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.

Mabel A. (Wile) Ogilvie Scholar Bursary

Scholar-Bursary | Eligibility: Nova Scotia

The Mabel A. (Wile) Ogilvie Scholar Bursary is established by family and friends in the memory of Mabel (Wile) Ogilvie who graduated from Windsor Academy and the Nova Scotia Teachers College. It is to be awarded to a first year student from Hants County who may be proceeding to university study directly from high school or entering after up to five years. The recipient’s academic achievement level must be that of an entrance scholarship recipient.

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MacLean Athletic Awards

Award | Eligibility: Athletics, Canada, Nova Scotia

The MacLean Athletic Awards were endowed in 2022 by Donald MacLean (’57). The awards will be granted to all-around student-athletes from Canada who have demonstrated leadership qualities and an interest in athletic activities. 80% of the disbursement will be designated to a member of the varsity football program and 20% to a member of the women’s rugby program. The awards are made, on the recommendation of the Director of Varsity Athletics. Preference will be given to a Nova Scotia born student-athlete. The recipient shall be passionate about community, possess strong leadership qualities and be in good academic standing.

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MacLean Family Arts Award

Award | Eligibility: Arts, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Pursuing an Honours Research Project

The MacLean Family Arts Award is awarded to a returning upper-year student in the Faculty of Arts, at the discretion of the Dean of Arts. The award will be granted to a student from Atlantic Canada who is enrolled in an Honours program and demonstrates high academic achievement and may have financial need.

Established in 2022 by Don MacLean (’57) in honour of his cousins and fellow Acadia graduates Elizabeth Hoyt (’57) and Aleen Stanton (’15). Elizabeth graduated from Acadia with a BSc in Biology. A natural and gifted artist, Elizabeth developed a professional interior design practice, followed by a long career as a science teacher in New Brunswick. Throughout her career and in her retirement, she has always been a strong supporter of arts and culture. Aleen shares a love of the arts; she graduated in 2015 with a BA (Hons) in History and received the Hayward Medal. She works for the Government of Nova Scotia on culture, heritage, and climate change issues. Aleen is also a Research Associate with the Nova Scotia Museum, and has published articles on topics such as environmental history, music heritage, and heritage craft. Though of different generations, Don, Elizabeth, and Aleen all have felt nurtured by Acadia and their family relationship strengthened because of it. They are grateful and proud to establish and participate in this award supporting students in the arts.

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Margaret Anne Gidney Bursary

Bursary | Eligibility: Nova Scotia

Established in 2019 in memory of Margaret Anne Gidney ('71, '73) by her husband Anthony Nelson Sharpe PhD, this bursary is awarded to full-time students preferably from Digby Regional High School in recognition of financial need.

Margaret Anne Gidney grew up in Sandy Cove, NS and obtained her BSc and MSc (Biology) at Acadia University. She joined the Institute of Biological Sciences of the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, initially studying mercury contamination of fish in the Ottawa River. She then set up and ran a laboratory to develop monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in a group researching lipopolysaccharide (LPS) bacterial surface antigens. She developed l'vlAbs which are widely used in methods for rapid detection of the enteropathogenic bacterium Escherichia coli. 0157:H7 and for LPS epitopes of Neisseria meningitidis. The latter further developed a conjugate vaccine for Meningitis C that became a vaccine particularly suitable and effective for infants -after two years the disease was virtually wiped out across Great Britain. Margaret Anne retired from NRC in 2006 and died in 2015.

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Millicent (Forsyth-Smith) Rice Women’s Basketball Award

Award | Eligibility: Athletics, Nova Scotia

Established in 2020 by the family of Millicent Forsyth-Smith Rice. The award will be presented to a returning student-athlete who is a member of the women’s basketball program. Preference will be given to a Nova Scotia born student-athlete. The recipient shall be passionate about community, possess strong leadership qualities and be in good academic standing.

The recipient will be recommended by the Director of Athletics in consultation with the head coach of the women’s basketball program.

The Millicent (Forsyth-Smith) Rice Women’s Basketball Award was created to recognize the impact Millicent Forsyth-Smith Rice (’43) made during her time as a member of the Acadia Women’s Basketball program. A graduate of Wolfville High, Forsyth-Smith Rice coached the High School basketball team as a student-athlete. At Acadia, she was captain of the women’s team. Millicent was 98 years of age at the time of her passing in 2019 and was the first of three generations that attended and graduated from Acadia University.

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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