Bursaries are non-repayable awards allocated primarily on the basis of financial need. UBC bursaries are administered through the UBC Student Financial Assistance and Awards Office.
UBC General Bursary Program
Applications for the UBC General Bursary are available mid-August of each year from the on-line Student Service Centre. The application dates for the academic year are from August 15 - September 15.
Applicant Eligibility: MD undergraduates must meet eligibility criteria to apply. Applicants must also be receiving government student loans for the academic year in which they are applying and still have remaining “unmet need” according to the government student loan assessment to be considered for UBC general bursaries. This application is for a student’s full academic year. Please see Policy 72 for reference of the UBC Bursary Policy.
Note - Third year MD undergraduates only: By applying before the September deadline for the UBC Winter Bursary, the assessment notification will include any funds that you may be entitled to for the summer session as the study period is 12 months. The only reasons you should use the UBC summer bursary application are if you did not apply for the UBC bursary in September or if you applied for student loans late in the academic year after the September bursary deadline. Students receiving a nil bursary assessment are not eligible to re-apply in the summer.
Note - Island Medical Program (IMP), Northern Medical Program (NMP) and Southern Medical Program (SMP) students should be completing the UBC general bursary application and not a general bursary application issued by these partnering universities.
UBC Affiliation Bursary Program - Application Deadline is posted on the website.
UBC Affiliation Bursaries have specific eligibility criteria such as membership in an organization, affiliation with a union, specific firm or industry, or seek specific personal characteristics or achievements of the applicant in addition to financial need. The application form and additional information are available here.
Scholarship - recognizes academic achievement and generally provide for tuition and textbook costs.
Over $960,000 was awarded in Faculty of Medicine awards to UBC medical students in 2022-2023. Approximately 20% of students in the program who achieve high academic standing receive some scholarship support.
The majority of scholarships disbursed by the Faculty of Medicine will not require an application as students who meet the criteria will be automatically recommended. Any announcements for scholarships that require an application will be sent through Listservs, and posted on the Student Affairs Quarterly Newsletter.
UBC Affiliation Scholarships - Application Deadline is posted on the website. UBC Affiliation Scholarships must be applied for on an individual basis through the UBC Student Financial Assistance and Awards Office.
External (non-UBC) Scholarships and Awards
The majority of external scholarships and awards are advertised externally and applicants communicate directly with the issuing body. For this reason, students are encouraged to investigate external opportunities for which they may be eligible. A few major external scholarship opportunities will be distributed by the Student Financial Assistance Officer directly to eligible students.
Grant - offered by the government as a portion of an approved government student loan. In most cases students are automatically considered for grants when they submit a complete and correct government student loan application. Grants are funds that students are generally not required to repay. Grants do not increase the maximum amount of funding available to students through government student loans.
Canada Study Grants for Students with Dependents (Children)
The amount of this grant is $40 per week if you have 1 or 2 dependents. For students with 3 or more dependents, you may qualify for $60 per week. This grant does not increase the maximum weekly funding available to students. If received, the grant will reduce the repayable portion of your government student loan funding. Students are automatically considered for this grant by submitting a complete and correct government student loan application.
Grants for Disabled Students
There are grants available through the provincial government for disabled students. These grants must be applied for along with documentation of permanent disability.
There are also many other types of government grants and application forms.