Studentawards' Glossary - Scholarships, Bursaries, and Grants, Oh My!

With more students pursuing post-secondary education each year, financial assistance has never been more in demand. The amount of information can be overwhelming, so to make your search for financial aid easier, here is a glossary of commonly used terms.

Apprenticeship: A program where the student works with a mentor in order to learn a specific trade.

Award: Something given to a person or group of people in recognition for excellence and achievement. Awards may come in the form of a trophy, title, certificate, medal, public acknowledgement, or a monetary prize.

Awards Administrator(s): Individual or committee that manages the administration of the scholarship/award program. They are generally responsible for collecting and processing applications, judging, and award adjudication.

Bursary: A scholarship that is generally based on need as opposed to merit.

CEGEP: Stands for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel or College of General and Vocational Education. In the province of Quebec, high schools generally offer education only up to grade 11. Most students then enter a CEGEP to continue their education, choosing either a general program to prepare for university or a vocational program to train for a specialized career.

College / Community College: A post-secondary institution that offers diplomas and certificates, and in some cases degrees. Colleges tend to have smaller populations than universities and focus more on studies geared towards a specific vocation or career.

Contest: A competition in which applicants submit entries and the winners are chosen by a judge or panel. Some contests do not have judging criteria and the winners are selected through random selection.

Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) / Résumé: A document containing a summary or listing of relevant job experience, achievements, and education, usually for the purpose of seeking employment. Award administrators often request a C.V. or résumé to use as additional judging criteria.

Degree: A status level of academic achievement conferred by an institution of higher education (usually a university) as the result of the successful completion of a program of study. Types of degrees
include:

• Baccalaureate / Bachelor's Degree: An undergraduate degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for 3-4 years. It may also be used for graduate programs such as a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy.
• Master's Degree: Degree usually awarded for completion of a graduate or post-graduate program of 1-3 years in duration.
• Ph.D. / Doctor of Philosophy: Graduate/post-graduate degree granted upon completion of extensive academic work in a field of study.
• Professional Degree: Degree indicating a particular career or profession, such as law, medicine, engineering, religious ministry, or education. Professional degrees may be awarded as graduate or undergraduate degrees.

Diploma / Certificate: Issued by an educational institution (most often at a college) upon successful completion of a particular course of study.

Fellowship: The financial grant made to a fellow in a college or university. A fellow is an individual that holds a temporary academic post and is involved with teaching and research at the school.

Financial Aid Office: Office at post-secondary schools in which students may obtain information and assistance on financial aid. It is often a branch located in the registrar's office.

GPA (Grade Point Average): The grading system used at most post-secondary schools. GPA is based on grade points and the number of credits earned. Each school uses a different system and values can range from 4.0 to 9.0.

Grant: Funds provided for a specific purpose; mostly associated with specialized research projects at the graduate and post-graduate levels.

Internship: Program that provides practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. Positions may include monetary compensation, however emphasis is placed on work experience and the wage is generally lower than what a full-time employee would receive.

Line of Credit: A form of loan provided by financial institutions in which the borrower draws funds as needed, up to a specified maximum.

Loan: Borrowed money for temporary use, where the borrower pays back the lender at an agreed time and interest rate. Government student loans are due for full repayment (principal and interest) following graduation or once studies end.

Matriculate: To enroll in a college or university as a candidate for a degree. This term is often used by award administrators to describe students who have already completed some post-secondary school courses and are continuing their studies.

Post-secondary School: An educational institution where a student pays tuition to attend.

Scholarship: A sum of money or other aid granted to a student to pursue post-secondary studies. Scholarships may be based on a variety of criteria including: academics, extracurricular activities, sports, financial need, geographic location, ethnic background, etc.

Trade School / Career College: School that gives students the skills needed to perform a certain job such as massage therapy or office administration.

Transcript: A report supplied by a school on a student's academic status, subjects, and grades. Post-secondary transcripts are available in unofficial and official formats. Official transcripts come with security measures such as watermarks and seals, and it is often required that the student pay a small fee to obtain a copy.

University: An institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctorate levels, in a variety of subjects.

University College: Educational Institutions that may not have full university status but teach at the degree level.

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KEJarema wrote:	@ MandyFuller- Little Positive result is Right! Make it seem almost not worth it for the time and engery you could of spent tracking down job number 3. School= Sleep for the weak. Posted on Aug 06, 2011 at 03:46
moulic wrote:	They're the same. Posted on Mar 06, 2011 at 11:14
Mandyfuller wrote:	Looking for "free" money is no task for the weak hearted or something you want to do in a minute or two. I have begun searching and it is extremely time consuming with little positive results. Posted on Jan 26, 2011 at 02:45
myyork wrote:	Good to know. Posted on Jan 24, 2011 at 09:35
ffcelik wrote:	The difference between C.V. and Resume? .... Posted on Jan 04, 2011 at 04:15

 

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