FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Scholarship Overview
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. See this overview of eligible programs.
McCall MacBain Scholarship applicants must apply separately and be admitted to their desired graduate program(s) at McGill. Visit the McGill Graduate Admissions website to review program requirements.
Eligibility
To be eligible in 2024, you must meet ONE of the following criteria:
- You are a current student on track to earn your first bachelor’s degree by August 2025
- You earned your first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2019 or later)
- You earned your first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago, and are 30 years or younger at any point in 2024
You will need to meet the minimum degree and language requirements for McGill master’s program admission. Contact McGill Graduate Admissions if you have questions about the university’s minimum requirements for admission.
In general, no. Current students and recent graduates of any age are welcome to apply.
To be eligible, you must meet ONE of the following criteria:
- You are a current student on track to earn your first bachelor’s degree by August 2025
- You earned your first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2019 or later)
- You earned your first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago, and are 30 years or younger at any point in 2024
Yes, you are eligible to apply for the 2025 cohort.
Yes. For eligibility, what matters is the date you earned or will earn a bachelor’s degree for the first time.
Applicants must meet the GPA (and other) requirements of their desired program at McGill.
You must apply separately and be admitted to an eligible graduate program at McGill University. You should review your desired program’s admission requirements, including but not limited to GPA, well in advance.
Keep in mind that one of the five selection criteria for the scholarships is “academic strength and intellectual curiosity”. We will look for evidence of this throughout your application, including transcripts.
The measure of academic strength is not limited to a narrow focus on GPA. While GPA is important, we are interested in the fit with your proposed graduate program, as well as the breadth and difficulty of the courses taken alongside your other commitments. Of course, we recognize that some programs offer more opportunity for breadth than others.
Yes, but you must apply for a full-time eligible graduate program at McGill. Award recipients must pursue their studies full-time.
You may apply if you are currently enrolled in a graduate program, but intend to start a new eligible graduate program in the following year.
This scholarship is for students who intend to start an eligible graduate program in the following year.
Yes, as long as you plan to apply for an eligible McGill graduate program that starts the following year. Like all applicants, you will be asked to show in your application how the proposed program will help lay the foundation for your long-term goals and aspirations.
Absolutely. Most people will apply for the scholarship before they apply to a graduate program at McGill. It will be necessary to apply by the program’s deadline, or in December at the latest if you are selected for final interviews.
Yes, you can apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarships in 2024 if you have been admitted to an eligible McGill program and deferred enrolment to Summer / Fall 2025.
In most cases, yes, assuming you still meet the eligibility criteria and you update and resubmit your application.
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.
These candidates may not re-apply in future years. Other candidates, including those who declined a Regional Award in a previous year, may re-apply once more.
Application Process
The McCall MacBain Scholarship deadline is 12-15 months before the start of your program at McGill. Most people will therefore apply for the scholarship before they apply to a graduate program at McGill.
After you apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarship, you will need to apply to your intended McGill programs. You will need to apply to McGill by the program’s deadline, or by December at the latest if you are selected for McCall MacBain Scholarship final interviews.
Please attend an information session. The application for our 2025 cohort will be available as of June 1, 2024.
Current students and recent graduates (those who graduated in 2022, 2023, or 2024) must be endorsed by their university.
Canadian universities, American universities, and the participating universities abroad are invited to endorse multiple candidates for this scholarship. 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). For more details, please attend an information session.
Alumni who graduated in 2021 or earlier do not require a university endorsement.
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.
No. All current students and recent graduates (those who graduated in 2022, 2023, or 2024) must be endorsed by their university.
Alumni who graduated in 2021 or earlier do not require a university endorsement.
Reference Forms
As part of your scholarship application, you will need to ask two people to submit reference forms. These reference forms must be completed by your reference writers before the application deadline:
- One academic* reference from someone who knows your academic work well
- One community reference from someone who knows your community involvement well
Please ask people who know you well. A good reference provides concrete examples to help us better understand you, how you meet the selection criteria, current areas of improvement, and how your proposed studies might benefit your continued growth.
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. Once you have added their information and clicked “Send to Recommender,” your reference writers will receive an email from [email protected]. The email contains a unique link to access the reference form in our online system.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your reference completes the online form by the application deadline; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete. If you submit your application early, you may check the status of your references on the Status Page.
References may not be submitted via email, mail, or any other means. References are only received via the online form.
Please ensure you entered the email correctly, and ask your reference writer to check their junk mail folder.
To change an active request, click on the request and press the Exclude button. You can then send a new request.
Transcripts and 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 are welcome to 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. Ensure you know your intended program’s admission requirements, and contact McGill Graduate Admissions or the relevant program contact for specific questions.
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. The test score is not required when you submit your scholarship application, given the early scholarship application deadline.
You will need to upload an unofficial transcript as part of your online scholarship application. Unofficial transcripts are ones that are for student use, and they are typically available on your university’s student portal.
After Applying
No, McCall MacBain Scholarship offers cannot be deferred.
McCall MacBain Scholars are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standing, engage in meaningful service, and participate fully in the scholarship program. Scholars renew their scholarships annually.
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. For the 2024 application period, recipients will need to enrol for Summer / Fall 2025.
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. For the 2024 application period, recipients will need to enrol for Summer / Fall 2025.
No. You should apply for the McCall MacBain Scholarships if you are interested in eligible programs at McGill University.
Eligible Programs
Qualifying Year studies are not covered by this scholarship. However, you can apply around the start of your Qualifying Year. If selected as a McCall MacBain Scholar, you would join the cohort as you enter your intended master’s program.
- MSc, Psychology
- MA, Counselling Psychology
- MA, School/Applied Child Psychology
- MScA, Couple and Family Therapy
- MSc, Psychiatry (Mental Health)
- MSc, Integrated Program in Neuroscience
McGill University does not offer a master’s program in Clinical Psychology. Students interested in the PhD in Clinical Psychology are encouraged to consult the department’s guide to funding.
The McCall MacBain Scholarships enable students to pursue a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University, while connecting with mentors and participating in an intensive leadership development program.
The McCall MacBain Scholarship covers tuition and fees for an eligible master’s program or a second-entry professional undergraduate program at McGill as well as a living stipend of $2,000 CAD per month during academic terms. Scholars also participate in an intensive leadership development program, connect with mentors and advisors, and participate in a breadth of workshops and talks.
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. See this overview of eligible programs.
For questions about a specific program, please email [email protected].
McCall MacBain Scholarship applicants must apply separately and be admitted to their desired graduate program(s) at McGill. Please visit the McGill Graduate Admissions website to review program requirements.
For 2023 admission: Applicants must meet the minimum degree and language requirements for McGill master’s program admission. You must have a bachelor’s degree or its recognized equivalent, or be on track to complete it by August 2023.
Applicants must meet the GPA (and other) requirements of their desired program at McGill.
You must apply separately and be admitted to an eligible graduate program at McGill University. You should review your desired program’s admission requirements, including but not limited to GPA, well in advance.
Keep in mind that one of the five selection criteria for the scholarships is “academic strength and intellectual curiosity”. We will look for evidence of this throughout your application, including transcripts.
The measure of academic strength is not limited to a narrow focus on GPA. While GPA is important, we are interested in the fit with your proposed graduate program, as well as the breadth and difficulty of the courses taken alongside your other commitments. Of course, we recognize that some programs offer more opportunity for breadth than others.
Yes, but you must apply for a full-time eligible graduate program at McGill. Award recipients must pursue their studies full-time.
You may apply if you are currently enrolled in a graduate program, but you intend to start a new eligible graduate program in the following year.
This scholarship is for students who intend to start an eligible graduate program in the following year.
Yes. You will have to be applying to McGill for an eligible graduate program that starts the following year. Like all applicants, you will be asked to show in your application how the proposed program will help lay the foundation for your long-term goals and aspirations.
Absolutely. Most people will apply for the scholarship before they apply to a graduate program at McGill. It will be necessary to apply by the program’s deadline, or in December 2022 at the latest if you are selected for final interviews.
In most cases, yes, assuming you still meet the eligibility criteria and you update and resubmit your application.
There are two exceptions:
- Candidates who accepted a Regional Award in a previous year;
- Candidates who accepted an invitation to attend final interviews in a previous year.
These candidates may not re-apply in future years. Other candidates, including those who declined a Regional Award in a previous year, may re-apply.
Yes! You should consider all of the opportunities available to you.
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. Please email [email protected] if you have questions regarding the representative at a specific university.
No. Current students and recent graduates (those who graduated in 2021 or 2022) must be endorsed by their university.
Alumni who graduated in 2020 or earlier do not require a university endorsement.
Yes, McCall MacBain Scholars may accept up to $10,000 per year in additional merit-based funding. There is no limit to additional funding McCall MacBain Scholars may accept based on financial need.
- MSc, Psychology
- MA, Counselling Psychology
- MA, School/Applied Child Psychology
- MScA, Couple and Family Therapy
- MSc, Psychiatry (Mental Health)
- MSc, Integrated Program in Neuroscience
McGill University does not offer a master’s program in Clinical Psychology. Students interested in the PhD in Clinical Psychology are encouraged to consult the department’s guide to funding.