Maintaining awards and loan eligibility

COVID-19 impact on awards and loans

You might have questions around how COVID-19 affects your scholarship, bursary, and loans.


Read the FAQs

Maintaining your student loan eligibility

  • You must be enrolled in an eligible program of study 
  • You must make academic progress and achieve satisfactory scholastic standing in each period of post-secondary study
  • You must maintain full-time student status. This is defined as being enrolled in and attending a minimum percentage of a full course load, see the Course Load Guide for more details.

Maintaining your Awards eligibility

If you have not taken the minimum 24 credits graded based on percentage (percentage-graded credits), your awards calculation will be impacted and taking a course for Credit/D/Fail grading will impact your eligibility for UBC scholarships and awards.

Scholarships, prizes, and other academic awards are normally awarded to undergraduate students who have achieved all of the following:

  • Registered in at least 24 percentage-graded credits

  • Attained a standing in the top 10% of his/her year and faculty, or an average of 75% or higher

  • Received a passing grade in all courses

  • Completed all courses (e.g., no missing grades or standing deferred courses)

Undergraduate scholarships and academic awards

Eligibility for undergraduate scholarships and academic awards for the upcoming Winter Session is determined by the student’s highest 24 percentage graded credits in the previous Winter Session. These awards are given out at the beginning of or during the Winter Session.

Awards granted at the end of the academic year

Eligibility for awards and prizes awarded at the end of the academic year (usually in May or June) are determined from the student’s highest 24 percentage graded credits completed during the Winter Session that just ended.

Calculating academic averages for scholarships and awards

Courses taken for Credit/D/Fail grading will be counted toward the 24-credit minimum requirement to maintain a scholarship or academic award, but not to determine eligibility for new or renewable UBC scholarships and awards, which are based on the weighted average of the 24 percentage-graded courses only. 

Bursary eligibility: Taking courses for Credit/D/Fail grading does not affect eligibility.

Examples of eligibility for scholarships and awards

Hussein registers for too few graded credits

Hussein is currently enrolled in a full-time credit load of 27 credits. Six of these credits are for Credit/D/Fail grading. This indicates he is only registered in 21 percentage-graded credits, which means:

  • He will not qualify for UBC scholarships and academic awards in the next Winter Session, as he would have needed to register in a minimum of 24 percentage graded credits in the current Winter Session
  • He will not qualify for year-end awards for the current Winter Session, as his eligibility is based on the highest 24 percentage-graded credits completed during the current Winter Session.

Exception: Students registered in fewer than 24 percentage graded credits in their final year of study may be eligible for a prize or other year-end award if their faculty confirms that this number of credits is sufficient for graduation.

Maia registers for sufficient graded credits

Maia completed 27 credits in the previous Winter Session. Three of her credits were for Credit/D/Fail grading. In the current Winter Session she is enrolled in 27 credits, three of which are for Credit/D/Fail grading. This means:

  • She is eligible to be considered for scholarships and academic awards for the current Winter Session, since she completed a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous Winter Session and is currently registered in the minimum credit load of 24 credits required to retain a scholarship or academic award
  • She is eligible to be considered for year-end awards for the current Winter Session, since she is registered in at least 24 percentage-graded credits in the current Winter Session.

Leela registers for sufficient credits to retain award but not to be eligible for year-end awards

Leela completed 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous Winter Session. In the current Winter Session, she is enrolled in 24 credits, three of which are for Credit/D/Fail grading. This means:

  • She is eligible to be considered for UBC scholarships and academic awards for the current Winter Session, since she completed 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous Winter Session and is currently registered in the minimum credit load of 24 credits required to retain a scholarship or academic awards
  • She is not eligible to be considered for year-end awards and prizes for the current Winter Session, since she is only registered in 21 percentage-graded credits for the current Winter Session.

Exception: Students registered in fewer than 24 percentage-graded credits in their final year of study may be eligible for a prize or other year-end award if their faculty confirms that this number of credits is sufficient for graduation.

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