There are several scholarship opportunities to recognize students’ outstanding performance during their study years if such students are ready to further their education in higher institutions or teachers who want to enhance their teaching careers.
These scholarships offered by the British Columbia Canada government are meant to keep students and teachers performing at the best levels.
If you are a student in British Columbia, then you have the opportunity to receive scholarships through the British Columbia Achievement Awards. In this post, we are going to discuss what this award is and how it works, as well as the eligibility criteria for students at British Columbia Schools so that they can apply if they wish.
We will also cover the application process and different types of awards offered by British Columbia Achievement Awards Scholarships.
What You Need to Know about the British Columbia Achievement Awards and How They Work
British Columbia Achievement Awards are available to students in British Columbia who are enrolled in a post-secondary program at a public post-secondary institution in British Columbia.
The awards are also available to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who have been admitted as full-time undergraduate students and have completed at least 1 year of their program.
The amount you could receive is based on your financial need and personal circumstances, as well as your academic performance and attendance.
What is BC Achievement Scholarship?
The BC Achievement scholarship is a scholarship award given to outstanding students graduating from British Columbia high schools. The total number of British Columbia Achievement scholarship awards given out every year numbers up to 8,000 students.
This means that recipients are drawn from all the high schools across the British Columbia province. The British Columbia Achievement scholarship is based on a subset of courses taken from grades 10-to 12, these courses are the courses used to meet graduation requirements.
Also, elective courses are included in the grade courses for the evaluation of the graduation requirements.
Students who qualify for the British Columbia Achievement scholarship have a $1,250 scholarship voucher, which the students can use and be reimbursed by the state ministry of education and child care after such students have enrolled in their designated post-secondary institution in the British Columbia province.
Or a British Columbia authorized trades training provider. As an awardee of the British Columbia Achievement scholarship, you have up to five years to redeem your BC achievement scholarship voucher, this voucher’s validity period. cannot be extended.
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Why British Columbia Achievement Awards Scholarships?
The British Columbia Achievement Scholarship is a scholarship program that offers up to $1,250 per year to students who qualify for the scholarship. The awards are open to high school graduates who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need.
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of British Columbia, or an international student who has completed at least one year of study in a BC educational institution.
Students do not need to apply for this scholarship because it is an achievement award, given to selected best-performing 8,000 students who have just graduated from high schools in the British Columbia province of Canada.
British Columbia Achievement Award: Eligibility Criteria for Students in British Columbia Schools
The British Columbia Achievement Award is a scholarship offered by the Ministry of Education of British Columbia to high school students in British Columbia. This scholarship was created to encourage academic excellence and leadership skills, while also recognizing the achievements of British Columbian students. To be eligible for this award, you need to meet the following criteria:
- You must be 16 years old or older
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident(Land immigrant), you will need to have your land immigrant status on record with the school you registered for in grade 12
- You need to be a British Columbia resident
You need to have been enrolled or are currently enrolled in a British Columbia public school (including distributed learning schools)
- You need to blend in or attended a school year for which the scholarship is awarded
You must live in British Columbia for at least six months out of each year before applying for any awards (or prove that you have attended school there during this period)
The ministry looks at your overall academic record when making its decision about which scholarships you should receive.
You need to be eligible for the British Columbia certificate of graduation (Dogwood Diploma)
- You have to full fill the British Columbia graduation program
You need to have one or no transfer standing (TS), or standing Granted(SG) reported among your course marks which will be used to satisfy graduation requirements irrespective of the credit value of the courses
You need to have the course used to fulfill the language arts 12 requirements for graduation and have a score percentage of up to 75% or above which is a B grade minimum.
The British Columbia Scholarship Application Process
The British Columbia Achievement scholarship does not require students to apply for the scholarship because the scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that is run by the government of the British Columbia province of Canada.
The scholarship is awarded to 8,000 students yearly for their academic achievement on graduation from the big school system. The ministry of education in British Columbia selects Eligible students after going through the student’s performance in the school year. taking into account the overall average performance of every student in their final three years in high school from grades 10, 11, and 12.
What are the Different Types of British Columbia Scholarships?
The British Columbia province offers three main types of scholarships to students of the province and another type of scholarship to teachers these scholarships include:
- British Columbia Achievement Scholarship
- District/Authority scholarship
- British Columbia Excellence scholarship
- Pathway to Teacher Education Award
District/Authority scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to 5,500 high school graduates that have demonstrated excellence in their chosen area of study during their high school years. This scholarship is awarded for $1250 by the Ministry of Education and Child Care confirms that each of the students sent in by their schools meets the core eligibility requirement and general requirements of the scholarship program.
The local scholarship committee determines the awarding criteria for the scholarship each year and also selects the conditional recipients of the scholarship.
After the committee selects the conditional recipients the Ministry of Education and Child Care confirms that the selected students meet the scholarship basic criteria, and sends a $1250 scholarship voucher to the students.
The student may redeem this voucher with the ministry and be reimbursed for tuition they have paid after the scholarship offer if they are attending a school designated for student loans by the British Columbia provincial government, or an approved industry authority in the province.
Students are required to apply for this scholarship through the district or their school. The vouchers sent to students are valid for five years for them to redeem after which the vouchers can no longer be used. The vouchers cannot be extended.
British Columbia Excellence Scholarship
This is an excellent scholarship offered by the British Columbia province to 55 well-rounded students in the province who have shown and demonstrated service and leadership, in their school and in the community where they live. The students need to show commitment and aptitude in their chosen career path. The scholarship is given to students graduating during any school year.
Students interested in the scholarship need to apply for this scholarship by seeking their school’s nomination and applying by February 15 of the school year. Students who are selected for the scholarship are awarded a prize of $5,000 in scholarship vouchers which will be sent to them by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The students can use the voucher to be reimbursed when they redeem the vouchers for the tuition they have paid in their post-secondary institution.
This institution needs to be among the designated schools by the British Columbia province for student Loans, or an approved industry training authority program provider. The vouchers sent to students have a five years validity period during which the students are supposed to have redeemed the voucher. The voucher expiry date is printed on the vouchers with the extension of the validity period not possible.
Pathway to Teacher Education Award
This is a scholarship award meant to appreciate 20 outstanding high school graduates every school year. The students need to apply for the Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship by February 15 of the school year.
The students to receive this scholarship need to have demonstrated commitment and aptitude for a k-12 teaching career. This scholarship is worth $5,000 and is sent in the form of a voucher to the awarded recipients by the Ministry of Education and Child Care.
Students who receive this scholarship can redeem it and get reimbursed for tuition paid when they have started attending an approved K-12 teacher education program in British Columbia. Students who have received this scholarship have five years to redeem their scholarship voucher, after which the voucher expires.
How to use a British Columbia Scholarship Voucher
To redeem your scholarship voucher you need to fulfill certain conditions for the Ministry Of Education and Child Care in British Columbia. To redeem your scholarship voucher you need to do these:
- Ensure your scholarship(s) is valid
- Must be enrolled in a post-secondary institution that is approved by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for students loan
- You must have paid tuition equal to or greater than your scholarship amount which you will be reimbursed
- Your program should be in session and running
- Finally you need to submit the relevant documents as evidence of enrollment into your program and payment of tuition once you’ve received your cheque. You can submit online or by sending a paper mail to the ministry.
Note: If you submit your documents online you will receive your cheque faster compared to sending a paper mail.
FAQs
How do I get a BC Achievement scholarship?
To get the British Columbia achievement scholarship you need to take your studies seriously while in high school especially from grade 10 to grade 12. You also need to meet the core requirements for the British Columbia Achievement scholarship and the general scholarship requirements of the British Columbia province.
What is a BC Excellence scholarship worth?
Successful students for the British Columbia Excellence scholarship receive $5,000 worth of vouchers for tuition paid at the student’s program of choice. This amount is reimbursed only after the student has enrolled and started the program of their choice.
Is the BC Achievement scholarship taxable?
No, the British Columbia achievement scholarship is not taxable and applies to all other British Columbia Scholarship programs in the province.
Can I cash my British Columbia Scholarship money?
You are not allowed to cash your British Columbia Scholarship grant, rather you are meant to receive the money as a reimbursement from the ministry of education and child care.
This reimbursement is done only after the scholarship awardee has enrolled in a program of their choice, and shows evidence of enrollment and payment of their tuition fee to the ministry.
Conclusion
If you are interested in studying at a British Columbian university, then this scholarship is a great opportunity for you. To apply, you’ll need to make sure that your application is sent in within the stipulated time if you’re applying for the scholarships that require an application to be made by the students.
It is good to note that the British Columbia achievement scholarship does not require any application by the 8,000 students that will be selected by the Ministry of Education and Child Care of the British Columbia province.
If any additional questions arise while filling out the application or completing other tasks for other British Columbia scholarships that require an application to be sent in, you can make inquiries from the ministry or district authority depending on the scholarship you’re applying for.
