaries

Award of up to $1,000 | Eligibility: Current 1st year, Current 2nd year, Current 3rd year, Current 4th year, New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Bursaries of $1,000 each are available to students from Charlotte County, New Brunswick, in each of years one, two, three, and four on the basis of financial need. In the event that there are no candidates from Charlotte County, the bursaries may be made to students from Carleton County, then York County, and then any New Brunswick County. These awards are privately gifted to the university.

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Ng Scholar-Bursary in Computer Science

Scholar-Bursary of up to $1,000 | Eligibility: Pure and Applied Science, Computer Science

Established in 2015 by Shih Fang Dino Ng, Class of 2001. To be awarded to a full-time returning Computer Science student in recognition of academic achievement and financial need.

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Nicholas Vidito Memorial Hockey Award

Award of up to $1,000 | Eligibility: Athletics, S.M.I.L.E. volunteer

Established in 2021 by family and friends of Nicholas. This award recognizes a varsity hockey student-athlete who is in good academic standing, displays leadership qualities and is a positive role model in the community. Preference will be given to a hockey athlete who volunteers for the S.M.I.L.E. program. The recipient will be chosen by the Director of Athletics in consultation with the Head Coach of the Hockey program.

Nicholas Vidito joined our Acadia family as a member of SMILE in 1994. Through his relationships with S.M.I.L.E. buddies Paul Doherty (’98) and Adam Armstrong (’02), Nick became very connected to the Axemen hockey program. He regularly attended home games until health challenges related to his muscular dystrophy prevented him from doing so. Nick was a character individual who always put others ahead of himself and advocated for people with special needs.

Value: $1,000

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NL Award

Award | Eligibility: Entering first year, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island

Established in 2019 by Lyn Tait Pirquet (’75) in memory of her husband John Pirquet, the NL Award is granted to entering students from Atlantic Canada, with a preference for Newfoundland and Labrador, whose financial and family circumstances would not otherwise allow them to attend university. This award is available on a renewable basis.

Lyn Tait was inspired by scholarship support she received as a student at Acadia in the 1970s. Her BA in Economics and Political Science gave her a strong foundation for graduate studies and a career in public service, mainly in postsecondary education planning and intergovernmental relations.

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Noëlle Fuller Memorial Award

Award | Eligibility: Pure and Applied Science, Biology, Chemistry, Canada, Current 2nd year, Current 3rd year, Current 4th year, S.M.I.L.E. volunteer

Established in 2019 by family and friends of Noëlle Fuller, to mark her tragic passing and commemorate her lasting impact on Acadia University.

Noëlle was in the third year of her studies as a Biology major, a volunteer in the S.M.I.L.E. program and a joyful and beloved member of the campus community. She followed in the footsteps of her father, Benj, sister, Charlotte, brother, Anderson as well as two grandmothers (Kay Fuller and Lois Lund), three uncles (Christopher, Adrian and Hilary) and three aunts (Cathy, Kathy and Debbie), in choosing Acadia as her alma mater.

The Noëlle Fuller Memorial Award is granted to a returning domestic student in either a Biology or Chemistry program who is in good academic standing and has served and continues to serve as a S.M.I.L.E. volunteer, and who demonstrates the selfless and authentically enthusiastic commitment to volunteerism and community engagement exemplified by Noëlle. A pure and obvious love of dance would be a major consideration in granting this award.

The recipient of the Award will be made on the recommendation of the Director of the S.M.I.L.E. program, in collaboration with the Fuller family and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

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Noel Tibbo Family Scholarship

Scholarship | Eligibility: Entering first year

The Noel Tibbo Family Scholarship is awarded annually to an entering student who plans to study in the field of Science. The recipient will be a well rounded individual with involvement in community, sports and/or music who demonstrates academic merit, personal qualities that contribute to the overall benefit of fellow students, and shows promise of achievement.

The scholarship was originally established in 2003 in memory of S. Noel Tibbo by the Tibbo family, and was endowed in 2005 as a family legacy.

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Norman and Jane McIntyre Bursaries

Bursary | Eligibility: Entering first year

The Norman and Jane McIntyre Bursaries are awarded annually to two students entering Acadia from Atlantic Canada, with preference given to Richmond County, Nova Scotia and Charlotte Country, New Brunswick. Recipients should be well rounded individuals with a variety of interests and demonstrated financial need.

The bursaries were established in 2003 by Norman and Jane McIntyre (Acadia 1960) in memory of Alice Hawkins Golding (DHE, Acadia, 1933).

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Norman K. Atkins Memorial Award

Award | Eligibility: Professional Studies, Business Administration, Current 3rd year, Current 4th year

Provided annually to a third or fourth year full-time student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. This individual will have demonstrated leadership and involvement in one or more extra-curricular activities, such as student government, varsity athletics and community volunteerism while maintaining solid academic performance. The recipient will be chosen on recommendation by the Scholarship and Awards Committee of the Fred C. Manning School of Business. This award has been established by family, friends and colleagues in memory of former Senator Norman K. Atkins (BA, 1957, DCL, 2000, Acadia) to recognize his many contributions to Acadia University as a student, varsity athlete, and loyal alumnus. He was a leading advertising executive, political strategist, charitable activist and avid sportsman who was appointed to the Senate in 1986 and served until his retirement in 2009.

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Norman McLeod Rogers Memorial Overseas Scholarship

Scholarship | Eligibility: Arts, Current 4th year

The Norman McLeod Rogers Memorial Overseas Scholarship. A scholarship of approximately $6000, provided by the Class of 1927 in memory of the Honourable Norman McLeod Rogers, is awarded every third year to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, who will be a graduate of the Faculty of Arts of Acadia University, to support a year of study in the United Kingdom or Western Europe. Application is to be made to the Director of Student Assistance during the final year of study in the Bachelor of Arts program and must be supported by the Head of the student’s major department. Norman McLeod Rogers was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, in 1894 and was Acadia's fifth Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University (1919 1922). He received the B.A. degree from Acadia in 1919 and the B.A., B. Litt., B.C.L., and Diploma in Economics and Political Science from Oxford. He served as Mark Curry Professor of History at Acadia (1922 1927), as private secretary to Prime Minister MacKenzie King (1927 1929), and as professor of political science at Queen's University (1927 1935). He was elected to the House of Commons in 1935 and served as Minister of Labour from 1935 to 1939 and as Minister of National Defense from 1939 until his accidental death in 1940.

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Norman Moore Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship of up to $600 | Eligibility: Professional Studies, Business Administration, Current 3rd year

The Norman Moore Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a student in business administration on nomination of the Director of the School to the scholarship committee. The student must have outstanding leadership qualities and high academic ability and be in the penultimate year of the degree program. This award has been established by the Board of Governors in memory of Norman Moore who served the University most ably as Vice-President for Development for more than a decade.

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Nova Scotia Kiwanis Music Festival Association Scholarships in Music

Scholarship of up to $200 | Eligibility: Professional Studies, Music

The Nova Scotia Kiwanis Music Festival Association Scholarships in Music (two valued at $100 or one valued at $200) are provided by Acadia University and are awarded on recommendation of the Kiwanis Music Festival Association based on performance in the annual festival.

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Contact

Office of Advancement
Rm 225 University Hall
15 University Avenue
Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
General Inquiries: 902.585.1026
To make a donation: 902.585.1912
Toll Free in North America:
1.866.ACADIA (1.866.222.3428)
advancement@acadiau.ca

Charitable Registration #: 106681893 RR0001