DAS - District Authority Scholarships

Purpose of Scholarship Program

The District/Authority scholarship is awarded to 5,500 high school graduates who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen area.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care sets core eligibility requirements and general guidelines; local scholarship committees determine awarding criteria and select their conditional recipients.

The Ministry confirms that the selected students have meet basic criteria and then sends these confirmed recipients a $1,250 scholarship voucher. They may redeem this voucher with the Ministry to be reimbursed for tuition paid after they are attending a post-secondary institution that is designated by the Province of B.C. (i.e., approved for Canada Student Loans) or a program provider that is approved by SkilledTradesBC.  

Students have five years to redeem their District/Authority scholarship vouchers; an expiry date is printed on each voucher and extensions are not possible.

HCOS is awarded an allotment of scholarships through FISA to distribute to applicants each year. Applications will open in late February and close end of April. 

How to Apply

Students in Grade 12 will be emailed when applications open for the DAS awards. They will receive the application form and instructions for submitting the needed materials. Students will need to choose 1 category from the list below to apply in, and will be required to submit a portfolio of their learning, experience or expertise in that area. 

Categories for Scholarships 

Area of interest
Examples
Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies Business, Home Economics, Media Arts, Technology, Tourism
Community Service (Volunteer Activity) Includes awareness of local, global, and cultural issues
Fine Arts Dance, Drama, Music, Visual Arts
Indigenous Languages and Culture Demonstrated at school or in the community
Languages External Assessments or Languages Curriculum, including AP and IB courses 
Physical Activity (and Health) Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics
Technical and Trades Training Coding, Culinary Arts, Mechanics, Robotics, Woodwork

Notification of Award Recipients

Disbursement Criteria

Students selected as conditional recipients of the District/Authority scholarship must satisfy the following requirements by August 31 of their graduating year to be confirmed as a recipient and receive their scholarship voucher:

HCOS will let the Ministry know our award recipients, final award notification will come from the ministry provided all requirements have been met. 


Scholarship Committee

As per the HCOS Scholarship and Bursary policy:

The Scholarship Committee will be composed of a minimum of 3 individuals from the HCOS community, with the majority of members being involved in the Grad program in some capacity. Committee members may include HCOS employees, contractors and/or support personnel. Scholarship committee members will be appointed by the Head of Schools and Chief Operating Officer, based on nominations from the Director of the Grad program. 

Role of a Scholarship Committee Member
Scholarship committee members will: 

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality
Members of the Scholarship Committees operate under the confidentiality expectations outlined in the KCCS confidentiality agreement signed by contractors and employees. In accordance with this agreement, Scholarship Committee members are required to declare any real or potential conflict of interests and to abide by the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality policies. In the case of an immediate family member  or close associate applying for a scholarship, the scholarship committee member will recuse themselves from having input and voting on the eligibility of that applicant and the decision to award a scholarship to that individual. 


Revision #3
Created 15 February 2025 00:06:17 by Chelsea Bitgood
Updated 18 February 2025 18:42:04 by Chelsea Bitgood