BC Excellence Scholarship

The BC Excellence scholarship is awarded to 55 well-rounded high school graduates who have demonstrated service and leadership, both at school and in their communities, and who show aptitude for and commitment to their chosen career or area of post-secondary study.

Understand students must be nominated by their secondary school to qualify for this scholarship and each school may nominate one student only

NEW for 2023: applicants are no longer required to have a specific career goal to qualify for the BC Excellence scholarship. Students can demonstrate career or post-secondary study goals. This more inclusive approach recognizes many students finish high school before they’ve decided on a career path.

Successful recipients are awarded a $5,000 scholarship voucher from the Ministry of Education and Child Care that they can use to be reimbursed for tuition paid after they are attending a post-secondary institution that is designated by the Province of B.C.

Students have five years to redeem their BC Excellence scholarship vouchers; an expiry date is printed on each voucher and extensions are not possible.

Eligibility requirements

Students selected as conditional recipients of the BC Excellence scholarship must meet the following requirements by August 31 of their graduating year to be confirmed as a recipient and receive their scholarship voucher:

• meet core eligibility requirements;
  • Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (landed immigrant) and have that on record with the school at which you registered for Grade 12
  • Be a B.C. resident
  • Be or have been in the school year for which the scholarship is awarded:
    • Enrolled in a British Columbia public school (including online learning schools), or
    • Enrolled in a Group 1, 2, or 4 British Columbia Independent School, or
    • Enrolled in a Continuing Education Centre, or
    • Registered as a homeschooler with an eligible school in British Columbia  
  • Complete all graduation requirements, and be on record as having graduated, by August 31 of the scholarship awards year
• be eligible for a B.C. Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma);
• fulfill the requirements of the B.C. Graduation Program; and,
• have the following final marks.
  • Minimum “B” average in grades 11 and 12 courses required for graduation
  • Minimum "B" (73% or above) in Language Arts 12
  • Minimum “B” average, no more than one "C+" (67% or above), and no marks lower than “C+” in courses that fulfill graduation requirements for Science 11 or 12, Math 11, and Social Studies 11 or 12

Note: students may apply for both the BC Excellence scholarship and the Pathway to Teacher Education scholarship but they can only be awarded one.

How applications are evaluated

NEW for 2023: updated guidelines and criteria more clearly reflect the intent of the scholarship, including service, leadership, and focus on a future path.

1. Written statements are assessed by a team of B.C. teachers using the marking guidelines
2. Approximately 80 candidates are shortlisted
3. The resume packages for those shortlisted candidates are assessed by a different committee of B.C. teachers, using the same marking guidelines
4. Fifty-five candidates are named as conditional recipients

Required information

1. Nomination from your school
2. Written statement (500 words)
   • Note: the written statement is worth 60% in the overall assessment of the application; all written statements are assessed, and those assessments are used to shortlist applications
3. Resume
   • Note: resumes are worth 40% in the overall assessment of the application; only resumes from shortlisted applications are reviewed
4. Two reference letters (one community-related and one school-related)
   • Note: the marking team does not mark reference letters but does consider them when reviewing resumes