Awards: scholarships and bursaries

Award types

UBC and the University's donors provide a range of financial support to reward your academic and extracurricular achievements and meet your financial needs.

Scholarships
Scholarships are merit-based awards primarily based on academic achievement. Other merits such as community involvement or athletic achievements may also be considered.
Hybrid awards
Hybrid awards are given based on a combination of academic and/or other achievement and financial need.
Bursaries
Bursaries are assessed based on unmet financial need. Student awards based solely or partially on financial need are not shown on a student's transcript.
Fellowships
Fellowships are given at the start of the academic year to a graduate student primarily based on academic achievement, research ability or research potential.
Medals
Medals are non-monetary awards given at the end of an academic year to a graduating student, based primarily on academic achievement.
Prizes
Prizes are given to a student at the end of the academic session to recognize performance in a particular course, research performance, or publication record.

Read the Academic Calendar for how UBC defines different types of awards.

Automatic consideration awards

Certain awards do not require an application. As a UBC student, you are automatically considered for the following awards:

Award	Description
Student Housing Supplement Grant	Eligible students can receive additional financial support for their first-year residence experience.
Trek Excellence Scholarship	Granted to the top continuing students ranked in the top 5% of their year.
Faculty recommended awards	Merit-based awards are presented based on strong academic performance and community leadership. Some faculties might require an application, so it is highly recommended to check-in with your faculty student services.

Apply for an award

The following awards are by application only. Make sure you meet the award requirements and submit your application by the deadline.

General awards

Any UBC student who meets the eligibility requirements is invited to apply to these awards.

Award	Description
UBC Bursary Program	Designed to support students with unmet financial need
UBC Vancouver Technology Bursary	One-time, needs-based bursary to support the costs of basic technology required for academic purposes
Affiliation Bursaries	Based on financial need and for students connected to a specific club or group
Affiliation scholarships	Based on merit such as academic achievement, community involvement, or leadership, for students in a specific club or group
John R. Scarfo Wellness Bursary	Available for students who demonstrate a financial need and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle
Premier Undergraduate and Wesbrook Scholarship	Awarded to senior students with outstanding academics, leadership, and community involvement
Rhodes Scholarship	11 Canadians are selected each year to join a class of 84 Scholars at the University of Oxford
McCall MacBain Scholarship	Leadership-drive scholarship open to graduate students in a master’s program at McGill University
3M National Student Fellowship	Honours 10 full-time diploma and undergraduate students at Canadian post-secondary institutions demonstrating outstanding leadership

Awards for specific student groups

These awards are available for specific groups of students who meet additional requirements.

Award	Description
Awards for Indigenous students	Non-repayable scholarships and bursaries for First Nations, Métis, or Inuit students
Beau Dick Memorial award for Indigenous students	$20,000 award for students from Kwakwakaʼwakw First Nation or other First Nations
Musqueam First Nation Scholarship	Renewable scholarship valued up to $5,500 annually for Musqueam students
Women in part-time studies	Available to women studying on a part-time basis
Students participating in Go Global	Available to UBC students in Go Global International Learning Programs
Students with disabilities	Need- and merit-based awards for students with disabilities
International student awards	For outstanding international undergraduate students at the UBC Vancouver campus
Graduate student awards	Merit-based awards for students in graduate programs
Funding for former youth in care	Tuition waivers or funds for former youth in care
Funding for Canadian Veterans	Financial help for individuals planning to return to school after a career in the military

UBC Award Search

Use the UBC Award Search tool to find UBC scholarships, bursaries, prizes, and awards, along with award criterias, descriptions, and more.

Use the tool

External awards

Organizations and groups outside of UBC also offer external awards for post-secondary students.

Additional resources

If you have questions

If you're an undergraduate student, please contact your Enrolment Services Advisor directly. To find your advisor’s contact information, log into your Student Service Centre (SSC) and select “UBC Contacts” under Personal Info.

Graduate, postgraduate, and all other students can contact an Enrolment Services Advisor by calling 604 822 9836 or submitting a question through the online form.