Lester B. Pearson Scholarship
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarships at the University of Toronto provide an unparalleled opportunity for outstanding international students to study at one of the world’s best universities in one of the world’s most multicultural cities.
Awarded annually, this is U of T’s most prestigious and competitive scholarship for international students from around the world, including international students studying at Canadian high schools. The scholarship program is intended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and creativity, and who are recognized as leaders within their school, emphasizing their future potential to contribute positively to the global community.
The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship applications are managed by Enrollment Services and all questions should be directed to pearson.scholarship@utoronto.ca. For details of how to apply to this scholarship, please visit: future.utoronto.ca/pearson/about/
The Program
The Pearson Program Office housed within the Centre for International Experience (CIE) offers different enrichment and support programs for Pearson Scholars currently studying at U of T.
Pearson Welcome Events
In September every year, a series of events are organized to welcome incoming Year 1 Pearson Scholars to U of T.
These events include:
- a Pearson Orientation,
- a team building activity, as well as
- a Pearson Welcome Reception attended by the U of T President.
One-on-One Check-in Meetings
The Pearson Program Office advises all Pearson Scholars at U of T throughout their enrolment. Each Pearson Scholar is also assigned to an advisor on their campus of study for their four years at U of T.
The Pearson Advisors conduct one-on-one check-in meetings with all Pearson Scholars each semester to support their plans at U of T and to help them navigate different resources on campus.
Pearson Peer Mentorship Program
Year 1 Pearson Scholars are assigned upper-year Pearson Scholars as their mentors.
Peer Mentors meet regularly with their Peer Mentees during the scholars’ first year at U of T and share their own experiences of the first year transition with their Mentees.
Pearson Faculty Mentorship Program
In their second year of study at U of T, each Pearson Scholar is matched with a U of T Faculty Mentor.
Faculty Mentors are able to advise Pearson Scholars on their academic plan as well as other opportunities on and off campus.
Pearson Enrichment Activities
The Pearson Program Office organizes Enrichment Activities on different themes such as Leadership, Career Exploration, Alumni Networking, Graduate School Applications, Entrepreneurship etc. to support the development of the Pearson Scholars.
The Pearson Social Committee, consisting of 9 Pearson Scholars, also plan monthly social events for the Pearson Community.
Pearson Leadership and Enrichment Certificate
The Pearson Leadership and Enrichment Certificate Program is created to record all extracurricular activities that each Pearson Scholar has participated in during their four years at U of T.
Pearson Scholars who have completed all requirements of the program will be awarded the Enrichment Certificate at the end of their four years at U of T.
Current Pearson Scholars
The profiles of the Pearson Scholars studying at the University of Toronto can be found here:
Scholar Stories
NIHARIKA BURUGAPALLI
2020 Pearson Scholar
UTSG campus
Niharika came up with the idea of teaching guided painting sessions to deepen the impact she could make by just spreading her passion for visual art. By teaching art to seniors who may not have painted since their school days, she hopes to demonstrate that it’s never too late to learn something new, challenging ageism and combating society’s negative perception of the elderly. Seeing the healing and joy that she was able to spread in nursing homes and hospitals by simply sharing her love for art, Niharika realized that this was a very novel and fulfilling approach to volunteering that she strongly felt other students should experience. She believes that anyone can positively impact the community around them by integrating their personal talents and hobbies into helping others.
This is the link for the TEDx talk.
Andi Darell Alhakim
2018 Pearson Scholar
UTM campus
Andi Darell Alhakim is a fourth-year Pearson Scholar reading politics, socio-legal philosophy, and transnational studies. Within the Urban Leaders Fellowship, which awards funding for community-based urban projects advancing sustainable development, Andi Darell utilised GIS spatial tools to study the alignment between evictions and their policy rationales of flood mitigation in a Southeast Asian capital. The project, titled “The Disappearing Face of Compassion: Legacy of Forced Evictions of Urban Riverbank Slums,” now extends through Rekonsep, a local initiative he co-founded with engineering students from Penn State and Bandung Institute of Technology, as an interdisciplinary hub that communicates human stories impacted by urban relocation through mapping and visualisation pieces. Andi Darell’s symposium, presentation, profile interview, and project report are accessible online.
Rohan Chadha
2019 Pearson Scholar
UTSC campus
Rohan is a 3rd-year student specializing in Quantitative Finance and Statistics at UofT. He is highly involved in the student community having held several positions such as Student Ambassador, Teaching Assistant and several clubs positions. During the pandemic, he also founded a campus club called ‘Sustainable Innovation Group’ or ‘SIG.’ His vision is to provide a collaborative environment for youth to create meaningful social change across the UofT community. Rohan started SIG from a collective realization of the importance of sustainability in our business ecosystem. Through his club, students are given the opportunity to learn about relevant topics such as Sustainable Financing, Social Entrepreneurship, CSR and much more. SIG has also created an online portal for the UofT community to access sustainability-related articles, job postings, volunteer opportunities and seed funding competitions in one comprehensive platform. Rohan hopes to bring a positive impact by making today’s students embrace sustainability to become tomorrow’s responsible business leaders.
Learn more about SIG here.
Maansi Suri
2021 Pearson Scholar
UTSG campus
Maansi is one of the 20 student winners of this year’s Cansbridge Fellowship, which provides its fellows with a holistic experience, consisting of 3 parts: a one-week bootcamp in Silicon Valley (British Columbia this year), a $10,000 stipend to pursue an internship in Asia, and a life-long network of Cansbridge fellows.
Angad Arneja
2018 Pearson Scholar
UTSG campus
Pearson Scholar, Angad Arneja, is a Rotman Commerce Program graduate. He is a Co-Founder at WOMBO, which is the fastest growing consumer app in Canadian history with 60 million+ downloads within 4 months of launch.
WOMBO recently raised a $6-million seed round and proud to have investors, such as Ashton Kutcher supporting the company. More about WOMBO can be found here The Globe and Mail, The Verge, The Guardian, Bloomberg and Business Insider.
“Studying at UofT was critical to my entrepreneurial success. This is because UofT is a great place to meet intelligent ambitious students from diverse backgrounds. While at Trinity College, I made several friends who I collaborated with on podcasts, apps and websites. WOMBO was one of these projects. I am incredibly grateful to UofT for giving me the chance to study in Toronto as a Lester B. Pearson Scholar.
SCholar Testimonials
Upcoming event: Annual Pearson Conference 2023
Sign up here.
CELEBRATING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF PEARSON SCHOLARS (SUMMER 2022)
U of T honours the second cohort of Lester B. Pearson International Scholars to complete their studies.
The second cohort of Lester B. Pearson International Scholars to graduate from the University of Toronto was celebrated at a June 14 reception at the Faculty Club. Pearson Scholars hold the University’s most prestigious and competitive international scholarships, awarded each year to outstanding students from around the world.
To read about the event, please click here.
Welcoming the 2021 Lester B. Pearson Scholars to the University (Fall 2021)
The Pearson Program Office recently held a recent virtual reception that welcomed the 36 scholarship recipients to the university.
U of T President Meric Gertler said the event has become a highlight since the “Pearson scholars embody so clearly the distinctive strengths and values” of the university.
The scholarships are considered U of T’s most prestigious and competitive scholarship for international students – awarded to those who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and who are recognized as leaders within their high school. This year’s recipients were chosen from a total of 1,761 applicants.
To read about the event, please click here.
Celebrating the First ANnual Pearson Conference (Fall 2021)
