Scholarships Eligibility Criteria
WHO SHOULD APPLY
To be considered for a scholarship, you must be:
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- A member of the Canadian Black community (i.e. a Black person of discernible African ancestry and you self identify as Black/African- Canadian/African-Caribbean/African-American);
- A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
- A maximum 30 years of age at the start of the 2017-18 academic year, and be
- Enrolled as a full-time student in the academic year 2017-2018 at an accredited post-secondary institution (as determined by the NSF).
SELECTION CRITERIA
The decision to grant a scholarship is based on the following criteria:
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- High academic achievement,
- Financial Need,
- Recognized contribution to the Black community, and
- Additional criteria that are established by the donor (e.g. subject being studied; attendance at a specific university; etc.)
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BASIC SELECTION PROCESS – BASED ON FOUR SELECTION CRITERIA
The basic process for evaluating applicants and awarding scholarships is as follows:
STEP 1: Three Standard Selection Criteria: All applicants are evaluated by assessors based on the following three standard criteria:
- High Academic Achievement. This is based on your academic transcript, and by testimony to your scholarly excellence that is provided by a letter of recommendation by a teacher. See Section C of your application form.
- Financial Need: This is based on the financial information that is furnished in Section D of your application, by information provided by your letters of recommendation, plus any reinforcing narrative you provide.
- Contribution to the Black Community: This is based on information presented in Section E of your application form, by information provided by your letters of recommendation, plus any reinforcing narrative you provide.
STEP 2: A Fourth Criterion Which is Donor Determined: Step 2 applies the fourth selection criterion as noted in Section F of the application form. These donor-prescribed criteria may include (i) enrolment in a particular field of study, (ii) personal attributes and achievements such as leadership, (iii) special community service or volunteerism, (iv) residence in a specific geographic area, or (v) other distinctive criteria. Most donors do not specify unique criteria. Here are some examples of unique donor-driven selection criteria:
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- The TD Financial Group Scholarships require recipients to be enrolled in business and be available to intern at the bank during summers.
- The Anderson Abbot Scholarship requires enrolment at the University of Toronto.
- The Dentons Canada LLP Scholarship requires enrolment in law.
- The Lucille May Gopie Scholarship requires the recipient be from a home headed by a sole-support parent.
- Some scholarships may target candidates who reside in buildings managed by Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC).
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STEP 3: Decision Making: Decisions regarding which candidates are assigned specific scholarships are made based on assessment of information gathered in Steps 1 and 2. Donors who request participation in the final decision for their particular scholarships are party to the decision.
STEP 4: Conditional Offer of Scholarship: Candidates selected in Step 3 will be emailed a conditional offer of scholarship. They will be asked to provide additional information (e.g. validation of enrolment in the 2017-18 academic year, etc.) by a given deadline. Should they respond in a timely way with the requested information, the conditions will be removed and they will be awarded a scholarship.
STEP 5: Confirmation of 2017 Scholarship: With all conditions met, scholarship recipients will be officially advised by email of their award. As a courtesy, applicants who are unsuccessful in the 2017 scholarship program will be notified by email.
STEP 6: Scholarship Awards Ceremony: This ceremony is scheduled for the first week of October and will be located at York University, Toronto. All scholarship recipients and their families and friends will be invited. An applicant’s inability to attend the awards ceremony in person will not impact on his/her eligibility for a scholarship.
QUESTION 1: WILL I BE CONSIDERED FOR ALL SCHOLARSHIPS?
You will be considered for all scholarships for which your candidacy makes you eligible. Of course, if you do not have a donor’s specific requirements you will not be considered for that donor’s particular scholarship. In the end, you will be assessed for eligibility for many of the available scholarships.
QUESTION 2: WHO SHOULD I CONTACT FOR HELP WITH MY APPLICATION?
To ensure you do your best work in preparing your application, we recommend that you consult all the resources available to you. If in high school, consult your parents, your guidance counsellor, a community mentor and/or any teacher who has been particularly supportive of your development. The same may be said if you are currently in a college/university, but additionally, you may consult staff in your institution’s financial aid and awards office or a person familiar with your school work or employment record.
CONTACT INFORMATION – BBPA NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
i: Email Address: scholarships@bbpa.org
ii: Postal Address: The postal address of the National Scholarship Fund is:
The Board of Trustees
The National Scholarship Fund
180 Elm Street,
Toronto, Ontario,
M5T 3M4.
iii: Phone: 416 504 4097