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Seeking applicants for Ike Barber scholarships

Scholarships support 163 transfer students who demonstrate outstanding academic and volunteer service
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VICTORIA, B.C. – Bachelor of Science student Nicole York appreciates the value of a helping hand, especially when it means $5,000 to help her with the cost of transferring between B.C. post-secondary institutions to finish her degree.

York is among 163 B.C. students who received a record $815,000 this year from the Ike Barber Transfer Scholarship program.

LEARN MORE: Ike Barber Society

The scholarships are awarded annually to undergraduate students who have completed at least one year at a public post-secondary institution in B.C. and are transferring to another institution to complete their studies.

Funds for the Scholarships come from the returns on a $15 million endowment established by the province in 2006. To qualify for a transfer scholarship, students must demonstrate strong academic achievement and significant volunteer service to their school or community.

“The Scholarship is really helpful in that I won’t have to worry about finding a job right away,” explained York, who is transferring from Selkirk College to the University of Victoria to complete a Bachelor of Science degree.

“The ability to easily transfer academic credits from one post-secondary institution to another is a unique feature of our post-secondary system,” said Advanced Education, Skills and Training Minister Melanie Mark. “The academic credit transfer system saves students’ time, effort and money by not having to repeat previously completed, equivalent credits.”

“The academic freedom that comes with a student’s ability to transfer from one institution to another ultimately creates better opportunities in competitive environments,” according to Rajiv Gandhi, Chair of the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society, which administers the transfer scholarship program and other scholarships.

The Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society offers scholarships and awards to B.C. students attending public post-secondary institutions. The Society is named after entrepreneur and philanthropist Irving K Barber, who had a long history of supporting public post-secondary education in British Columbia before his death in 2012. Since its founding in 2006, the Society has awarded over $14 million in scholarships and awards to thousands of BC students. The Society is administered by the Victoria Foundation.

Applications for 2018 Ike Barber Transfer Scholarships will be available on Dec. 5, 2017. To find out more about the Society’s programs, call 1-844-478-4645 (toll free) or visit www.ikbbc.ca.