In this section...
Money Matters
Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants
Scholarships, bursaries and grants are excellent ways to help finance your education because you do not have to pay them back!
However, many of these awards have qualification pre-requisites that you have to fulfill in order to apply. For example, some require you to have a certain grade point average. Others state very specific requirements, such as your parents must belong to a certain union or profession. If you don't match these qualifications, don't worry. There are hundreds of these awards available - it's just a matter of taking the time to track down those that apply to you.
Note that some awards, especially fine arts scholarships, may require you to produce portfolios and/or examples of your work. Start putting a portfolio together of your best work in preparation to wow everyone with your talents!
With these points in mind, here are the differences between scholarships, bursaries and grants.
Scholarships: Usually awarded to students with high academic standing in a specific field.
Bursaries: Are awarded to students who are in financial need, although this is not always a requirement. They are generally not dependent on high scholastic achievement.
Grants: Are provided based on a student's particular financial need or situation (i.e. students of visible minority or disabled students).
Check out the Student Awards Links below to help you research this important source of financial assistance! In addition many awards are given to students enrolled in particular institutions. For direct links to the financial assistance offices of BC post-secondary institutions please visit the Student Loans page.
BC Awards Online: This online awards database site will help all BC students find scholarships, bursaries and other awards and will assist in successfully applying for them. This initiative is the result of a partnership between School District 61, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, with funding provided through the New Directions in Labour Market Information initiative. Visit Website.
Ministry of Education Award Programs: Ministry information on Passport to Education, Provincial and District Scholarships. Visit Webite.
Millennium Scholarships: This foundation awards scholarships through its Excellence Award Program, as well as bursaries. Visit Website
Studentawards.com: Is a website that has an easy to use database that enables students to search and access financial assistance information on scholarships, bursaries, grants, fellowships and other forms of financial assistance. Visit Website.
Scholarshipscanada.com: You'll find lots of information here about scholarships as well as student loans, applications and budget planning. Visit Website.
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada: This site has a section titled Scholarships, Exchanges and Research Grants. Visit Website
SchoolFinder.com: A Canadian site with scholarship information and much more. Visit Website.
MySchool101.comCheck out the special section called MyScholarships101.com. Visit Website.
Youthlink: A Government of Canada site, lists many awards, bursaries, fellowships, grants and scholarships. Visit Website.
CanLearn Canada Study Grants: These programs are available to students in special financial need situations, including: students with permanent disabilities, high-need part-time students, women in certain doctoral studies and full- and part-time students with dependants. Visit Website.
