The Canada Merit Scholarship Foundation awards are the most prestigious scholarships for entering college students in Canada and are considered the undergraduate equivalent of the Rhodes Scholarship. Their national awards are awarded annually to the top 15-30 students in the country.
The program's awards are tenable at any university in Canada. Their selection criteria is as follows:
- 1,800 nominees come as sponsored candidates, with an endorsement from their school. Evaluations are made by 26 Area Committees in 21 centers from St. John's to Victoria, and then as many as 250 semifinalists are chosen for Area interviews.
- 2,200 candidates from across Canada come through the CMSF Direct Pool as self-nominated candidates. The 12-member National Assessment Panel sits during December and January and evaluates the application of each candidate. CMSF ensures that in the Direct Pool there is proportional regional representation from across the country.
- From the group of 72 finalists in Toronto, up to 30 are chosen as CMSF National Award recipients.
