Three students – one each from the University’s Glendon, Keele and Markham campuses – were surprised with the news that they were randomly selected from thousands of entrants to win free first-year tuition.
In addition to the scholarships, grants and bursaries York offers incoming students, the University historically awards free first-year tuition to one randomly selected student each year.
This year, for the first time, three winners were chosen to receive the prize – one each from three York campuses. The prize is equivalent to more than $7,000, and this year's recipients join a select group of eight students who have benefited from free tuition since the contest was introduced in 2017.
Here are the 2025 recipients, their stories and their reactions to winning free tuition.
Glendon Campus: Isabella Rosen-Bartnik (Glendon Psychology Program)
When Rosen-Bartnik, a resident of Toronto, was deciding what major to pursue, she focused on a question that had always intrigued her. “I want to figure out why people act the way that they do,” she says. “So, I chose psychology.”
Glendon became her first choice after hearing about the reputation of its psychology program. The bilingual campus appealed to her, not only for its French-language programs, but also for its beauty. “The campus makes me feel like I’m in Gilmore Girls,” she laughs.
Since starting this fall, she has already experienced Glendon’s welcoming environment, international student community, enthusiastic professors and the benefits of smaller class sizes.
She says free tuition will provide added financial security for her and her mother, who had been saving for her daughter’s education.
“It’ll definitely be a big burden off our shoulders to not have to worry about first-year tuition,” she says. “It means I’ll be able to save more money for future years.”
Keele Campus: Emily Eaves (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies)
Inspired by her mother, a speech therapist, Eaves – also from Toronto – set her sights on following the same career path. York University’s academic offerings stood out as the right place to start that journey. “It’s one of the few schools in Ontario that offers speech language science,” she says.
She is particularly excited about beginning her Intro to Linguistics course and exploring electives about ancient Greece and Rome to complement her love of history. She is also looking ahead to second year, when her linguistics major will expand into speech language science.
Winning free tuition, she says, will make a big difference. “It means that now I can get all my textbooks without having to worry,” she laughs, before adding she hopes to pay the gesture forward.
Markham Campus: Jonathan Yuen (Lassonde School of Engineering)
When Yuen from Markham took a computer engineering and science course in high school, he became immediately fascinated by the inner workings of the machines. His interest in technology stayed with him, leading him to pursue computer engineering at York University.
Yuen was drawn to Markham Campus because of its proximity to home, allowing him to reduce his commute time to better balance his studies and responsibilities. The campus appealed to his interests as well. "Being in a new campus that is technologically advanced allows me to experiment with newer technology which might not be available at other campuses," he says.
As he starts his studies, he says he looks forward to joining clubs, participating in campus events, and meeting new people, which he says the the smaller class sizes at Markham help facilitate. He is also eager to explore co-op opportunities. “I would like to apply the skills I learn in class in real-life applications,” he says.
One of Yuen's ambitions is to help advance sustainability in computer engineering. "I believe that we are all trustees in safeguarding the sustainability of this planet for future generations," he says. “I hope I can innovate and create something that could help the environment with reusable materials."
Yuen was thrilled about the news he had been awarded free tuition. "I could not have hoped for a better start to university life," he says, noting that having his academic fees covered will allow him to focus more fully on his academic goals. “Free tuition will help me focus less on earning money and more on my studies and finding better opportunities to learn.”
Yuen’s sentiment reflects the aim of York’s free tuition contest: giving students like him, Eaves and Rosen-Bartnik the chance to start their academic journey with fewer financial worries and greater focus on their education.