Funding 101: terminology

Funding 101: terminology

Bursaries: Bursaries are non-repayable funds awarded to students based on financial need and reasonable academic standing.

Grants and awards: There are a number of national and provincial granting agencies that annually fund graduate students and their research. These are merit-based fellowships which must be applied for individually and have specific application guidelines and deadlines.

Scholarships: Scholarships are non-repayable funds awarded to students on the basis of academic merit or excellence.

Student loans: The federal and provincial/territorial governments provide student loan and grant assistance for Canadian citizens and permanent residents studying at the post-secondary level. The funding is offered in the form of repayable loans and non-repayable grants and is issued to students if they have demonstrated financial need. These loans are interest free while you are a full-time student.

Tri-council awards: Tri-council refers to Canada's three major research funding bodies, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). CIHR is the Government of Canada's agency responsible for funding health research in Canada. NSERC is a federal agency whose vision is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency supports 26,500 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences.

Funding tips and tricks

Funding tips and tricks

Start early: Preparing a scholarship, bursary or grant application can take a significant amount of time. Start the process early by identifying opportunites you potentially want to apply for. Browse the School of Nursing's funding pages and be sure to visit UVic's financial aid and funding webpage. Read the guidelines of each award to find out what you will need to do to make your application complete. Some opportunities require you to submit transcripts, letters of reference, or write on a certain topic. These activities take time to do well, so plan to give yourself, the transcript order office and your referees, adequate time.

Read the guidelines: Be sure to thoroughly read the full terms and guidelines of each award for which you plan to apply. Award application criteria differs from competition to competition and may change over time.

Referee letters (letters of support or recommendation): Recommendation letters are examined with great care by scholarship, bursary and grant application review panels. Select referees who know your work, but don't expect them to remember everything about you. Work with your referees to provide them with your most relevant professional and educational activities and achievements. Provide your referees with a current cv (professional resumé). Consider preparing basic outlines of your accomplishments under each of the application’s criteria – this activity will help you to become more aware of your accomplishments and existing areas of professionalinterest, and has the added bonus of demonstrating to your referees your work ethic and preparedness, and will also be of help to them in producing a strong recommendation letter on your behalf.

Don't get discouraged if you don't receive funding right away: Making applications without receiving funding does not mean that you have not been successful: crafting and submitting applications is not a waste of your time. There are many benefits to applying for funding beyond actually receiving funding. Here are just a few:

• Applying for funding develops professional administrative skills. You will need to become familiar with various computer technologies – online databases, word processing and spreadsheet software, to name a basic few. Cultivating proficient administration skills – regardless of whether your ambition is to work in clinical practice or become a university faculty member – will have real world employment consequences. Grants crafting experience will provide you with transferable skills that will be looked upon favorably by hiring committees.
• Applying for awards can have a positive impact on your networking skills. Speraking with and asking questions of potential referees can help maintain ties with former instructors and professional mentors – as well as help cultivate new relationships with new instructors and supervisors.
• With every application you make you will become increasingly familiar with the type of work you want to do. Whether you are writing a general paragraph about why you would like to persue a specific area of nursing or developing a program of study for your graduate education, the more you write about your work and your goals, the more opportunities you have to engage with your educational goals in a meaningful way– to explore what you really want to do and say, where you want to make an impact.

Check your spelling:  Untidy applications, or those that are over-crowed with information are hard to read and may be viewed negatively. Spend time to ensure there are no formatting, grammar or spelling errors, and that the application is neat and concise.

It's a numbers game: There is considerable funding available to help provide financial support for post-secondary education. While the competition is sometimes fierce, if you don’t apply, you won’t receive these funds. It's a numbers game - be sure to APPLY, APPLY, APPLY. Even if only one out of every three of your applications is funded, you will be further ahead than if you did not apply at all. Your student advisor, faculty members, supervisor and committee members are there to offer support, review your applications, and write letters of reference if needed.

Say thank you: When you are successful, be sure to thank the individuals or organizations who helped fund you. The UVic Office of Finalcial Aid has some information to help you write a thank you letter.

Our people: funding

Our people: funding

Lori Klear, BA (UVic awards for current and prospective graduate students)
Coordinator, Student Affairs
Phone: 250-721-7961
Email: klear@uvic.ca

Emma Hannah, BA (UVic and external awards for current and prospective graduate students)
Administrative Assistant, Graduate Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards
Phone: 250-721-6315
Email: ehannah@uvic.ca

Paul Meier, BA, BEd (awards for current and prospective undergraduate students)
Admissions Liaison Officer/Student Advisor
Phone: 250-472-4607
Email: pmeier@uvic.ca

Jennifer Lefler (awards for current and prospective undergraduate students)
Administrative Assistant, Undergraduate Scholarships and Bursaries
Phone: 250-721-7954
Email: jlefler@uvic.ca