Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)

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The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) scholarship was announced by Prime Minister Harper during the Summit of the Americas in April, 2009. The goal of this scholarship program is to support the development of human capital and promote a next generation of Leaders in the Americas while strengthening linkages between post-secondary institutions in the regions and those in Canada.

Structure

The ELAP scholarships are facilitated through institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between Canadian and regional institutions. These agreements, the Graduate Student Exchange Program (GSEP) and the College and Undergraduate Student Exchange Program (CUSEP) are created between colleges, technical or vocation institutions and universities. Scholarship recipients remain registered as full time students in their home institution during this exchange.

Description

• College and Undergraduate Student Exchanges (CUSEP) are hosted by Canadian institutions for a period of four months and provide $7,500 to cover transportation, living and other related expenses during the student’s stay in Canada. Exception: Where agreements between the post-secondary institutions warrant, CARICOM college and undergraduate student exchanges may be awarded for an academic year (i.e. two semesters).
• Graduate Student Exchanges (GSEP) are hosted by Canadian institutions for a period of five or six months and provide up to $10,000 to cover transportation, living and other related expenses during the students’ stay in Canada. The ELAP will offer a study tour component to selected graduate students in key priority areas to expose them to Canadian models of governance, business and civil society.

Student application process

Students interested in this scholarship program should contact their home institution to make their interest known, and to find out if there is an institutional collaboration or exchange agreement with a Canadian institution. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) provides a database of international exchange agreementswhich, while not exhaustive, does provide a list of some existing agreements.

For college and university undergraduate exchanges, an agreement must be in place. The student’s professor/institution should contact the Canadian counterpart and arrange for the Canadian institution to submit an application on the student’s behalf.

Undergraduate students should initiate the process for transfer of credit with their home institution as soon as their Canadian courses have been identified.

At the graduate level, an exchange agreement is desirable. However, where no agreement yet exists, research applications by students which may result in a new collaboration between professors from a Canadian and foreign university will be considered.

Candidates must apply for Study Permit (for course work) or a Work Permit (for research) in order to ensure a smooth entry at the Canadian border and to receive the funds.

Interested students may also wish to contact alumni of the program through their home institution for advice and a local perspective on the experience.

Additional questions can be emailed to scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca

Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)