Award Policies

Policies for scholarships, awards, and medals

Thompson Rivers University – Entrance Scholarships

Thompson Rivers University – Academic Achievement Awards

For further Senate interpretations and applications of these policies, please review the Awards & Honours Committee information.

Be sure to refer to definitions to understand the types of awards

Policies for bursaries

Thompson Rivers University is committed to assisting students in the pursuit of their educational goals through the removal of financial barriers.

Bursaries are monetary awards based on demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement, and in some cases additional criteria.

Bursaries exist to supplement, not replace, funds available to students through work, savings and assets, government student loans and grants, and family resources/income.

I. ELIGIBILITY AND ASSESSMENT

1. Students applying for bursaries will normally already have applied and been approved for government student loan and grant funding from their province of residence.  Students who have not applied for student loan and grant funding will be asked to explain why they have not done so, and may be prioritized lower than those who have.
2. Demonstrated financial need shall be determined only by using a standardized and uniform institutional Need Assessment formula set by the Registrar, which primarily follows the historical Canada Student Loan Program cost sharing philosophy and measures student and (where deemed dependent) family income, savings, and assets against mandatory educational costs and a moderate standard of living (MSOL). Approval for government student loan funding is no longer considered a demonstration of financial need.  Some individual faculty/school bursary programs may use a different standard need assessment formula if approved by the Dean.
3. The TRU Need Assessment formula only considers students to be financially independent of their family once they 1) are aged 22 as of the first day of the semester of application, OR 2) they are married or common law as reflected on other government documents, OR 3) they have a child/dependent themselves.  Therefore some students will be considered "independent" under the government student loan Need Assessment, but considered "dependent" by the TRU Need Assessment.
4. Academic program applicants: Unless a bursary specifies otherwise, must have already completed a full-time semester at TRU and attained a minimum 2.00 Undergraduate Current GPA and Cumulative GPA in their most recent semester of full-time study. In extenuating circumstances as determined by Student Awards, applicants may be allowed to qualify with either a minimum Current OR Cumulative GPA of 2.00 only, and may be considered in their first semester using an equivalent standing in their most recent study elsewhere.
5. Trades and Vocational program applicants: must have a satisfactory standing in their program at the time of adjudication.
6. Unless a bursary specifies otherwise, applicants must be enrolled in and maintain at least nine undergraduate credits or full-time trades or vocational enrolment in both the semester of application and the semester in which the bursary is received. Students approved to study at a reduced course load by StudentAid BC or another Provincial Authority or Accessibility Services who can demonstrate a functional requirement for a reduced course load may be enrolled in at least six undergraduate credits.
7. Bursary applicants must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or Convention Refugees (as demonstrated by a valid Social Insurance Number).
8. Emergency Bursary applicants must simply be current TRU students, active in their courses at the time an unexpected crisis or expense occurred.  Emergency Bursary funding is only for students who 1) encounter an unforeseen financial crisis 2) resulting in a verifiable need that 3) will have a material impact on their ability to successfully complete their semester.

II. AUDIT AND REVERSAL

1. Student Awards reserves the right to reclaim or adjust the bursary should the student reduce his/her courseload, or if information becomes available which changes the student's eligibility for the bursary. Student Awards may audit a student application by asking for additional financial, income tax, or family information at the time of application, during the study period, or at the time of a subsequent application.

III. REVIEW AND APPEAL

1. Students may make an appointment with a Student Awards Advisor to better understand their assessment and level of eligibility, and to elaborate on any unique circumstances which they believe impacts their level of eligibility.
2. If a student believes his/her assessment was inequitable or unfair, he/she may submit a letter of appeal to the Director, Student Awards & Financial Aid, either by email or post. Complex appeals may be referred to the Senate Awards & Honours Committee for a final decision.

IV. CONFIDENTIALITY

1. Student and family financial information will not be released without prior written consent of the applicant. For donor bursaries, a bursary recipient's name, city, and program of study may be released to the TRU Foundation and the donor.