1. What is the Pacific Horizons Scholarship?
The Pacific Horizons Scholarship program is open to eligible students enrolled in a program of at least one year in length, offering a credential at a BC public post-secondary institution. Students must have made arrangements to participate in cultural or language learning studies outside Canada and the United States. For the purposes of this scholarship, an eligible study abroad activity is experiential in nature and normally does not carry academic credit and/or is not a key part of the student's academic program. The activity is typically shorter (less than four months) and involves language acquisition and/or learning about another country and its culture.
2. Where can I get an application for this scholarship?
Application forms will be available from this website and the Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative at any public post-secondary institution in British Columbia.
3. Where do I send my application for consideration?
Application procedures may vary by institution. Please consult your institution's Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative for application procedures.
4. What is the deadline to submit my application?
Please consult your institution's Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative for the application deadline.
5. What if I don't have everything required by the deadline? Can I send information in later?
No. Only complete applications with all required documentation received by the deadline will be considered. Incomplete applications will be returned.
6. When will I know if I have won a scholarship?
Procedures may vary by institution. Please consult your institution's Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative for information on when you will know if you have been awarded a scholarship.
7. Can I get my application/supporting documentation back after it is considered for this scholarship?
Please consult your institution's Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative for the answer to this question. Procedures may vary.
8. If I am successful, how and when will I receive the award?
Please consult your institution's Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative for the answer to this question. Procedures may vary.
9. Why can't students in private post-secondary schools take advantage of this scholarship?
The eligibility criteria for this scholarship are determined by the board of directors of the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society. The scholarships are funded from an endowment fund that was established for the purpose of supporting students within the public post-secondary system.
10. If I am not successful, can I appeal?
There is no appeal process. The decisions of the adjudication committees within your respective institution are final, and all available scholarships will be awarded based on their determinations. If you think the committee did not follow correct procedures or did not properly consider your application, you should advise the Pacific Horizons Scholarship representative at your institution in writing.
11. Who decides which students will be awarded the funding?
Students apply to their respective institution for these scholarships. The educational institutions' adjudication committee considers applications and makes its awards decisions on the basis of academic merit, the students' educational and personal objectives, and readiness to go overseas.
12. What is government's role in this scholarship?
Government contributed the $12-million to establish an international endowment to fund this scholarship program. Three government representatives also sit on the 10-member board of the Irving K. Barber B.C. Scholarship Society.
13. What is the Victoria Foundation's role in this scholarship?
The Victoria Foundation and the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society have partnered in managing all scholarships offered by the Society, including from this fund.