An Introduction to Post Secondary Scholarships
UBC
Once again, it’s the time of year to apply for post-secondary scholarships. For those who are unfamiliar with scholarships, they are financial awards students. Most universities and colleges provide opportunities for scholarships. Additionally, there are scholarships not linked to universities, such as the TD Scholarships for Community Leadership. But how exactly does one apply though?
UBC has two major scholarships: the Presidential Scholars Awards and the UBC Centennial Scholars Entrance Award. The Presidential Scholars Awards include a one-time award of $5,000, with renewable rewards up to $40,000 on the Okanagan Campus, and $80,000 on the Vancouver Campus.
To be eligible for the Presidential Scholars Awards, one must need to
be a Canadian Citizen or a permanent resident currently in high school (or CEGEP if residing in Quebec). As long as one’s application is filled out and submitted before the deadline of Dec. 1, 2021, they will be automatically considered for the scholarship. Successful applicants will be contacted by April 27, 2022.
Entrance Award provides one-time and renewable awards up to $80,000. However, this scholarship requires various additional requirements to be met. One must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident to apply for the scholarship. Furthermore, they need to be entering UBC from high school or transferring from another post-secondary institution. Application to a direct entry undergraduate program is necessary, as well as no previous degree. Lastly, one needs to demonstrate financial need. To apply for this scholarship, one needs to complete a couple of other tasks besides UBC’s application. A description of circumstance needs to be completed, outlining the student’s financial situation. If one has been attending school for the past 48 months, they must complete a parent/guardian form, providing information on their families finances. Finally, a reference form must be filled out. The deadline for the aforementioned scholarship is December 1, 2021. The recipients of the UBC Centennial Scholars Entrance Award will be contacted by May 22, 2022.
The University of Victoria also has two types of major entrance scholarships: entrance scholarships based on admission average, and the Specific Criteria Application Awards. The reward amount of the entrance scholarships based on admission average vary, but are non-renewable. As a grade 12 Canadian high school student, one must need to have an admission average of over 90 per cent, or a minimum of 32 IB points to be considered for an entrance scholarship. One must self-report their grade 12 marks by March 15, 2022, and the grades will be verified against the student’s official grades. To be considered for an entrance scholarship based on admission average as a Canadian graduate, one must be entering UVic within two years of graduation, and must not have attended any other post-secondary institutions. The other requirements are the same, sans the self-reporting of one’s grades. Specific Criteria Application Awards typically have an award of $4,000-$5,000, but it is renewable over the course of one’s time at UVic. The eligibility of this scholarship includes anyone entering UVic directly from a Canadian secondary school, any grade 12 Canadian citizens (and those studying outside of Canada), who have an 85 per cent admission average or 32 IB points (secondary school students), or those entering UVic from a Canadian college or university with a 7.5/9.0 (UVic scale) transfer average or an 8.0/9.0 Diploma transfer average. Students that are applying for the Specific Criteria Application Awards need to write a scholarship essay via the online application process, and submit it by April 30, 2022.
TD Bank has a Community Leadership Scholarship, open to students in the last year of high school, or their last year of CEGEP. The scholarship provides the recipient with up to $10,000 for tuition, $7,500 for living expenses each year for a maximum of four years. Along with that, additional funding is provided, and when everything is totaled, the amount results in up to $70,000 over four years. One needs to have demonstrated community leadership, and have an overall grade average of 75 per cent in their most recently completed school year, to be considered for this scholarship. Three references are necessary to apply as well. Applications can be filled out on TD Bank’s website, and are due November 15, 2021.