The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is one of 10 post-secondary institutions in B.C. benefiting from a $3.75-million scholarship fund intended to spark innovation, economic growth and help recruit and retain B.C.'s brightest minds.
UNBC will receive $255,000 to administer the scholarships which will be awarded through March 2024.
"Graduate students, including those at UNBC, conduct critical research and investigate a wide range of topics that have a direct impact on our day-to-day lives. They contribute meaningfully in our quest to create local solutions that have a global impact," said UNBC president Geoffrey Payne.
"This renewed commitment to graduate scholarships is exciting; it helps us attract students, furthers research productivity and makes pursuing a graduate degree more accessible for students."
The scholarships are merit-based and research-focused with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs. Professional programs and other disciplines, such as business administration and health, are also eligible.
"British Columbia is home to incredible graduate students who are shaping a brighter future for our province," said Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
"These scholarships will make life more affordable for students by decreasing or eliminating financial pressures they face. This financial support will help them focus on their studies to continue building the lives they want so they can find further success in British Columbia."
The B.C. Graduate Scholarships were introduced in 2018 and have helped graduate students undertake projects that create new knowledge and find solutions to pressing real-world challenges, such as research at UNBC in watershed monitoring, wildfire impacts, forestry and wood engineering.
"Thanks to the B.C. Graduate Scholarship, I can experience learning as a passion and not as a job," said Ann Duong, a B.C. Graduate Scholarship recipient. "This allows me to delve deeper into my research, contemplate new ideas and possibilities, and have the confidence to explore industrial hygiene, an unfamiliar field of knowledge."
Graduate students are also eligible for a wide range of student financial aid through StudentAid BC, including grants, bursaries and loans.
