Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship

Being a K-12 teacher is a big responsibility – one that requires the right kind of education so you can impart the right kind of education too when become one. But you already know that. And all that you want to do is find a way to fulfill your dream of becoming a teacher. Get the financial help you need to pursue a career in shaping young minds.

We know that’s why you’re here. To know more about the Pathway to Teacher Scholarship; and we’re here to tell you everything we know. Every year, the provincial government of British Columbia awards 20 deserving students with an annual scholarship that can help them fund their teacher training program. 

Let’s know more about this program in details below – 

Eligibility Criteria 

While you might be eager to apply, it’s important to check the eligibility criteria before you do so. That’ll help you getting things in order before the actual application process begins. Check out the eligibility criteria below – 

• First and foremost, you should be a Canadian citizen. Students who are permanent residents of the country are also eligible.
• You must be a resident of the province of British Columbia. 
• You should be a high school graduate or should be currently enrolled in high school in Grade 12.
• You also need to be eligible for Dogwood Diploma or what is also known as Certificate of Graduation. 
• The results of you Grades 11 and 12 final courses should be a minimum B average. 
• Your grade for Language Arts 12 should be a minimum “B” or 73% above at the very least. 
• Of your final course marks for both Grades 11 and 12, no more than one should be a C+. Any marks lower than C+ are not accepted. This includes your marks for Science 11 and/or 12, Social Studies 11 and/or 12 and Math 11. 

Note –Though you are allowed to apply for BC Excellence Scholarship along with this program, you will still receive only one of them provided you qualify. 

Eligible Institutions 

The thing about the Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship is that it applies to only certain designated institutions. If you do not plan to study in any one of the schools from the prescribed schools, you might not be considered eligible for this award. Here’s the list of designated schools – 

• Simon Fraser University 
• Trinity Western University 
• Thompson Rivers University 
• University of the Fraser Valley 
• University of British Columbia 
• University of British Columbia – Okanagan 
• University of Northern British Columbia 
• University of Victoria 
• Vancouver Island University 

You must enroll yourself in an approved teacher education course from any one of the schools mentioned above. 

How To Apply 

The application process for this scholarship is pretty standard. You’ll have to fill a form to apply, which you will find here. Along with your form, you will also have to furnish a couple of additional things. These include a written statement, which would make up for 60% of your assessment when it comes to your application overall. You’ll also have to submit a resume in the specified format as this will make up for 40% of your overall assessment. 

Another thing that you’ll need to provide are a total of two reference letters. One of these would be related to your community, and the other related to your school. Applicants must also note here that only high school graduates can apply for this scholarship. 

Applications sent are assessed on the basis of the following – 

• British Columbia teachers will assess your written statement following the marking guidelines laid down. 
• Of all the applications submitted, only a set of 40 students will be shortlisted. 
• The shortlisted applicants will next be assessed on the basis of their resumes by British Columbia teachers using the same marking guidelines as mentioned above. 
• Once that is done, 20 out of the 40 shortlisted students will be declared as conditional recipients of this scholarship.

Apart from this, you also need to keep track of certain dates throughout the year when it comes to this scholarship. These include – 

• Fall of the year of your application as that’s when online applications open
• Feb of the next year is the due date 
• Early June is when the notification is sent out to schools and their conditional recipients 
• September is when conditional recipients are assessed based on the overall eligibility criteria 
• October is when recipients receive their paper scholarship vouchers via mail

How Much Can You Get 

Time for the million-dollar question. We know you’ve been aching to learn about this so we’ll jump straight to the point. Each of the 20 qualifying students will receive a scholarship voucher of $5,000 per head. You can use this voucher to reimburse you for the fee you paid for your teaching course. 

Other Student Aid Options 

Worried that this scholarship might not be the one for you? Don’t worry future teachers of British Columbia. You can try your luck with other funding options too. You can apply for BC Excellence Scholarship, BC Full-time Student Loan or apply for a BC Student Grant among others.