BC Excellence Scholarship

The BC Excellence scholarship is awarded to 55 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.

Students selected for this award receive 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. (i.e., approved for Canada Student Loans) or a program provider that is approved by SkilledTradesBC.

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;
• 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 as of 2024: an update to the written statement prompt invites applicants to reflect deeply on one reason they are pursuing their post-secondary or career pathway.

1. Written statements are assessed by a team of B.C. teachers using the marking guidelines (PDF)
2. Approximately 80 candidates are shortlisted
3. The resumes for those shortlisted candidates are assessed by a different team of B.C. teachers, using the same marking guidelines
4. Fifty-five students are selected by  consensus as conditional recipients

How to prepare (overview)

Students interested in applying for the BC Excellence Scholarship in the 2025 awards year are encouraged to get organized well before applications are due in February 2025.

• Make a checklist of the required information you will need to submit through the online application form in February 2025
  • Nomination form completed by your school
    • Each school may nominate one student only
  • Written statement
    • All written statements are assessed, and those assessments are used to shortlist applications
  • Resume via mandatory online format
    • Only resumes from shortlisted applications are reviewed
  • Reference letters (2)
    • One community-related (such as a community leader, coach, instructor, volunteer supervisor, or employer)
    • One school-related (such as a teacher, counsellor, school principal, or vice-principal)
    • The marking team does not mark the reference letters but does consider them when scoring resumes
• Look for the online application to open in Late Fall 2024
• Ensure that you have a plan to meet all eligibility requirements