Bursaries for Grade 12 Students Pursuing Studies Toward a Career in Law

1. To apply for a bursary, fill out the Bursary Application Form. Student applications are due on 29 May 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. You will need to include:
   • Your basic contact information
   • Some information about how you plan to pay for college or university
   • A 250 word essay on why you should receive this award
   • The name and email address of a teacher, principal, or guidance counselor who will give you an Academic Reference
   • Only complete applications will be considered. We recommend using your personal email when applying, as often you may lose access to your school email after graduation.
2. You can prepare several parts of your application in advance:
   • Find someone to be your academic reference. This person can be your teacher, principal, guidance counselor, supervisor, or mentor who can confirm that you are eligible for this bursary. They should be aware of your grades, whether you are active in the school community, and whether you are interested in law and justice.
   • Write a short essay (250 words max) on why you should be considered for this bursary. In this essay, you should also include the justice sector career you are interested in pursuing and demonstrate how your post-secondary program will help you achieve this goal. As there are many pathways to a career in law, we are open to consider various post-secondary programs. The important thing is for you to articulate why you are interested in a career in the justice sector, and how your post-secondary program will support that. For example, many applicants are entering a program with a social justice or government focus, in which understanding the law is a professional benefit. Sociology, political science, equity studies, psychology are also common majors.
     IMPORTANT: By applying for this bursary, you attest that you are submitting an original essay without the use of generative AI.
3. Please contact your academic reference and ensure that they fill in your reference form by May 31, 2026. Your reference form is necessary for you to remain eligible for a bursary.

Only final recipients will be contacted in Mid-August. We thank you for your interest in the program and we wish you the best of luck with the rest of your studies.

The bursary committees will make their decisions in July. They will contact the winners directly in mid-August. All winners will be required to submit proof that they are enrolled in a justice-related program at a college or university.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to the bursary@ojen.ca.

“22 students awarded justice education bursaries in 2024,” 2024.

“The 2023 bursary program: another successful year,” 2023.

“2021 Bursaries for Students Beginning Studies Toward Justice Sector Careers,” 2021.

“22 Students Receive Bursaries toward a Career in Justice,” 2019.

“Lombardy student’s initiative, tenacity earn justice bursary,” 2019.

“Twenty Bursaries Given to Ontario High School Graduates,” 2018.