The Secret to Getting Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries
A step-by-step guide to getting free money at UAlberta
*updated August 10, 2021 with updated hyperlinks and application deadlines
One would think that as a student, applying for scholarships, awards and bursaries would be second nature. University is expensive and if you can help your bottom line by getting some ‘free money’, then why not?
That being said, researching all the different sources (and categories) of money, gathering info and completing the applications — all by their respective deadlines — can be daunting. Add in any shred of doubt that you’ll be a recipient and it’s easy to convince yourself that applying is useless.
Keep on reading and discover why applying is worth your while (whether you get any money or not).
The step-by-step guide is in reverse order… because if you do nothing else, do step 5!
Step 5 — Just apply.
Honestly, it’s that simple.
If your current capacity to be applying for awards right now is low, that’s okay. When you’re able to tackle the rest of the steps, great. But for now, follow the next 3 links and just apply with the information you have right at this very moment:
- The Faculty of Arts — Awards & Scholarships page
- The U of A Awards & Scholarships page (U of A and Gov’t of Alberta academic scholarships and leadership awards) — applications open January 15 and close April 1
- The U of A Students’ Union Awards page — application deadline June 30
‘The Great One’, Wayne Gretzky said it best:
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
You also don’t get any* free scholarship/award/bursary money if you don’t apply. Even if you’re sure that you’re not going to be selected — just apply! You have nothing to lose.
*The Faculty of Arts has a select few scholarships awarded solely based on GPA that do not require students to apply.
The process of applying for awards isn’t actually just about getting awards — it’s also a bit of an exercise in taking initiative. Together with the fact that ‘real life’ requires you to submit applications all. the. time. (for jobs, loans, renting an apartment and more), finding the self-motivation to do something optional, and refining your ability to articulate your accomplishments and your potential, will serve you well long into the future.
Pro tip: start a Google doc and copy/paste all the application questions and your answers for future reference.
Step 4 — Explore all your options. Be strategic.
First up, the difference between scholarships and awards and bursaries:
- Scholarships: almost always based on academics alone. Got a killer GPA? This category is definitely for you!
- Awards: criteria vary, and you will often be asked to demonstrate some leadership or volunteer activity along with still having good marks. Sometimes criteria can seem particular — for example, taking specific courses within a subject area or growing up in a certain geographic region. A lot of awards also consider financial need. Are you busting your butt at school and two part-time jobs to get good grades and keep your debt in check? Explain that in your application. Do you look like a financial train wreck on paper, but it’s because your family isn’t supportive and you’ve been living on your own for years and taking care of your younger sister too? Give the adjudication panel a window into your world. Whatever your situation, providing adjudicators with a bit of info and context is a good idea.
- Bursaries: these are funds for students in financial need, but unlike student loans, bursaries do not need to be repaid. Part-time and full-time students with a satisfactory academic standing are eligible to apply for bursaries.
*The term ‘award’ will be used for the remainder of the article in place of ‘scholarship and/or award and/or bursary’.
Next, level up on award options. Imagine yourself as a Venn diagram — what ‘categories’ could you put yourself into to be eligible for awards?
- U of A — attend the U of A and you’re eligible.
- Faculty of Arts — pursuing one of our many degree options and you’re eligible.
- Department within Arts — additional awards are available within the Faculty of Arts for those taking a specialized degree or majoring in a certain subject. Sometimes taking something as a minor, or even just as option courses, makes you eligible!
- Are you continuing or graduating? For some awards it doesn’t matter, others are specifically for students in each of these categories.
- Golden Bear or Panda student athlete? There are awards for athletics.
- Indigenous — various awards specific to First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are available for all UAlberta. (First Peoples’ House provides a list of Financial Resources that includes resources and funding external to the U of A.)
- Education Abroad Awards — when we’re on the other side of the COVID-19 situation and you start thinking about traveling the world, why not apply for an award to cover some costs?
- Check out the ‘other’ categories — Arts is listed as the first faculty, but keep scrolling down the page and be sure to click on “Any UAlberta Faculty” to see additional awards open to all students. (Plus there are other categories that don’t limit based on your area of study to click on too!)
Lastly, there are lots of awards that exist beyond the University of Alberta. Here are a few links to get you started:
But don’t forget to explore closer to home — find out if your religious or cultural community offers awards.
If you’ve ever done the math to figure out what you need to get on your final exam or paper to get a certain grade/pass a course, you appreciate being strategic.
To that end, read all the award descriptions and criteria (not just the application forms) and apply for everything that you’re even remotely eligible for. Prioritize applying for the ones where you’ve got the best chance, but don’t rule out an award if you don’t meet all the criteria.
Sometimes meeting only one criterion, can make you the lone eligible applicant.
Step 3 — Find a couple of references. Now.
If you’re going to go to the effort of applying for some of the leadership awards, at the very least you’ll need a name and contact info for 2 references. You might need to ask them to write a letter of recommendation. So the sooner you lock these people down, the better!
Ideally your references are not fellow students. But whoever it is, they should be able to speak to the ‘extras’ that you’re highlighting in your award application — your on-campus or community involvement, your volunteer roles, the impact you’ve had as a leader, etc.
Keep track of the key words in the award descriptions and share them with your references. Make it easy for them to speak to your best attributes and qualities (and most importantly those listed in the award criteria), by providing them a resume of some kind, or a copy of the write-up you’re submitting.
Step 2 — Make your application the best it can be.
For your applications, craft a personal statement and/or responses to questions that:
- are clear and concise
- provide specific examples of your achievements (leadership or otherwise)
- answer the given question or prompt completely
- are as long as they need to be (don’t ramble and repeat yourself, but make sure to give enough context, background and detail so people who know nothing about you can understand what you’re trying to get across)
- make you as eligible as possible — does the award list 3 criteria and you only meet 2 of them? See if there’s a way you can at least sorta tie in that third requirement. Like if you need to have taken a certain course and you haven’t, but you’re enrolled in that class for Fall term then include that info!
- ask for advice or help — reach out to someone you look up to up or has experience with helping students. Ask if they’ll review your materials and provide objective feedback.
Pro tip repeated: Keep a copy for your records. As mentioned above in steps 5 and 3, keeping a copy for your records will prove valuable when you want to approach a potential reference, and for future award (and job) applications. You’ve put effort into your responses, so use them more than once!
Step 1 — Create a “Master Resume” that you update regularly and draw from for award (and job) applications.
Put in some additional time and effort right now creating a “master resume” and it’ll be a resource you draw on for you for a long time.
List everything that you’ve done — with important achievements, accomplishments and responsibilities as well as dates and names. Then pull just the specifics you need when tailoring your resume for an award (or job) application.
Time really does blur together, and before you know it it’s going to be hard to remember specifics. Additionally, some of what you are involved in might not seem relevant to include in an award application or to mention in a cover letter right now, but it might be a year or two down the road. So keeping detailed documentation of all the “stuff” — what club you joined when, all the different roles you took on, jobs you’ve had and what your responsibilities (and achievements) were, plus names of people you worked or volunteered with — will be worth it.
Remember:
- Fewer people than you think are actually applying for awards (especially the ones that require a bit more work).
- Even if you don’t get an award now, going through the process this year will help you for next year.
- Keeping track of your involvement and accomplishments — and learning how to best articulate it all — will pay off in the future (for award applications and during job interviews).
- People want to see you succeed — ask for feedback, advice and help with your award applications and you’ll be likely to get it.
Author bio: Joanna Manchur, Student Engagement & Communications Specialist for UAlberta Faculty of Arts. Proud Arts grad — ’02 BA Honors
