UNBC Graduate Awards.

Individual applicants are responsible for knowing the application deadlines, providing complete information on the application form and for supplying any supporting documentation that is required.

Unless otherwise stated in the criteria, the deadline for applying for most Graduate Awards is February 15 each year.

Definitions

Unless otherwise stated these definitions apply to the criteria listed in the on-line Awards Guide.

Academic excellence
Normally a minimum A- average, equivalent to or greater than a 4.00 GPA.

Academic proficiency
Normally a B- average, equivalent to or greater than a 3.33 GPA.

Satisfactory Academic Standing
Normally a minimum C average, equivalent or greater than a 3.00 GPA.

Minimum Standing
For the purpose of awards eligibility, minimum standing ("passing grades") shall be considered equivalent to satisfactory academic standing.

Cumulative GPA
For continuing graduate students, academic standing shall be determined by the cumulative GPA in the student's current graduate program.

Full-time Graduate Student
A full-time student is a graduate student who is enrolled in six credits or more per semester, or is enrolled in a thesis, project or comprehensive examination.

Resident of Northern BC
A person who resides in a northern community located within the regions established under the College and Institute Act for the College of New Caledonia, the Northern Lights College and the Northwest Community College.

A resident northern British Columbia is defined as a person whose principal residence for twelve consecutive months immediately prior to admission at UNBC is within the defined region.

For those awards where "health sciences" is stated in the criteria, the following graduate programs are considered eligible:

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Award Types

Award
An award may be a fellowship, scholarship, bursary, prize or other monetary recognition assigned to a student.

Fellowship
Usually available only to graduate students, awarded on the basis of high academic achievement (academic excellence or academic proficiency) toward which secondary criteria may be applied.

Scholarship
Awarded on the basis of high academic achievement (academic excellence or academic proficiency) toward which secondary criteria may be applied.

Bursary
Awarded on the basis of demonstrable financial need, provided the student has met the requirement of satisfactory academic standing, toward which secondary criteria including academic achievement may be applied.

Prize
The award's value may be non-monetary, such as a book or other gift-in-kind, or if monetary, its value is normally less than $250.

Medal
The award is an academic medal, awarded on the basis of academic excellence or academic proficiency, toward which secondary criteria may be applied.
Award categories

Graduate
Graduate Awards are set aside for students who have been admitted into the Graduate Studies program at UNBC.

Please see Academic Regulation 17 (Academic Distinction).

Each year a very small number of students will be graduated with Distinction.  Selection criteria take into account the student's overall academic record and, as appropriate, the quality of the thesis; and are applied by a Dean's Committee on Graduate Honours chaired by the Dean of Graduate Programs.  Students do not apply for graduation with disctinction.

General
These awards may be available to a variety of UNBC students, including new undergraduates, transfer, undergraduate in-course students, and graduate students. Some awards may also be available to Faculty.

Administrative Policies

Unless otherwise stated these policies apply to the criteria listed in the on-line Awards Guide.

Graduate Awards
Students commencing or continuing in Graduate Studies at UNBC are encouraged to apply for UNBC's Graduate Awards. To be considered for awards adjudicated on the basis of criteria such as community service or written research intent, it is recommended that students submit a resume, or curriculum vitae and thesis proposal along with a completed Graduate Awards application form to the Awards and Financial Aid Office. Applicants may be evaluated on the basis of their admission GPA or their cumulative GPA.

Awards Ceiling
The University reserves the right to limit the amount of money awarded to any student and, if necessary, to reassign awards to other students by reversion. The Senate Committee on Scholarships and Bursaries will generally recommend that no individual student receive an award or combination of awards exceeding a determined value.

Disbursement
It is generally understood that students will be enrolling in both the Fall and the Winter Semesters. Funds will be deposited directly into the students' UNBC accounts in two equal disbursements: the first on or about September 10 and the second on or about January 10.

Awards over a determined value may be disbursed on a monthly basis over a twelve month period.

Awards may  normally be deferred for a period of one semester only. Requests for deferrals must be made in writing to the Awards and Financial Aid office.

The University reserves the right to apply awards proceeds against outstanding fees owing to the University. If the amount of the award or awards exceeds the unpaid fees for the semester, the student may apply for a refund of the excess balance after the add/drop deadline has past.

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Liability

Any award may be withheld or cancelled for any of these reasons: lack of suitable candidates; failure to meet the terms and conditions of the award; withdrawal from the University or withdrawal of the award by the donor. Furthermore, the University assumes liability for the payment of scholarships, bursaries, prizes, and other awards only to the extent that expected gifts from donors or returns from particular investments of endowed funds are realized. The University also reserves the right to make whatever changes are required, including cancellation of particular awards or changes to criteria.

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Requirements

Unless otherwise stated, all awards are conditional upon confirmation of full-time registration at the University of Northern British Columbia in the semesters immediately following the granting of the award.