UBC Bursary program

About the bursary

The UBC Bursary program helps eligible domestic students access financial support to help pay for their assessed education and living costs. The program is designed to help bridge the gap between your expenses, the government assistance available to you and the amount you’re expected to contribute toward your education.

Being eligible for a bursary does not guarantee that the funding you receive will cover all of your costs.

How funding amounts are determined

The amount of funding you may receive depends on several factors, including:

• Loan assessment: Your individual financial need as determined by your provincial student loan assessment.
• Family demographics: Total family size and the previous year’s total income.
• Applicant volume: The total number of bursary applicants within your specific program.
• Comparative need: The unmet financial need of other eligible students.
• Program-specific allocation: UBC Bursary eligibility and the total funds reserved for your program.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for the UBC Bursary program, you must meet all of the following requirements:

• You are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or have refugee status.
• You are enrolled in an eligible program with a full-time course load.
• You must be receiving full-time Canadian government student loans for a study period that is a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks in length and matches the period for which you’re applying for bursary support.
• You must have received confirmation of enrolment for your Canadian government student loan by the bursary application deadline.
• You must have an unmet financial need as determined by UBC’s evaluation process.

Programs that are not eligible for the bursary: Certificate, Diploma, Unclassified, Qualifying, Visiting, Access Studies, and UBC Co-op.

UBC bursary applications are subject to verification. Read UBC Bursary Verifications below for more details.

UBC Access Promise for eligible BC students

The UBC Access Promise program automatically assesses eligible students for bursary funding if they have a full-time student loan through StudentAid BC and meet the program criteria below.

Students who were eligible as Access Promise in one session may not automatically qualify as Access Promise students in subsequent or future sessions.

Access Promise student eligibility requirements

• You must meet UBC Bursary program eligibility requirements.
• You must be registered in an eligible undergraduate program at the UBC Okanagan campus: All undergraduate programs and Aboriginal Access Studies.
• You must have received the maximum Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students.
• Have received a full-time student loan through StudentAid BC.
• Be classified by StudentAid BC as a Dependent student who is considered to be dependent on a financial sponsor, such as parent(s), or self-identify as an Indigenous person.

Application period

There are 2 main bursary application periods: winter and summer.

If your student loan is only applicable to Winter Term 2, a Winter Term 2-only bursary application will be available to you. To be eligible, you must apply for the bursary and enrolment must be confirmed with your province for your Canadian government student loan by the application deadline.

2026/27 Winter

• Applications open: Fri, Aug 14, 2026
• Applications close: Tues, Sep 15, 2026 (11:59 PM PT)

2026/27 Winter Term 2-only

• Applications open: Tues, Dec 15, 2026
• Applications close: Fri, Jan 15, 2027 (11:59 PM PT)

Important information about student loans

Students are encouraged to apply for student loans and grants as early as possible.

Your enrolment must be confirmed with your provincial loan provider before the bursary application deadlines above to be eligible for UBC bursaries.

To meet this bursary deadline, you are strongly encouraged to apply for your provincial student loan by the following dates, depending on the application period during which you are applying:

• For winter bursary applications, apply by July 31.
• For winter Term 2-only bursary applications, apply by November 15.
• For summer bursary applications, apply by April 15.

How to apply for the bursary

Follow step-by-step instructions to apply to the UBC Bursary program on the LFSM portal.

Information on the application is collected under the authority of section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Once your application has been submitted

You can find the submitted application on the “My Financial Profiles” page of the LFSM-Award application.

If the application deadline has not passed, you can click on the pen icon to edit the application and submit any updated information.

How to accept your offer

If you have received a bursary, you will be notified by email with instructions on how to accept your offer. Bursary offers not accepted within the study period will be cancelled.

If there are changes to your financial situation

If you are facing an unexpected financial emergency or have had a significant change to your financial situation, contact Enrolment Services Advising. They can help you navigate these changes and connect you to relevant support.

If you have been awarded a bursary and have since received additional resources not reported on your bursary application, you must report this to Enrolment Services.

How bursary funds are issued

Bursaries issued by UBC are applied first toward tuition and student fees. When the amount of the bursary is greater than the outstanding fees in any term:

• If you have provided banking information on Workday, the surplus funds are paid to your bank account through direct deposit, normally within 3 to 5 business days of the payment being issued.
• If banking information has not been provided, any remaining funds will stay on your tuition account as a credit toward future tuition.

Students are required to sign up for direct deposit to ensure timely access to bursary funds.

UBC Bursary Verifications

All UBC bursary support is subject to financial reviews and verification.

Failure to provide the requested documents in a timely manner may result in the delay or cancellation of your UBC bursary funding, and/or a reassessment of your application.

Keep all relevant receipts and documents for 18 months after you apply. Information provided on your bursary application can be verified before and after the bursary decision, and up to 18 months after you receive your funding.

If your application is selected for verification

You may be asked to provide additional supporting documents, such as:

• Housing documentation: rental agreement and proof of payment (cash receipts are not accepted as proof of payment)
• Bank statements: Statements for the student, parent, and/or dependents
• Notice of Assessment: Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment for the most recently available tax year (including line 150)
• Proof of address: For students and family members living in the same household

If you are claiming child care expenses in your bursary application

Before applying for bursary support:

• You must apply for government funding.
• You may be asked to submit a confirmation letter from the BC Child Care Service Centre indicating Affordable Child Care Benefits (ACCB) eligibility/ineligibility.
• You may be eligible for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative without an application.
• You need to submit an application for the Affordable Child Care Benefit every year. The BC Child Care Service Centre estimates that it takes approximately 20 business days to process an electronic application. Please ensure that you apply early to allow time for your application to be processed before the start of the academic year.

Supporting documentation

You may be asked to submit proof of expenses, including:

• A letter from child care service providers
• Proof of payment to child care service providers (cash receipts are not accepted as proof of payment)
• Confirmation of child care benefits from BC Child Care Service Centre

Other bursaries

• • Awards for Indigenous students
  • Awards for students with disabilities
  • Students from BC: Government grant, scholarship, and other financial support

If you have questions

If you have questions, please contact Enrolment Services Advising.