A scholarship fund of $6 million was announced for UBC students on Wednesday in Kelowna.
That means that 400 eligible students will each be awarded $15,000 to go towards their schooling, ensuring that they’ll be able to focus on their research and studies instead of worrying about tuition fees.
“All of the money that we have to help support graduate students only increases their expertise and their ability to have an impact in our region and beyond,” says Deanna Roberts, Director of Graduate Studies at UBC's Okanagan campus.
The focus of the scholarship fund will be on fields such as science, technology, management, and engineering, but any graduate student who meets the criteria will be able to apply for one of the awards.
That includes Aboriginal students, who will be a priority when it comes to deciding who gets a share of the scholarship fund.
“Part of the criteria set out by the government is that this award be available to Aboriginal students,” says Roberts. “We’re actually introducing a new Aboriginal entrance award as well to try and help fund and facilitate Aboriginal graduate studies at the Okanagan campus.”
Roberts says she’s hopeful that this scholarship fund will lead to more student research being seen throughout communities in BC, and will in turn lead to more funds from donors in the future.
There are approximately 7,700 graduate students at UBC’s two campuses, with just under 850 of those being at the Okanagan campus. It’s unknown at this time how many students at the Okanagan campus will receive these awards compared to those at the main campus in Vancouver.