Inside the Pearson Application: What U of T Is Really Asking
Nominees get a private link, so U of T does not publish the questions. It does publish what it rewards — academics, creativity, leadership and global potential — and one rule that disqualifies people every year.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
Once your school nominates you, U of T emails you a private link to the Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship application. You can complete it only after you have submitted your U of T admission application, and it is due, with “all required documentation”, on 6 November 2026.
What U of T publishes — and what it does not
U of T does not post the Pearson questions, word limits or document list on its public pages. They appear only in the nominee’s private form. Blogs and forums reproduce past questions, but formats have changed between cycles, and nothing third-party should be treated as this year’s form. Read the live form as soon as the link arrives and plan from that.
What U of T does publish is the profile it wants. Across its Pearson page, international scholarships page and the Centre for International Experience, the description is consistent:
Your record matters, and your school’s nomination already signals you are at the top of it.
Original work: something you invented, built, wrote, designed or started rather than joined.
U of T highlights students “recognized as leaders within their school”.
What you are likely to do next, and why it matters beyond your own community.
Turn the criteria into evidence
Whatever the exact prompts, you will be asked to show those four qualities. Prepare raw material before the link arrives:
- Two or three anchor stories. Moments where you noticed a problem, did something about it and can name what changed. U of T’s own 2026 scholar profiles are full of specifics: a farm alarm prototype, pop-up clinics, a debate network across nine ASEAN countries.
- Numbers and outcomes. How many people, how much money raised, what result. Specifics beat adjectives.
- A clear academic direction. Why your top U of T program, and how it connects to what you have already done.
- Something creative. Creativity is a named criterion, not decoration. Think about where you made something new.
- A forward look. Pearson rewards “future potential”. Show what you want to build in the next ten years, without grand claims you cannot support.
U of T states that using “generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT and other AI applications, is prohibited when creating content for any University of Toronto undergraduate award application”. Nominees found to have used them “will be disqualified from award eligibility”. Do not use AI to draft, rewrite or polish your answers.
Writing it yourself, well
The AI rule makes your own voice an asset. A few practical habits:
- Draft by hand or in a plain document. Keep your drafts and notes; they show the work is yours.
- Answer the question asked. If the form asks about a challenge, do not paste in a leadership essay written for another university.
- Use first person and concrete verbs. “I organised”, “we trained 40 students”, not “I am passionate about”.
- Keep within word limits. They will be stated in the form; plan your stories to fit.
- Ask a teacher to read for clarity. Feedback is fine; rewriting by someone else is not your work.
Documents
How to apply →U of T says the 6 November deadline covers the scholarship application “and documentation”, but lists the specific documents only inside the form. Separately, your U of T admission file needs transcripts, English results and any supplementary application, listed in your Join U of T portal. Gather your most recent transcripts and any certificates for major achievements early, so you can upload whatever the form requests without a scramble.
Be accurate
When you apply to U of T you certify that everything you submit is “true, complete and correct”. Inflated roles or invented results can lead to an offer being rescinded. Write what you did, at the scale you did it. Selection committees read thousands of applications from strong students and are good at spotting exaggeration.