Aboriginal Programs

The College of Medicine is committed to increasing the number of Aboriginal physicians in Canada and has developed programs to encourage and support students.  To date, 24 Aboriginal physicians have graduated from the U of S M.D. Program, and 20 students are currently enrolled in the 4-year undergraduate program.

Aboriginal Equity Program

10% of first-year spaces (9/84 seats for 2010 entry) are reserved for persons of Canadian Aboriginal descent with a preference for applicants meeting the Saskatchewan residency requirement. Note:  Applicants of Aboriginal ancestry are first considered within the Saskatchewan pool, and if not competitive, then within the equity pool.  Therefore, the equity seats will not be occupied by students competitive in the general pool but open to a qualified Aboriginal student who would not have been competitive otherwise.

Applicants will be required to meet the requirements outlined in the Applicant Information Section.  Applicants will be required to identify themselves on the application for admission to be eligible to compete within the Aboriginal Equity Program.

Aboriginal Student Mentorship Program

Students interested in medicine wanting to gain exposure to the health-care field may participate in the Aboriginal Student Mentorship Program. The College of Medicine will arrange for students to spend either a ½ or full day with a physician giving students the opportunity to meet medical students, doctors, and/or other health care workers. For more information on this program, please contact Heather Mandeville.

Pre-Medicine Awards for Aboriginal Students

Pre-Medicine Awards have been developed by the College of Medicine with the College of Arts and Science, U of S and the Faculty of Science and Aboriginal Student Centre, U of R.  Awards are available to students entering or continuing university and are valued at $1000 and $2500 respectively.  The first awards were made in 2003-04 to U of S students and were expanded to U of R students in 2007-08.

The awards are available to Aboriginal students who are Saskatchewan residents enrolled in full year year of studies (30 credits in the Sept-Apr term) either through the College of Arts & Science, University of Saskatchewan or the Faculty of Science/Arts (including federated colleges such as FNUniv, Campion & Luther), University of Regina. Aboriginal ancestry is determined in accordance with the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 Part II, Section 35 (2). An Aboriginal person is an Indian, Métis or Inuit person of Canada. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of Aboriginal ancestry.

Applicants should possess a strong academic standing. In general, this is considered to be a minimum average of 80% in the preceding academic year. First-year recipients receiving entering awards will be eligible to have their award renewed for a second year.

Application Deadline:  Extension to September 4, 2009 for 2009-10 Awards.  Students applying for the University of Saskatchewan Awards should use the U of S Application for Pre-Medicine Awards and students applying for the University of Regina Awards (and federated colleges) should use the U of R Application for Pre-Medicine Awards and return the completed application to the address outlined on the application form.

The College of Medicine is engaged in a number of initiatives related to Aboriginal access. For more information, please email Heather Mandeville, Administrative Coordinator.