Provincial Scholarships Program – IMPORTANT CHANGES
A comprehensive review of the Provincial Scholarships Program took place in spring 2015. Feedback was gathered from students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, employers, and education partners. A report summarizing the consultation results and making recommendations lead to the development of the redesigned program. Changes will be phased in starting in the 2015/16 school year and be fully implemented in the 2016/17 school year.
Important changes include:
- The program’s purpose has been revised as follows: to recognize student achievement and encourage students to pursue post-secondary education
- Under the revised program, all scholarships will be vouchers to be used upon registration and payment of tuition at a designated post-secondary institution
- Graduation Program Examinations Scholarships will be phased out. Final allocation will be to graduates in the 2015/16 school year
- District/Authority Scholarships will consist of vouchers only. A new area of recognition has been added: Indigenous Languages and Culture
- A new BC Excellence Scholarship will be launched for graduates in the 2015/16 school year
- A new BC Achievement Scholarship will be launched for graduates in the 2015/16 school year
- Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) students are eligible for the SSA Award; however it is no longer being administered under the Provincial Scholarships Program. The SSA Program Guide has additional information about criteria and procedures related to this award. Information is available at Apprenticeship and Trades
Scholarship Information:
- BC Excellence Scholarships
- BC Achievement Scholarships
- District / Authority Scholarships
- Graduation Program Examinations Scholarships (ending 2015/16 school year)
- Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarships
- Passport to Education (Redemption only)
- Redeem Your Scholarship Voucher
- Replace a Lost or Damaged Scholarship Voucher
Basic Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the Provincial Scholarships Program, recipients:
- Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (landed immigrant) at the time of registration in the school year for which the scholarship is awarded
- Must be a B.C. resident. Citizenship information is taken from TRAX. Incomplete or incorrect data in the citizenship field could affect a student’s eligibility for a scholarship
- Must be (or have been at the time of receipt) enrolled in, or registered as a home schooler with:
- A British Columbia public school (including Distance Learning schools), or
- A Group 1, 2, or 4 British Columbia Independent School, or
- A Continuing Education Centre
Entrance Awards For universities, college and career training programs
Each institution has its own special selection of scholarships and bursaries:
- UVic Student Awards and Financial Aid – General Information http://www.uvic.ca/registrar/safa/
- UVic Entrance Scholarships http://www.uvic.ca/registrar/safa/entrance-scholarships/index.php
- VIU Scholarships, Awards & Bursaries http://www.viu.ca/financialaid/about.asp
- VIU Scholarship application information http://www.viu.ca/FinancialAid/applications.asp
- VIU Entrance Scholarship On-line Application – http://www.viu.ca/FinancialAid/documents/App-Mar14Awards.pdf