IBD Scholarship

The AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program supports students living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis achieve their academic goals while making a lasting impact in their communities. 

Through an unrestricted educational grant by AbbVie, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada will award fifteen (15) one-time $5,000 CAD scholarships to support their education at a post-secondary institution for the upcoming fall semester. Students of all ages are welcome to apply, and the scholarship can be used for any Canadian post-secondary institution.

The AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program is a competitive bursary. Applying for the program does not guarantee funding for the upcoming year.

Applicants of any age are encouraged to apply and must be:

• A citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis by a health care professional
• Enrolled in or awaiting acceptance from a Canadian university, college, or trade school, seeking a diploma, associate, undergraduate, or graduate degree for the upcoming fall semester  
• A student who demonstrates academic aspiration and strives to sustain an optimal level of wellness, balancing their personal health and academic goals  

Past AbbVie IBD Scholarship recipients and employees of AbbVie or Crohn’s and Colitis Canada are not eligible to apply for future scholarships.

Yes. The scholarship is available to anyone entering a post-secondary educational institution in Canada in the fall of 2025 or who are currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution and will continue their studies this fall.

Yes. The scholarship is available for full or part-time studies at a Canadian post-secondary educational institution.

No. The scholarship funds can only be used at Canadian post-secondary educational institutions.

Applications for the 2025 scholarship program open on March 27, 2025. 

Apply now!

Applications must be submitted online through the application form—no mailed-in, e-mailed or faxed applications will be accepted. Please ensure you have all supporting documents scanned and ready to upload before beginning your application. 

Fifteen (15) one-time scholarships of $5,000 CAD will be awarded in 2025.

Applications are due by June 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications must be completed online and submitted by the deadline. The online application process may take between 40-60 minutes to complete, so please ensure you allow enough time to complete your application.

To ensure fairness, applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Please ensure you allow sufficient time to complete and submit your application. 

Each of the fifteen (15) scholarships awarded are valued at $5,000 CAD.

Scholarship recipients will be awarded $5,000 CAD to cover their and/or required educational materials. If a student’s tuition and required educational materials are less than $5,000 CAD, the scholarship will only cover the actual cost of tuition and/or required educational materials. Eligible educational expenses for the AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program include tuition, student fees, required educational materials and on-site residency.

Eligible educational expenses for the AbbVie IBD Scholarship Program include tuition, student fees, required educational materials and on-site residency.

Applications must be submitted online. 

Please prepare the following items prior to beginning the application process:

1. A fully completed and signed copy of the Proof of Diagnosis Form, scanned and ready to upload. This form must be completed by a health care professional who can confirm your diagnosis of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
2. A signed and dated Applicant Consent Form, scanned and ready to upload.
3. Two (2) letters of personal recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, school official, coach, mentor, health care provider, professional colleague or employer, scanned and ready to upload.
4. A 500-word (1 page) essay describing your commitment to maintaining wellness and inspiring others, ready to upload in a Word or PDF document. 

Please note that the file size of the above documents combined must not exceed 20MB. Check the size of your documents in advance to ensure you will not exceed this limit. Please also ensure you complete all required sections marked with an asterisk.
 

No. The AbbVie IBD Scholarship is a competitive bursary, and only fifteen (15) scholarships will be awarded in 2025.

Applicants are required to have their health care professional verify their condition in writing, by completing the Proof of Diagnosis Form. The selection committee will follow up with individual health care professionals as needed to confirm the diagnosis. 

Scholarship recipients will be notified in the summer/fall of 2025. All recipients will receive a phone call and a confirmation letter by email. 

Applicants not selected will receive an email in the summer/fall of 2025.

An independent selection committee of leading gastroenterologists, community partners and patient representatives from across Canada will select the scholarship recipients. 

Applications will be assessed based on two (2) letters of personal recommendation and a 500-word (1 page) essay describing your commitment to sustaining an optimal level of wellness, balancing personal health and academic goals, and how you inspire your community to do the same.

The program is a partnership between Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and AbbVie, building on their shared interest in ensuring people living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis achieve their full potential in all facets of their lives. 

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@ibdscholarship.ca.