Tuition Assistance & Bursary Benefit

As a community, McMaster is dedicated to the pursuit of life-long learning. The Tuition Assistance and Bursary Benefits are an expression of that dedication and emphasize the University’s commitment to the well-being of its employees, retirees, and their families.

For any inquiries, please contact hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca

education puzzle pieces

Overview

The following Tuition Assistance and Bursary benefits are intended to help active employees, retirees, and their spouses/dependents achieve their professional potential through academic credit education. These benefits are not intended for personal interest training.

There are other benefits available to employees who wish to pursue other training and development opportunities associated with their career. Review one of the following policies for more information or review our learning and development webpage for more options.

 

Related Policies:

Tuition Assistance for Active Employees

Eligibility (refer to the Tuition Assistance Policy for Employees for more information)

Employees are eligible for Tuition Assistance provided they are employed:

  1. On a continuing or contractually limited appointment of at least one year; OR,
  2. Under the terms of a Collective Agreement, written contract or employment contract which specifically extends the Tuition Assistance benefit to employees.

For the 2025/2026 academic year, the total Tuition Assistance benefit maximum is $3,573.18. (This amount remains unchanged from 2024/2025.) The maximum amount applies to all internal and external assistance combined.

Click on the program type below to learn what courses are eligible for assistance and how to apply:

Instructions for McMaster University undergraduate and graduate degree credit courses

Submit your application online through Mosaic using the AwardSpring tile or login to https://mcmaster.awardspring.ca using your MacID and password. To be able to login, you must be a student in a financial aid eligible program and term active (i.e. eligible to enroll) in either the current fall, winter, or spring/summer term.

TIMELINES:

Benefit applications for Fall 2025/Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2026 will open on AUGUST 11, 2025 and will close on July 12, 2026. Applications for previous years are now closed.

AwardSpring Instructions

Once you are in AwardSpring, the employee/student needs to complete the common application. The answers from the common application are used to qualify students to specific opportunities in AwardSpring. If the student has not completed the common application, a progress bar will show on their dashboard with a direct link to the application. The student can re-visit the common application to change their answers any time, provided there are still scholarships open in the system. The common application has 6 sections for the student to complete/review and for the purposes of the Tuition Assistance benefit opportunities, the related question from the ‘Application Tips & Personal Information’ section are the most relevant; if all answers are ‘No’, the student will see no Tuition Assistance opportunities.

Once the student completes the common application, they are eligible to apply for scholarships. They can see the scholarships that they are eligible for on their dashboard. Only scholarships that are currently open (as per the application period start date in the configuration) will display to a student on their dashboard. Click on the ‘Complete Follow-Up’ button on the associated opportunity in their dashboard.

NOTE: There are two opportunities available for the Tuition Assistance Employee benefit and they are open from August 11 of the academic year to July 12 of the following year. All applications for the appropriate semester must be made by these deadline dates using the appropriate opportunity:

    • Fall/Winter Employee Tuition Assistance
    • Spring/Summer Employee Tuition Assistance 

Once the student completes the additional requirements, they are able to submit the application. On the left-hand menu, students can click the ‘Scholarships’ box to view the status of their applications; for example, filtering on ‘Applied’ will show them a list of all applications they have successfully submitted. Students may also filter on ‘Awarded’ to see if any of their tuition benefit applications have been processed and will receive an email confirmation.

Once the AwardSpring application has been approved, Accounts Receivable will add a tuition waiver to the student’s account, reducing the amount of tuition assessed. There is no direct payment to the student. Students are encouraged to review their student account via Mosaic, especially the ‘Payments’ section where these waivers are displayed. Also keep in mind that tuition waivers do not cover supplementary fees or other miscellaneous charges. Those fees are the responsibility of the student to pay.

Need more help with navigating AwardSpring? Read more about “How to Apply” and/or submit an AwardSpring inquiry.

Instructions for McMaster University certificate or diploma courses

Eligible course offerings:

How to Apply:

NOTE: completing the form does not enroll you into the course and employees are strongly encouraged to verify if their course will be funded before applying/registering for the course.

Instructions for a Non-McMaster undergraduate/graduate degree credit program, diploma, academic certificate, or Professional Certifications/Designation

Employees can enroll in eligible non-McMaster University courses/programs offered by other accredited institutions and have eligible Tuition fees reimbursed to them.

Timeline 

  • Applications for tuition assistance are to be submitted within the academic year (September 1 – August 31) the course(s)/program takes place.
  • The course/program start date determines the academic year for application submission.
  • Approved expense claims must be submitted no later than the end of the academic year in which it was taken.

Course/Program Eligibility: 

  • Academic courses/programs must be taken from an accredited (credit-issuing) educational institution (Canadian Universities, Canadian Colleges, International Universities)
  • Courses must be a minimum of 18 hours in length.
  • Conferences, seminars, workshops, or certificates of completion/attendance are NOT eligible.
  • Prep courses and Exam costs are NOT eligible.

In addition to the above, and policy requirements, the criteria below under the applicable (3) categories must also be met to confirm eligibility.

  1. Academic Degrees and Diplomas
    Undergraduate degrees credit course(s) / Graduate degree credit course(s)  / Graduate diploma / College diploma / Continuing education diploma
    • Graduate Diplomas must be a minimum of four, 3 units (half) courses as verified by the external accredited educational institution.
    • Graduate Academic Certificates must include academic credit courses equivalent to at least two, three-unit (half) graduate courses as verified by the external accredited educational institution.
    • Continuing Education Diplomas must be the equivalent to 24 units of Undergraduate study as verified by the external accredited educational institution.
  1. Academic Certificates
    • Academic Certificates must be a minimum of 9 credits/units as verified by the external accredited educational institution.
  1. Professional Certifications/Designations
    Non-Academic courses taken in pursuit of a Professional Certification or Designation, as approved by Human Resources, taken from a professional body (e.g. CPA Ontario, Ontario Public Buyers Association, etc.)
    • Requirements:
      • Intention to obtain the full certification or designation
      • Structured coursework, modules or in-depth coaching / project work OR years of professional experience transferred
      • Also meets two of the following criteria: continuing education required for maintaining the designation/certification, exam component, credentials obtained, or directly related to the employee’s current position

How to Apply:

    • Proof of Enrollment (e.g. Letter of enrollment, confirmation of enrollment e-mail)
    • Proof of Cost (e.g. Invoice with complete breakdown of all tuition and student/administration fees)
    • Proof of Payment (e.g. Payment receipt, payment included on invoice)
  • Upon approval, HR will send the approved application to the Employee via e-mail with detailed instructions for the Employee on how they process the reimbursement request.

Please Note: The tuition assistance application form does not enroll you into the course/program and employees are encouraged to verify if their course will be funded before applying/registering for the course.

Resources:

Tuition Bursary for Dependants & Spouses

Employee Eligibility (please refer to Dependant Bursary Policy for more information and for details about Dependant Eligibility)

  1. Employees on a full-time continuing basis or on a contractually limited basis and who work at least
    one-half the normal full-time hours AND who have completed at least 3 years of continuous service with the University by the first day of the
    Academic Session for which the bursary is being applied; OR,
  2. FHS Clinical Part Time Faculty who have held an appointment for at least 3 consecutive years and who have provided a minimum of 270 hours of educational contributions each year are eligible to apply for the dependent bursary. Faculty members need to confirm eligibility before applying via AwardSpring. Please review the Health Science Faculty Relations (Scroll down > Benefits/Resources > Tuition Bursary for Dependants) webpage for more information.

In addition, the External Bursary Eligible Employee Group is:

  • McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA), provided the Employee is eligible to participate in the Career Progress / Merit program;
  • Senior Administrative Leaders (SAL); or
  • The Management Group (TMG)

Click on the program type below to learn about eligible amounts and how to apply:

For McMaster University Undergraduate or Graduate Degree Courses in 2025/2026, the Tuition Bursary benefit maximum per academic term is $2,325.00 (per unit equivalent is $155.00 on a maximum of 15 units). (This amount remains unchanged from 2024/2025.)

NOTE: The McMaster/Mohawk and McMaster/Conestoga Nursing degrees are managed using the non-McMaster process described in the tab below.

How to Apply

The student (not employee) submits their application online through Mosaic using the AwardSpring tile or login to https://mcmaster.awardspring.ca using their MacID and password. To be able to login, the applicant must be a student in a financial aid eligible program and term active (i.e. eligible to enroll) in either the current fall, winter, or spring/summer term. NOTE: for students of FHS Clinical Part Time Faculty, follow the submission process outlined on the Health Science Faculty Relations webpage before applying via AwardSpring.

TIMELINES:

Benefit applications for Fall 2025/Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2026 will open on AUGUST 11, 2025 and will close on July 12, 2026. Applications for previous years are now closed.

AwardSpring Instructions

Once you are in AwardSpring, the student needs to complete the common application. The answers from the common application are used to qualify students to specific opportunities in AwardSpring. If the student has not completed the common application, a progress bar will show on their dashboard with a direct link to the application. The student can re-visit the common application to change their answers any time, provided there are still scholarships open in the system. The common application has 6 sections for the student to complete/review and for the purposes of the Tuition Assistance benefit opportunities, the related question from the ‘Application Tips & Personal Information’ section are the most relevant; if all answers are ‘No’, the student will see no Tuition Assistance opportunities.

Once the student completes the common application, they are eligible to apply for scholarships. They can see the scholarships that they are eligible for on their dashboard. Only scholarships that are currently open (as per the application period start date in the configuration) will display to a student on their dashboard. Click on the ‘Complete Follow-Up’ button on the associated opportunity in their dashboard.

NOTE: There are two opportunities available for the Tuition Assistance Employee benefit and they are open from August 11 of the academic year to July 12 of the following year. All applications for the appropriate semester must be made by these deadline dates using the appropriate opportunity:

    • Fall/Winter Dependent/Spouse Tuition Bursary
    • Spring/Summer Dependent/Spouse Tuition Bursary

Once the student completes the additional requirements, they are able to submit the application. On the left-hand menu, students can click the ‘Scholarships’ box to view the status of their applications; for example, filtering on ‘Applied’ will show them a list of all applications they have successfully submitted. Students may also filter on ‘Awarded’ to see if any of their tuition benefit applications have been processed and will receive an email confirmation.

Once the AwardSpring application has been approved, Accounts Receivable will add a tuition waiver to the student’s account, reducing the amount of tuition assessed. There is no direct payment to the student. Students are encouraged to review their student account via Mosaic, especially the ‘Payments’ section where these waivers are displayed. Also keep in mind that tuition waivers do not cover supplementary fees or other miscellaneous charges. Those fees are the responsibility of the student to pay.

Need more help with navigating AwardSpring? Read more about “How to Apply” and/or submit an AwardSpring inquiry.

Dependents and spouses of the External Bursary Eligible Employee Group (as defined above) can also apply for a bursary benefit for the following non-McMaster programs. This bursary benefit is calculated and paid out annually based on a fixed pool among students of eligible MUFA, TMG & SAL employees.

Eligible institutions include undergraduate and graduate degree programs and college diploma programs from both accredited Canadian universities and colleges and international institutions that are evaluated by Human Resources Services and the Office of the Registrar for equivalency to McMaster University (i.e., eligible to obtain federal tuition tax credit). NOTE: The McMaster/Mohawk and McMaster/Conestoga Nursing degrees are included in this process.

Review this updated FAQ document for additional information. (Updated as of March 25, 2024).

How to Apply

The employee submits the application using the “External Tuition Bursary” tile in Mosaic Employee Self Service. Further details on how to apply can be found in this user guide. 

TIMELINES:

  • Application deadline for submission is September 30th following the academic year (i.e. September 30th, 2026 is the deadline for the 2025/2026 academic year).
  • Applications for the 2025/2026 academic year will open January 2026 (i.e., courses completed between September 2025 and August 2026) for payout Fall 2026.

Quick link for the Tuition Bursary Program for Dependants & Spouses Declaration of Consent Form

 

Tuition Assistance for Retirees

Retirees of the University are eligible for tuition assistance for eligible courses offered through McMaster University only. Refer to the Tuition Assistance Policy for Retirees for more information. Retirees wanting to register in Graduate or Undergraduate degree, certificate or diploma courses should seek advice from the appropriate program administrator or academic advisor.

For the 2025/2026 academic year, the Tuition Assistance benefit maximum is $3,573.18. (This amount remains unchanged from 2024/2025.)

NOTE: If you are 65 years of age or over, subject to meeting admissions and prerequisite requirements, you may enroll in undergraduate courses for credit without payment of tuition and supplementary fees. The required full-time application fee must be paid and must accompany the appropriate application to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre.

There are also several other learning opportunities available to older adults at McMaster.​ Read more here.

Click on the program type below to learn how to apply:

Submit your tuition assistance application online through Mosaic using the Financial Aid & Awards “AwardSpring” tile or login to https://mcmaster.awardspring.ca using your MacID and password. To be able to login, you must be a student in a financial aid eligible program and term active (i.e. eligible to enroll) in either the current fall, winter, or spring/summer term.

TIMELINES: Benefit applications for Fall 2025/Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2026 will open on AUGUST 11, 2025 and will close on July 12, 2026. Applications for previous years are now closed.

AwardSpring Instructions

Once you are in AwardSpring, the retiree/student needs to complete the common application. The answers from the common application are used to qualify students to specific opportunities in AwardSpring. If the student has not completed the common application, a progress bar will show on their dashboard with a direct link to the application. The student can re-visit the common application to change their answers any time, provided there are still scholarships open in the system. The common application has 6 sections for the student to complete/review and for the purposes of the Tuition Assistance benefit opportunities, the related question from the ‘Application Tips & Personal Information’ section are the most relevant; if all answers are ‘No’, the student will see no Tuition Assistance opportunities.

Once the student completes the common application, they are eligible to apply for scholarships. They can see the scholarships that they are eligible for on their dashboard. Only scholarships that are currently open (as per the application period start date in the configuration) will display to a student on their dashboard. Click on the ‘Complete Follow-Up’ button on the associated opportunity in their dashboard.

NOTE: There are two opportunities available for the Tuition Assistance Employee benefit and they are open from August 11 of the academic year to July 12 of the following year. All applications for the appropriate semester must be made by these deadline dates using the appropriate opportunity:

    • Fall/Winter Retiree Tuition Assistance
    • Spring/Summer Retiree Tuition Assistance

Once the student completes the additional requirements, they are able to submit the application. On the left-hand menu, students can click the ‘Scholarships’ box to view the status of their applications; for example, filtering on ‘Applied’ will show them a list of all applications they have successfully submitted. Students may also filter on ‘Awarded’ to see if any of their tuition benefit applications have been processed and will receive an email confirmation.

Need more help with navigating AwardSpring? Read more about “How to Apply” and/or submit an AwardSpring inquiry.

To apply for McMaster Continuing Education academic certificate or diploma courses, complete and submit this continuing education tuition assistance application within the academic year of the course taken and send it to hr.mcmaster@mcmaster.ca.

NOTE: only “academic” certificates and diplomas are eligible for tuition assistance. If you’re unsure about the program you’re interested in, please check the current list of eligible programs to confirm inclusion in the program before submitting your tuition assistance application. Review this page to explore the differences between certificates of completion, certificate and diploma programs.