Mythbusters: “I Don’t Qualify for Awards, So Why Bother?”

Imagine someone handed you $500. Or $800. Or even better: $1,000. Would it be worth 15 or 20 minutes of your time to line your pockets with that kind of cash?

It’s practically free money and if you’re a high school student with decent grades, it’s yours for the taking.

That’s because the University of Lethbridge has two entrance awards: one for when you apply early and one for Grade 11 students. Here’s the deal:

· Board of Governors’ Admission Scholarship: If you apply to uLeth before December 15 and have an 80% average, you will get $1000 added to your student account. Just like that. No additional scholarship application is required.

· Grade 11 Merit Award: If you’re in Grade 11 and have a 75% average, ULeth will add $500 to your account and $800 if you have an 80% average. Boom. Just fill out the super simple application and you’re good to go!

Those aren’t the only awards for entering students that are worth applying for, either.

“The main reasons why students don’t apply for awards is because they don’t know about the awards, they didn’t think it would be worth their effort or they think they don’t have good enough grades,” says Scholarships and Student Finance Manager Chelsea Sherbut.

“The effort of filling out an awards application is very low; the amount of work required to get the basics done is definitely worth their time.”

Want More?

Sherbut says that there is one main, general awards application for high school students to complete. Once you complete that, you can also choose to fill out a slightly longer (but still pretty straightforward) awards application knowns as an Undergraduate Award Application.

“Once a student has filled out those two applications, they are considered for most of the awards we have at ULeth,” she says.

In fact, 64% of new high school students receive an award, with community involvement of any kind – such as volunteering or school leadership – giving you an edge.

The best part? The award money is put directly into your student account to cover any tuition or fees. Already have those paid off? Then the money’s yours to spend however you want.

“Once their student account is covered, students can actually just withdraw any extra award money as cash and take their friends out for pizza,” says Sherbut.

To be eligible for an award, incoming undergraduate students must meet the March 15 award application deadline.

“That’s really important for them to know. A week later and it’s too late,” says Sherbut.

If you would like free money, visit the University of Lethbridge’s Awards and Scholarships page to learn more.

The University of Lethbridge is home to 8,900 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. With campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary, it’s of Canada's top-ranked universities and leading research institutions.