Scholarships

Quest Scholarships are awarded to entering students based on their academic and personal achievements. Scholarships are renewable for up to four years (32 Blocks) provided that the student maintains academic eligibility, contributes to the Quest community, and continues to fulfill the promise of success that was the basis of the award. The descriptions for our Merit-Based Awards are listed below.

Students wishing to apply for Quest's merit-based Scholarships must complete a Scholarship Application form and provide a résumé, along with contact information for two references (Section B and C). Before the Scholarship Application will be considered, a student must be admitted. All application materials submitted for admission will be considered during the candidate's scholarship review.

Please complete the following downloadable form:

2010 Scholarship Application Form [PDF, 95 KB]

Quest Scholarship Descriptions

David W. Strangway Awards for Excellence (full tuition)

Named for the University's first President and Founding Chancellor, the David W. Strangway Awards for Excellence honour the extraordinary career of Dr. Strangway and his vision that created Quest University Canada. The recipients of this award will have achieved very high levels of academic excellence combined with an outstanding record of leadership and service. Students with a high school average above 90% (3.75 US) will be considered for this award. A faculty Committee will begin reviewing applicants eligible for the Strangway Awards on March 15, 2010; winners will be notified no later than April 1.

Presidential Scholarships (up to $8000/term)

Presidential Scholarships will be awarded to students with excellent records of academic and personal achievement and the potential to become leaders in the classroom and beyond at Quest. Students with a high-school average above 80% (3.5 US) and a record of significant extracurricular accomplishment will be considered eligible for these awards. In order to be considered for a full Presidential Scholarship, students must submit their Scholarship Application no later than March 15, 2010. Presidential Scholarships will still be available after this date at lower values.

Quest University Canada Scholarships (up to $8000/term)

In addition to the named scholarships described above, Quest may make scholarship awards that recognize the attributes and accomplishments of prospective students that mark them as strong potential contributors to the Quest community. Such scholarships honour various talents, leadership abilities, community service activities, and potential contributions to the diverse and global perspectives that are cultivated in a Quest education. Our rolling admissions process means that these scholarships are available throughout the year.

Need-based Awards

Quest is deeply committed to the diverse and vibrant community created by a financial assistance system that encourages qualified students to come to Quest irrespective of their ability to pay. Bursaries are awarded based on demonstrated financial need and are re-calculated each year in response to changing family circumstances. In exchange for any bursary exceeding $1280 per year, students will be expected to contribute an average of 4 Q-hours per week, or 16 hours per block (smaller bursaries will have pro-rated expectations). These hours can be discharged on a weekly basis, completed during the Thursday and Friday of Block Break, or distributed in any manner that is mutually agreeable to the student and his or her supervisor; a limited number of summer positions will be available for those wishing to discharge their obligations by working for a month at Quest in the summer. Beyond the four-hour-per-week expectation, some jobs will continue to offer cash compensation.

Scholarship Renewals

Scholarship awards are granted with the expectation that they will be maintained for four years assuming the student performs well at Quest. All students will be expected to show satisfactory progress toward the degree to maintain a scholarship. This is defined herein as a GPA in excess of 1.6 in the first semester, 1.8 after the first year, and 2.0 thereafter. Adherence to this standard will ordinarily be assessed once per year for scholarship purposes. In addition, at the end of each block, the tutor will be asked to assess each student's contributions to, and benefit derived from, attendance at Quest by answering the simple yes or no question: Was this student an asset to your classroom, contributing positively to the class dynamic and is this student benefiting from the Quest educational experience? Students taking eight courses per year will be required to have six tutors declare in the affirmative; students taking six blocks (the minimum for full-time status) will need at least four affirmative declarations.

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic performance AND evidence of community service, involvement in co-curricular activities, etc. Those wishing to maintain scholarships at Quest must continue to contribute during their time here. These contributions can take many forms. In the spring of each year, each student with a scholarship who wishes to have it renewed will be asked to submit a short paragraph outlining his or her contributions to Quest over the past year. Examples of such contributions could include:

• showing intellectual leadership and evincing academic excellence;
• organizing a major event on campus (a play, a CD launch, etc.);
• organizing several smaller events over the year (lectures, movie screenings, etc.);
• leading and/or participating in a campus improvement project;
• contributing positively to a varsity sports team;
• working in the Student Representative Council;
• volunteering in a community organization in Squamish;
• running a club or other activity group;
• contributing an average of 16 hours per block in Q-hours.

A Q-hour represents an investment of one hour of the student's time in helping to build Quest. Q-hours can be accumulated by working with admissions to recruit students, being a Library page or Recreation Center monitor, shoveling snow and mowing lawns, cleaning public spaces, working in the bookstore, and in a variety of other ways.

The Q-hour criterion, if faithfully discharged, will guarantee scholarship renewal. The other criteria are simply examples; there will be no formula on which such contributions are judged and we expect that the creativity of our students will expand this list considerably.

Evaluation of each student's report will be conducted by the Scholarship Committee with input from relevant members of the community (coaches, residential staff, student affairs, on-campus employers, etc.). Both academic and non-academic conduct, including assessment of probationary status, residence damage reports, etc. will be included in the deliberations. While a student is away for study abroad, experiential learning, or language immersion programs, the direct community contribution are, of course, waived.

Quest University Canada Grants and Bursaries

Quest University Canada wishes to attract students from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe and from all socio-economic backgrounds. To meet that goal, grants or bursaries are provided to incoming students who have demonstrated financial need and who find it necessary to supplement any scholarship or diversity award to help pay for the cost of a Quest education. These awards are valued at $1,000 - $4,000 per term. For more information regarding Financial Aid, please click here.