The Loran Award combines four years of funding with a tuition waiver, summer programs and mentorship. Applications for the 2027 class open September 9, 2026 and close October 15, 2026 at noon Eastern, which is roughly five weeks, in the first six weeks of Grade 12.
What it is worth
Loran publishes the award as approximately $150,000 over four years of undergraduate study. It comes as four separate things.
- A $12,000 annual stipend, paid to you.
- A full tuition waiver each year, tenable at one of Loran's partner universities.
- Up to $14,000 for the summer experiential learning program.
- One-on-one mentorship from a business or community leader, plus scholar gatherings.
The tuition waiver is the part with a condition attached. It applies at a partner university, so the award is worth the headline figure only if you enrol at one of them. Check the partner list before you build your university shortlist around it, not after.
Who can apply
Loran publishes three requirements for the high school stream.
- An 88% minimum cumulative average. Loran calculates it from Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses only.
- Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status.
- Entering university for the first time in September 2027, and born between January 1, 2005 and September 1, 2011.
CEGEP students apply on a separate track with an R score of 29 or higher. If your average is between 86% and 88% (or an R score of 28 to 29) and significant barriers affected your marks, Loran says you can still request consideration, so ask the foundation before ruling yourself out. Everything past those bars is judged on character, service and leadership, and that record cannot be built in five weeks.
Two mistakes about the 88%
Two mistakes happen around that number, in opposite directions. The first is assuming a 90% average makes you a strong candidate. It does not. It makes you eligible. Loran states plainly that it looks beyond grades, at a long, specific record of doing something for other people.
The second is at 86 or 87%, where some students apply on a guess, or rule themselves out without checking how Loran counts. Because the average is drawn from Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses only, your Grade 9 marks are irrelevant and a weak Grade 10 is worth recalculating rather than guessing at. Do that arithmetic before you decide.
How selection runs
It is a long process, and knowing the shape of it helps you judge whether the five weeks are worth spending.
- October to December. Applications are read and semi-finalists are notified.
- December to February. Semi-final interviews, held online by videoconference.
- February 18 to 21, 2027. 90 finalists are flown to Toronto for National Selections interviews.
- March. The final class is announced.
The application itself goes in directly at apply.loranscholar.ca and asks for short answers, several short essays, two videos (unlocked after you submit the written part) and one reference, so read the reference letter guide now rather than in the last week. Three weeks of notice is the minimum a good referee needs.
Finalist and provincial awards
Loran grants two tiers of consolation award that are real money.
- Up to 54 Loran Finalists receive $6,000 each.
- Up to 70 Provincial and Territorial Award recipients receive $3,000 each.
So the pool of students who get something is more than a hundred wider than the pool who become Loran Scholars. That is the reason to apply even if you doubt you will win the top prize.
What to do this week
- Recalculate your average using Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses only. If it clears 88%, you are eligible.
- Ask your referee now. Give them the page describing what Loran rewards, the October 15 deadline, and three specific things they watched you do.
- Write down your service record with dates and hours before you open the form. Loran is looking for sustained commitment, and it is easier to write down now than on October 14.
Keep the rest of the fall
Loran draws thousands of applicants for a few dozen awards. Give it the five weeks and no more. The Grade 12 timeline sets out what closes when, and local awards in your own city take less work and draw from far fewer students. Apply to Loran because the finalist prizes are real, then apply to those.
Dates, amounts and eligibility here are taken from loranscholar.ca and were checked on September 1, 2026. Loran is the authority on its own award, so confirm anything that matters against its How to Apply page before you rely on it.