Indigenous student bursary program begins Fall 2024

The new bursary program will cover university tuition and living expenses, providing personalized financial support to Haudenosaunee and Mississauga students

A new bursary program for Indigenous students of Haudenosaunee and Mississauga ancestry has been launched this year at McMaster University. Eligible applicants can receive financial assistance starting in Fall 2024 for the 2024-2025 academic year. Students will be required to submit documentation to verify their Indigenous ancestry in accordance with the Indigenous ancestry verification guidelines.

The new bursary is named ionkhihahonnién:ni which translates to “they’re making a path for us” from the Mohawk language. It is intended to assist eligible Indigenous students with both tuition and cost of living expenses such as housing, transportation, food and childcare with the goal of making post-secondary education more accessible.

Chrissy Doolittle, the director of Indigenous Student Services and co-developer of the bursary program was interviewed by The Silhouette. She noted that they are currently assessing the financial needs of the first round of students and working towards disbursing the bursaries to those individuals. 

“There is quite a bit of misunderstanding out there about how federal funding works from band funding offices in that not all students receive funding and that funding does not cover their entire cost to come to post-secondary education. So we really wanted to make sure that we looked at this in a way that was meaningful and was going to make an impact on each student,” said Doolittle. 

The bursary aims to address the specific financial barriers Indigenous students face which stem from a history of oppression of Indigenous peoples. “For our Indigenous learners, tuition is just one part of those expenses and the other barriers to attending universities such as housing, transportation costs as well as some historical factors … and the impact of residential schools and the trauma that has come from that surrounding education. We knew that covering tuition wasn’t going to be enough,” said Doolittle. 

The program is open specifically to members of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga nations, the traditional territories and lands of which McMaster University is located on. Students that are band members of these nations are eligible to apply for the bursary even if they live elsewhere in Canada or internationally. “The Haudenosaunee and Mississauga nations actually span quite a wide area, including Western New York and Eastern Ontario. There are approximately 24 different communities that would be eligible,” said Doolittle. 

In addition to the bursary program, a new Indigenous Financial Aid Specialist role has been established within Indigenous Student Services.

Doolittle mentioned that the specialist will be responsible for administering the funding by first conducting an analysis of each student's financial needs, which will determine the amount that they will receive for the bursary.

“In the past … we’ve always been the middleman where we have been able to help direct students to Aids and Awards or help navigate Award Spring applications with them or help connect them to emergency supports … but having this position in-house allows us to actually help the student here … we can look at their financial picture and can determine how we can best help support them,” said Doolittle.

Through these initiatives, the ISS and McMaster hope to ensure that Indigenous students have the financial support and resources they need to be able to focus on their studies and goals and thrive academically. More information about the bursary can be found on the Aids and Awards page in the Office of Registrar.