Students benefit from Loyalist bursaries

By: Matthew Blair

Millions of dollars in bursaries go unused in Canada each year.

These financial awards are meant for students to help supplement their post-secondary education.

According to an article published on Yahoo, there could be a variety of reasons awards go unclaimed. They range from students not knowing about certain awards, or just not wanting to take the time to apply.

Loyalist College student Jarvis Kay is one student who doesn’t why so many awards go unclaimed.

“I’ve applied for about 10 awards this year,” Kay said. “I need the money. It’s a short process and college is expensive. Any chance at free cash people should take advantage of.”

But where does all this money go every year from awards that don’t go to students?

Dianne Spencer, executive director of college advancement and external relations at Loyalist College, said no bursary money goes unused.

“If that happens, for whatever reason, the money is kept in that account.  If no one applies that year, it is added to the following year so that one or more of those awards can be given out,” she said.

Spencer said every year, about $1 million is given out to Loyalist students.

“Some awards, students don’t even need to apply to,” she said. “Some of them are given out for things like good grades.”

Loyalist student Phill Legue said he received a couple of awards he never applied to.

“I think one of them was the Queen Elizabeth award. I got $3,000 and I never filled out an application.”

“I did not apply for any bursaries while I was there because I really didn’t think I was going to get them,” said former Loyalist student Jordan Bond.

Bond studied at Loyalist during the 2012-2013 school year. 

“Now that I’m not at school and stuck paying my debt off, I wish I had applied,” she said.

Spencer urges all students to apply for as many awards as possible. She said there are awards in every category.

Emails are sent out to all students at the beginning of the school year on available bursaries and where to find them. Current applications for awards are now closed for review, but will re-open again in a few months.

For more information on how to apply for bursaries and scholarships, you can go to the financial aid office at Loyalist College.