Funding Options

Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

UBC’s policy on financial support declares that no eligible Canadian student will be prevented from attending UBC for financial reasons alone.


Financial planning

Gain a better understanding of your costs and funding options by meeting with your Enrolment Services Advisor.


Funding options

Explore the financial support options available to you by considering a student loan, applying for a scholarship or bursary, or browsing through job opportunities.

UBC provides financial support through scholarships, bursaries, and other assistance programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. Scholarships are usually awarded based on merit, while bursaries are typically awarded based on financial need. There are also awards specifically for different types of students, as well as external award opportunities.

In UBC Arts, graduate students have access to a range of internal and external awards as well as employment opportunities as research and teaching assistants.


Undergraduate Arts awards that require an application

Valour Award in Arts for Indigenous Students

  • Eligibility: Indigenous undergraduate student studying within the Faculty of Arts and registered in at least 3 credits during the current winter session.
  • Amount: $3,000
  • Application deadline: November 1, 2023

Awards totalling $3,000 have been made available through an endowment established by an anonymous donor for Indigenous undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts who have demonstrated community involvement and/or leadership. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts, in consultation with the First Nations House of Learning.

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focusing on your community involvement and ways in which you have demonstrated leadership and positive influence. What is the relationship of your community involvement to your areas of academic study? (maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Which includes all activities relating to community involvement with dates (maximum two pages)
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due November 8, one week after the application deadline.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


International Student Scholarship

  • Eligibility: International Arts students (BA, BFA, BMS, BMUS, and BSW students are eligible. Note that BIE students are not eligible to apply for this award)
  • Amount: $2,500 – $5,000
  • Application deadline: November 1, 2023

The International Student Scholarship recognizes international Arts students who demonstrate strong academic achievement, engagement in the Faculty, and the potential to make a scholarly contribution within their chosen field of study. Preference is given to upper year students. Preference may be given to students who have not received this award previously.

Eligibility

  • Candidates must be International Students in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus for the both the previous and current winter session.
  • Candidates must be registered in a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the current academic year, or sufficient to graduate, in addition to having been registered in a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous academic year with no failures or missing grades. Minimum GPA of 75%. Students with University-approved reduced course loads are also eligible.
  • Students who were on Exchange, or completed Co-op may also be eligible. Please refer to Senate’s eligibility criteria for full eligibility information.

*Courses completed during summer terms do not count towards your GPA, or credit load for award eligibility

**Courses taken as Cr/D/F are not considered percentage-graded credits

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focusing your engagement in the Faculty of Arts, and the potential to make a scholarly contribution within your chosen field of study. Engagement could be through a club, a peer group, a service organization, a sports team, an academic competition, a research position, published research or writing or another type of activity that you feel would fall under the umbrella of “engagement”. Engagement in the broader UBC community is also acceptable. (Maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Which includes all activities relating to community involvement with dates (Maximum two pages)
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due November 8, one week after the application deadline.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


Katherine Brearley Arts Scholarship

  • Eligibility: Undergraduate students entering their third or fourth year of study in the Faculty of Arts (Vancouver Campus).
  • Amount: $500 – $4,000
  • Application deadline: October 4, 2023

Scholarship(s) totaling $17,500 have been endowed by friends and family in honour of Associate Professor Emerita Katherine Brearley (BA’35, MA’39, Doctorat Universite de Paris) for undergraduate students entering their third or fourth year of study in the Faculty of Arts (Vancouver Campus) for the current winter session. In selecting recipients, consideration is given to both scholarly excellence and the demonstrated ability to work with and lead others in student and community activities at the university, local, national, and/or international level.

Eligibility

  • Candidates must be entering their third or fourth year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus for the current winter session
  • Candidates must meet UBC Vancouver Senate Policy on eligibility to receive awards for full time students. Qualified students must have achieved a minimum Grade Point Average of 80% in the previous winter session; and, in their current winter session, students must have officially declared a major/honours/combined specialization. Full-time status means a student within the Faculty of Arts is registered in a minimum of 24 credits in the current winter session, or sufficient to graduate, with 24 percentage-graded courses in the previous winter session with no failures or missing grades. Students with university-approved reduced course loads are also eligible.

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focusing on your community/national/international involvement and ways in which you have demonstrated leadership, positive influence and strength of purpose (Maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Which includes all activities relating to community involvement with dates (Maximum two pages)
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due October 11, one week after the application deadline.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


Premier Undergraduate and Wesbrook Scholarships

  • Eligibility: Students who are eligible to apply for this award are determined by Enrolment Services.
  • Amount: Awards range from 20 Wesbrook Scholar designations ($1,000 each) to renewable scholarships of $20,000 over two years (Premier Undergraduate Scholarships).
  • Application deadline: This award is by invitation only. Eligible students will receive an e-mail in late August or early September informing them of their eligibility.

The Premier Undergraduate Scholarships and Wesbrook Scholars are the University’s most prestigious designations given to senior students with outstanding academic performance, as well as leadership and involvement in student and community activities. Awards range from 20 Wesbrook Scholar designations ($1,000 each) to renewable scholarships of $20,000 over two years (Premier Undergraduate Scholarships).

There are strict eligibility requirements which can be found on the PUS/Wesbrook website.

Students who are eligible to apply for this award are determined by Enrolment Services and will receive personal e-mail communication from the Faculty of Arts informing them of their eligibility. If you do not receive this personal invitation and, if after reviewing the PUS/Wesbrook website you believe that you meet the award’s eligibility criteria, please contact your ES Advisor to confirm if you are eligible.

You are also welcome to attend an information webinar hosted by Enrolment Services. Tentative webinar dates are September 14 and 20 and will be updated when confirmed. The webinar will cover tips and tricks for putting together your personal statement and statement of activities as well as highlighting past winners.

Please note that attending the webinar is not a mandatory component of this award.

Stage 1: Students Request to Apply
Deadline: 8:00am on Monday, September 25, 2023

The Faculty of Arts has hundreds of students who are invited by ES as eligible to apply for this award. In an effort to select the 20 most exceptional candidates for nomination to the university wide competition, we conduct a pre-screening process (Stage 1). At this stage we ask that you submit your application for review, without the inclusion of reference letters. In reviewing your submission, we are looking to identify students with outstanding leadership experience, and strong contributions to their community.

Personal statement (Max 500 words) – An important part of this application is letting UBC know who you are and what makes you extraordinary. In your personal statement, you should speak to your most important leadership-related accomplishments and experiences during your undergraduate studies at UBC. This can include your general interests, leadership roles, activities, clubs, academic projects and/or research, sports, volunteer and/or work experiences, as well as your goals for the future. Your statement should be written in the first person, maximum 500 words and submitted as a pdf document.

Statement of Activities (Max 1 page) – Your statement of activities should focus on your accomplishments over the last three to four years. Your statement of activities must be no more than one page, have a minimum font size of 12 and margins of least ¾” and be formatted as follows:

  • Personal Information (name, address)
  • Academic Achievements and Education (details/awards/dates for each)
  • University Activities (details/dates for each)
  • Community & Volunteer Services (details of involvement/dates for each)
  • Athletics (team or individual) (details/dates for each)
  • Other Activities (details/dates for each)

Dates should include the month, year and if applicable, hours per week (e.g. Feb 2022 and Aug 2023; 3 hours per week.)

References – Please DO NOT include any recommendation/reference letters at this point, only identify who you are planning to ask if you should you proceed to the application stage (Stage 2).

One of your references must be from a UBC faculty member. A faculty reference is someone who you have worked closely with during your time at UBC and holds the title of Instructor, Assistant, Associate or full Professor, adjunct Professor, or Emeritus Professor.

*A Teaching Assistant (TA) cannot be accepted as a faculty reference.

*Only students who are invited to apply in Stage 2 by the Faculty of Arts will need to seek reference letters.

All students who request to apply in Stage One will be informed if they moved onto the next step – Stage 2: Submission of a Completed Application Package by the last week of September.

Stage 2: Submission of Completed Application Package to Enrolment Services
Deadline: Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Students who are invited to submit a full application will receive additional information on how to do so. Application items will include an application form, personal statement, statement of activities and reference letters submitted by your referees directly to Enrolment Services.

All students who submitted a completed application will be informed if they moved onto the next step — the university-wide stage — by mid-November.

The Faculty of Arts follows a UNIQUE application process with deadlines that differ from those advertised by Enrolment Services.

For the current Academic Year the deadlines that Faculty of Arts students MUST follow are:

  • 8:00am on Monday, September 25, 2023: Deadline to complete “Stage 1: Students Request to Apply”.
  • Tuesday, October 10, 2023: Deadline to complete "Stage 2: Submission of Completed Application Package". Deadline for receipt of all application materials, including reference letters to Enrolment Services. Only applies to students who are approved to apply to Stage 2.
  • Mid November: The Office of the Dean submits 20 nominated applications to Enrolment Services.


Russ Patrick Arts Undergraduate Research Writing Award

  • Eligibility: The award is made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts Awards Committee.
  • Amount: $500 to $1,000
  • Application deadline: May 1, 2024

The Russ Patrick Arts Undergraduate Student Research Award was endowed in 2009 by Russ Patrick to recognize the outstanding achievement in research writing by an Arts undergraduate student.

The award is made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts Awards Committee. Submissions are judged by professional standards and assessed on their ability to communicate the research and its significance to a non-specialist audience.

  • Submissions should be structured in a research paper format with citations and formal language, exactly as would be produced for a UBC course, and should not exceed 2,000 words.
  • All submissions should include a nomination/statement of support from a faculty instructor and/or Undergraduate Journal editorial team.
  • Submissions, including nominations should be submitted in PDF format to arts.awards@ubc.ca.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


William and Nona Heaslip Scholarship

  • Eligibility: Undergraduate students entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus.
  • Amount: $45,000 scholarship ($15,000 per year over three years)
  • Application deadline: October 4, 2023

The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation offers a $45,000 scholarship ($15,000 per year over three years) to two eligible undergraduate students entering Year 2. Candidates must be in receipt of Government Student Loans, show outstanding community involvement, and leadership tempered with a strong first year academic performance (minimum 75% average). The award is renewable to UBC Vancouver Arts students for a total of three years or until a first undergraduate degree is obtained (whichever is the shorter period). The awards are made on the recommendation of a selection committee within the Faculty of Arts. (Total possible value $45,000 over 3 years.)

Eligibility

  • Candidates must be entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus for the current winter session
  • Demonstrate financial need by receipt of a Government Student Loan in the previous or current winter session. This information must be available from your UBC ESP by the award deadline
  • Candidates must be registered in a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous academic year with no failures or missing grades and a minimum of 24 credits in the current academic year. Students with university-approved reduced course loads are also eligible.

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focus on your community/national/international involvement and ways in which you have demonstrated leadership, positive influence and strength of purpose. What is the relationship of your community involvement to your areas of study? (Maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Which includes all activities relating to community involvement with dates (Maximum two pages)
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due October 11, one week after the application deadline.

Note: Recipients of “renewable” scholarships should be aware that, if selected for the Heaslip Scholarship, you may be required to decline other “renewable” scholarships you may have received. Should you have questions around renewable awards please contact us.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


Y.P. Heung Foundation Award in Arts

  • Eligibility: Domestic undergraduate students entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus.
  • Amount: $3,000 scholarship
  • Application deadline: October 4, 2023

Awards totaling $18,000, valued at $3,000 each, have been made available annually through a gift from the Y.P. Heung Foundation for domestic undergraduate students entering their second year of studies in the Faculty of Arts with outstanding academic achievement.

Preference will be given to students who demonstrate community involvement. The Y.P.Heung Foundation was founded in 2012 and supports charitable activities in the arts and culture, education and health. The Y.P. Heung Foundation is committed to supporting programs that benefit youth in British Columbia, and established this award to support students pursuing higher education.

These academic awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts.

Eligibility

  • Candidates must be entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus for the current winter session.
  • Candidates must be registered in a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous academic year with no failures or missing grades and a minimum of 24 credits in the current academic year. Students with university-approved reduced course loads are also eligible.

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focusing on your community/national/international involvement and ways in which you have demonstrated leadership, positive influence and strength of purpose. What is the relationship of your community involvement to your areas of academic study? (maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Include all activities relating to community involvement with dates (maximum two pages)
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due October 11, one week after the application deadline.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


Y.P. Heung Foundation Award in Arts for Indigenous Students

  • Eligibility: Indigenous undergraduate students entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus.
  • Amount: $3,000 scholarship
  • Application deadline: November 1, 2023

Awards totaling $9,000, valued at $3,000 each, have been made available annually through a gift from the Y.P Heung Foundation for undergraduate First Nations, Inuit or Métis students of Canada entering their second year of studies in the Faculty of Arts with outstanding academic achievement.

Preference will be given to students who demonstrate community involvement. The Y.P. Heung Foundation was founded in 2012 and supports charitable activities in the arts and culture, education and health. The Y.P. Heung Foundation is committed to supporting programs that benefit youth in British Columbia, and established this award to support students pursuing higher education.

These academic awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Arts.

Eligibility

  • Candidates must be entering their second year of study in the Faculty of Arts at the UBC Vancouver Campus for the current winter session.
  • Candidates must be registered in a minimum of 24 percentage-graded credits in the previous academic year with no failures or missing grades and a minimum of 24 credits in the current academic year. Students with university-approved reduced course loads are also eligible.

Material Required

  • Personal Statement: Focusing on your community involvement and ways in which you have demonstrated leadership and positive influence (maximum 500 words)
  • Resume: Which includes all activities relating to community involvement with dates (maximum 2 pages).
    • All submitted documents should be in PDF format.
  • 1 Reference Letter: When deciding on your reference please consider an individual who can comment on your community involvement and/or leadership (faculty, employers, managers, or recent high school teachers).  The reference you identify within your application will receive a separate e-mail with instructions on submitting their reference letter to us via a webform. Please ask your reference to watch for this e-mail which will come from our arts.awards@ubc.ca address. Once their reference letter is submitted, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.  Reference letters are due November 8, one week after the application deadline.

If you have questions, please contact arts.awards@ubc.ca.


   

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