Scholarships and Bursaries

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We are proud to support your education through a number of scholarship and bursary opportunities. Please see below for more details.

The GRAGOPEAN Scholarship Trust

SCI BC, in partnership with the Vancouver Foundation, is offering bursaries for persons with spinal cord injuries studying in British Columbia.

This fund was created by anonymous donors to assist persons with spinal cord injuries attending post-secondary schools in BC with their tuition, books and/or other learning aids, and other expenses related to their disability that will support education such as housing, transportation, in-class assistance including note-taking, etc.

Meet more GRAGOPEAN Scholarship Trust recipients

The GRAGOPEAN Scholarship Trust application is now open! Apply by November 15, 2024.

Any information not clarified in the application form can be obtained by calling 1-800-689-2477 or by emailing scholarships@sci-bc.ca.

BC Paraplegic Foundation (BCPF) Bursaries

BCPF provides bursaries of varying amounts each Fall to individuals with a spinal cord injury to support them with their post-secondary education at universities and colleges in British Columbia. Funds for these bursaries are funded through the Foundation as well as from individual donors.

The BCPF also administers the following awards held in trust with other organizations:

The James H.G. Roche Memorial Scholarship (held at the Vancouver Foundation), supports one to two individuals per year with funds toward tuition and textbooks. The scholarship fund was generously established by the partners, family and friends of James Roche, a former director and board chair of SCI BC, who sustained a spinal cord injury in a ski-related accident. The value of individual bursaries may vary from year to year according to the availability of funds.

The C.W. Deans Memorial Scholarship and the Joseph David Hall Memorial Scholarship are both held in trust by the University of British Columbia and available to students with a spinal cord injury attending UBC. The C.W. Deans award gives preference to students beginning or continuing studies in engineering. First preference for both awards will be given to candidates nominated by Spinal Cord Injury BC.

Apply by November 15, 2024.

Any information not clarified in the application form can be obtained by calling 1-800-689-2477 or by emailing scholarships@sci-bc.ca.

Awards available through other organizations or institutions (application forms can be found by contacting them directly):

Spinal Cord Injury Canada
The Canadian Paraplegic Association (operating as Spinal Cord Injury Canada) offers a number of national scholarship opportunities for students with spinal cord injury.

Camosun College
Rotary Club of Victoria/BC Paraplegic Association Bursary Fund – for students with permanent mobility-related disabilities.

University of Victoria
In-Course scholarships, medals and prizes administered by Student Awards and Financial Aid are available to undergraduate students who have attended the University of Victoria in the previous academic year.

Rotary Club of Victoria/BC Paraplegic Association Bursary Fund
An award of $1250 is given annually to a student with a permanent mobility-related disability.

Simon Fraser University – Merle L. Smith Bursary (Program ID UPBO-572)
An award is given in fall/spring to a student with a physical disability who is beyond first-year studies. Initial preference is given to students who require the use of a wheelchair for mobility.

Meet Some of Our Previous Award Recipients

Agasha Mutesasira – Studying Hospitality Management at Vancouver Island University

“I thought that the application would be quite involved, because at the end of the day you’re getting money for your education. I was surprised to find that the form just requires basic information, and that it was all very simple and straightforward. I’m so happy I applied—there’s been a lot of momentum from this one act— it’s opened so many doors.”

Riley Martin – Studying Law at the University of Victoria

“The scholarship has lifted the financial burden of law school pretty much in its entirety, which is already paying dividends in terms of my mental health. This program is far more rigorous than undergrad or grad school, and I can’t describe how thankful I am that I won’t have any more stress thinking about loans to pay off.”

Fiona Ma – Studying Nursing at BCIT

“Receiving the GRAGOPEAN Scholarship Trust from Spinal Cord Injury BC has allowed me to cut down my hours at my part-time job so that I can focus on my academics, as well as pursue my extracurricular interests in mental health advocacy.”