What is a bursary?
A bursary is a monetary award that is granted on the basis of financial need. Bursaries are different than scholarships. Scholarships are merit-based and are awarded for academic achievement. Bursaries are financial-need based awards that do not have to be repaid. The intention of the undergraduate bursary program is to supplement, not replace, students’ primary sources of funding such as OSAP, government student financial assistance from another province or loan funding from a financial institution.
5 tips to apply for a bursary |
| 1. Be complete! The bursary committee has to read your application and make a decision. It’s hard to assess your situation if you’ve left information out. |
| 2. Submit it on time. The deadline is important – late applications will not be considered. |
| 3. Apply for government student financial assistance. Bursaries are typically issued to students who demonstrate the greatest financial need and receiving student aid is one of the easiest ways to show need. |
| 4. Be realistic. When you are filling out the academic year budget, be realistic about how much you spend. Indicating that you spend $300/mo on entertainment might help show that you have more expenses than resources but it probably won’t get you a bursary. |
| 5. Don’t forget your resources. Make sure you tell us how much money you have. If you tell us you have $10,000 worth of expenses and $0 worth of resources we’re going to think you forgot to fill in half the application. |