Glossary

Administrator, or Scholarship Administrator: An individual or committee in a company, school, association, or branch of government that manages one or more scholarships. The administrator considers applications and determines suitable candidates for awards, scholarships and bursaries.

Admission Award: A scholarship or award given to a student entering his / her first year at a post-secondary institution. Also referred to as Entrance Award.

Award: An award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement. Awards may be in the form of books, plaques, subscriptions or money. A monetary award is usually called a scholarship or bursary.

Bursary: A non-repayable grant of money, Bursaries are awarded primarily based on financial need, but academic achievement is also considered. Usually, the applicant must provide detailed documentation describing their financial situation when applying for the bursary.

Career College: A privately owned and operated institution whose main objective is to prepare students for the job market after an intensive period of instruction. Also called a Private College or Technical College.

Community College: A post-secondary institution that offers diplomas and certificates. The primary functions of most community colleges are to respond the training needs of business, industry, the public service sector, and the educational needs of vocationally oriented secondary school graduates and adults.

Entrance Award/Scholarship: A scholarship or award given to a student entering his/her first year at a post-secondary institution. Also referred to as an Admission Award.

Fellowship: A monetary prize awarded to a student pursuing studies usually beyond the baccalaureate level. Usually one of the criteria is academic average.

Financial Need: The need of a student to receive financial aid in order to pursue their education. Eligibility criteria differ at almost every institution. Generally, it is based on the expected contributions from the student and/or their family, which are then deducted from allowable educational expenses such as tuition, books, and personal living expenses at a moderate standard of living. Contact the Scholarship Administrator(s) for information about their specific definitions of financial need.

Graduate Award: Awarded to students pursuing post-graduate levels of study (Master's or Doctorate degrees.) Recipients usually hold at least one degree and are engaged in some sort of research project.

Grant: A non-repayable sum of money that is given based primarily on financial need, but academic achievement may also be considered. Usually, official documentation describing your financial situation is required when applying.

In-course Award/Scholarship: Awarded to students already enrolled in post-secondary studies, beyond the first year level.

Internship: Describes a professional/educational experience conducted in a non-university setting, usually with the corporation that donates the money for the scholarship.

Loan: Awarded as financial assistance that must be repaid.

Permanent Disability: A functional limitation caused by a physical or mental impairment that restricts the ability of a person to perform the daily activities necessary to participate in studies at the post-secondary level. Students are usually required to show documentation demonstrating that they have a permanent disability.

Prize: Usually a cash prize or trophy given to a student for outstanding achievement.

Résumé: A one or two page document that summarizes a person's education as well as their professional and volunteer work experience.

Scholarship: A non-repayable sum of money awarded to a student to help finance further education. Most scholarships are based on merit in areas ranging from academic achievement to athletics. Usually, scholarships are not based on financial need.

Transcript: An official school document that shows courses taken by a student and grades received.

Transfer Student: A student who is awarded credit toward a degree at a new university or college for academic work completed at a previous university or equivalent institution of higher learning.

Undergraduate Award/Scholarship: A scholarship or award given to a student who is pursuing their first degree at a post-secondary institution.

University: A post-secondary institution that specializes in many branches of advanced learning and grants degrees in various faculties.

University College: A post-secondary institution that offers both university degree programs and college diploma and certificate programs.