British Columbia Graduate Scholarship (BCGS)

What you will need

• ✓ Follow your UBC graduate program's own BCGS application procedure (each program sets its own)
• ✓ Selection by your graduate program, which recommends you to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

About this award

You receive a scholarship of $17,500. This is a grant, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident pursuing a graduate degree in any field of study, especially if you are an Indigenous student or conducting research in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). There is no single deadline: each UBC graduate program sets its own application procedure and chooses its recipients. Ask your graduate program, or email graduate.awards@ubc.ca, when your program selects its BCGS recipients. Winners are chosen through a nomination process. Your graduate program selects recipients from their allocated funds and submits a recommendation to G+PS (the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies office — the department that manages graduate awards). Selection criteria aren't published — ask the University of British Columbia how winners are chosen and roughly how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. Ask the University of British Columbia during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. To keep this funding, you must remain registered as a full-time student in your graduate program throughout the funding period. Renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with the University of British Columbia whether it's one-time or renewable and what you need to maintain.

Who qualifies

You must be a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident. You must be registered as a full-time student in a University of British Columbia graduate program throughout the funding period. Both Master's and Doctoral students are eligible. While the award is open to any field of study, there is an emphasis on research in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields and support for Indigenous students.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• ✓ Open to graduate students
• ✓ Resident of British Columbia

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• Research StatementAvoid writing a generic summary of your interests. Instead, highlight how your work fits into the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) priorities mentioned in the award's focus. Mention specific lab goals or theoretical gaps you are filling.
• SupportAvoid submitting a request without checking your department first. Instead, connect with your graduate program coordinator to see if they have received a BCGS (British Columbia Graduate Scholarship) allocation. Ask them how the nomination process works in your specific faculty.
• StrategyAvoid waiting for a public application portal to open. Instead, proactively engage with your disciplinary Faculty or program head. Because these are nominated awards, your relationship with your department is the main way to get noticed.
• RealismAvoid assuming you will get this award just because you were admitted. Instead, recognize that these are distributed by programs based on a limited allocation from the province. Check with your program to see how many of these scholarships they typically distribute per year.

Questions students ask

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