Financing your Future

Whether your plans are to attend post-secondary schooling, take a year off, or go straight to the job market, you may have a need to apply for financial assistance.  In the context of this document, seeking for financial assistance will apply to attending post-secondary schooling.

The following are general definitions. Please note that not all donors make proper use of the terms.  The word Scholarship will be the general term used for any financial awards for this document, excluding loans.

• Scholarships - Money given traditionally based on academic merit.

• Bursaries - Money given based on financial need but may also have an academic requirement.

• Awards - Catch-all term for assistance that doesn’t fit within the categories above. This could be an award set up like a contest, or prizes from corporate sponsors and may not be monetary based.

• Loans - Money disbursed by your provincial or federal government and some banks that you will have to pay back.  The terms of the loan, like interest rate and repayment schedule, vary depending on who offers the loan, and who receives it.  Loans are typically paid back after you leave school and interest often doesn't start accruing until then.

• Grants – Money disbursed by federal government through the loan application process that does not require repayment.

• Employment – Money disbursed by an employer for services or work done.

Parents and Family

Parent$ as Career Coache$: Funding your Child’$ Education: A special playlist for parents and students interested in learning how to fund your post-secondary education. Videos include: Sask Polytechnic, Sask Apprenticeship & Trade, Regina Trades & Skills Centre, Canada SK Student Loans, Accessing High School Scholarships & Bursaries, U of R, U of S, Canadian Armed Forces, CIBC (Bank Loans), Band Funding, and Gabriel Dumont Institute.

Where to Find Scholarship Information

• Scholarships - This database is created and managed by the NESD.  The data is sortable for your convenience.  It is by no means comprehensive and although it is edited regularly, it is not always up-to-date and it continues to be a work in progress.  

• Local School Scholarships - check with your Career Counsellor

• Post-Secondary Institutes – Universities and colleges have scholarship programs.  If applying at a university or college, check out how to apply for scholarships.

• Local and Community Scholarships – Local scholarship information is often sent to the school.  Check with your Career Counsellor.  You may also find information in local newspapers or websites.

• Online – There are many online scholarship webpages available that are not on the NESD Scholarship page. Always be on the lookout for a scholarship suitable for you.

• First Nations – There are many additional scholarships available students who declare Aboriginal status (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit).

• Other Sources – Big companies and unions (that you or your parents have membership in) and religious organizations may have financial assistance available for students.

Scholarship Planning

1. Create a personal profile/portfolio – A portfolio is much like a resume, summarizing your achievements and goals. Include information on academics, athletics, school involvement, community involvement, awards that you have earned, accomplishments that you are proud of, volunteer work, employment history, strengths, abilities, special skills, and future goals. This portfolio can be added to throughout your work career!  Tools like the school based myBlueprint are useful, if set up to follow you after high school.

2. Create a professional personal email - it is best to use a professional personal email for scholarships.  NESD emails are discontinued shortly after graduation or leaving the school division.

3. Organize yourself – Keep a list of scholarships you apply for along with any information that is relevant.  A spreadsheet and/or calendar would work well to plan for deadlines, letters of reference required, and responses back.

4. Scholarship Essays – some applications require an essay.  Stay with the stated parameters.  Plan for research, writing, reflecting and editing and feedback.

5. Letters of Reference – if an application requires a letter of reference from a teacher, personal contact, or professional, be respectful and provide adequate time to approach that person, give them time to write it and get the letter to you, well before your application deadline.  This takes a great deal of planning and you do want them to write a glowing letter!  Complete this student information form to provide to those who are willing to write you a letter of reference.

6. Transcripts – Official transcripts are ordered online from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. Unofficial transcripts are acquired from the school Academic Counsellor.  See below for instructions.

7. Make copies – ALWAYS keep copies of applications in an organized fashion of your applications.  It may be photocopies or organized on your computer, or both!  Be sure to include a copy of the scholarship listing and requirements.

8. Be neat – Be sure applications are neat, legible, properly filled out, and spell checked.  Get someone else to read it over.

9. Review – Get a trusted person such as a teacher or parent to also review.

10. Deadlines – plan for deadlines and follow all deadline instructions.

Applying for Scholarships

Deadlines

Follow deadline instructions.  Does the application get emailed, handed in to a person, or mailed?  Be mindful of the statements that say “must be postmarked by” or “must be received by” dates.  To be cautious, have application ready and sent/delivered long before the stated deadline dates.

Scholarship Essays

1. Plan for the application deadline. The essay should be written ahead of time, allowing time for yourself to research, write, and reflect on what you have written.  Then, allow time for a trusted person, teacher or parent, to review it and provide feedback to you.  Finally, allow time for you to make the necessary edits.

2. Read the requirements for the essay.  Answer the question that is asked or discuss the topic that is given for the essay.  Use proper essay writing techniques including grammar and spelling.

3. Follow instructions such as word length, line/paragraph spacing, font size, and any other formatting rules that have been laid out.

4. Be sure spell check, grammar check, and review all punctuation.

Letters of Reference

Plan who you wish to ask to write the Letter of Reference well ahead of time in case your chosen person cannot or will not write the letter and you need to ask someone else.  The chosen person should be suitable and relevant to the scholarship for which you are applying.  It is highly recommended to not ask relatives or friends.

Provide all the necessary information to that person to make it easier for them:

1. The terms of reference as set out by the scholarship

2. Your personal profile – highlight the items you wish them to say in the letter.  You may use this form to outline your activities to provide for letter writing:  Student Information Form for Letters of Reference and Awards.  Download the documents to your computer to use. Word version. PDF version.  Fillable PDF version.

3. A deadline for them to get the letter to you

4. An email address or mailing address if the letter cannot be given directly to you.

5. Give them plenty of time for them to write the letter and get it to you

Transcripts

• Some scholarship applications will accept an unofficial school transcript.   Your school Career Counselor will be able to provide one.  Please allow at least three days for the unofficial transcript.

• Some scholarship application will require an official transcript.  Official transcripts must be ordered online from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.  There is a fee so you must have a working family credit card to pay when you order.   

Student Loans

Government Student Loans

It is likely that your family nor scholarships can finance your education career in its entirety.  For students beginning post-secondary school in the fall after graduation, traditionally the application process begins in the previous month of June. Be sure to use the most recent Application form.

• Student Financial Assistance Estimator

• Saskatchewan Student Loans

• Canada Student Loans

Other Institution Student Loans

Governments aren't the only ones to offer student loans.  Financial institutions such as Banks and Credit Unions also lend money or provide lines of credit to finance post-secondary schooling.  These are regular consumer loans aimed at students.  Investigate what your bank has to offer in the area of student loans.  Please note that Interest rates may be higher than government student loans, and repayment terms may be more aggressive than government-sponsored loans.  Also, interest accrues (builds up) on bank loans while you are in school, unlike most government student loans.

Saskatchewan Post-Secondary Scholarships

Registered to attend post-secondary school in Saskatchewan?  Listed here will be the main post-secondary institutions and links to applications for scholarships.

• University of Saskatchewan

• St. Peter’s College

• University of Regina

• Saskatchewan Polytechnic

• Cumberland College

• First Nations University of Canada

• Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology

MyBluePrint How to Finance Education

Video - How to Finance Education

Powerpoint – How to Finance Education

myBlueprint is a tool used by all NESD students to plan for their future. Once a student graduates, they are still able to access their myBlueprint but it will take some planning to transition from an NESD account to a personal account.

1. • For current NESD students, login using your school computer login.

   • Graduating or Leaving NESD – shortly after you leave the NESD, you will no longer be able to log in with your NESD credentials.   So, before leaving, please change your email address to a personal one:

     1. Log into myBlueprint as instructed above.

     2. When the Not returning to high school next year box appears, click the blue Start Survey button.

     3. Complete the survey questions regarding your post-secondary destination

     4. Update your email address to a personal one

     5. While you should still be able to log into your account using your NESD credentials and following the instructions in step one, you will want to update your password to a personal one

   • Click your name in the top right corner

   • Click Account Settings

   • Update your password

   • After high school, you will no longer be able to log in with your NESD credentials.  You will now need to use this website www.myBlueprint.ca with the personal email and password you created.

Employment

Whether you are going straight to the job market or you are looking for part time work to help pay for your schooling, job hunting can be daunting.

• Be Realistic – know your skill set or interests and apply for jobs that may suit you or your circumstances.  Don’t be afraid to be bold and apply for something you may be interested in but be realistic about your chances of employment.

• Have a Resume – have an up-to-date resume.  It is best to keep it to one page.  There are many great online resume building tools, including myBlueprint.

• Volunteer – volunteering is a great way to add relevant skills to your resume.

• Your Best Self – Stay in school, get the best marks you are capable of, stay out of trouble, have a great attitude.

• Applying for a job – research the place that you are applying for.  Applications may be online or emailed in or dropped off in person.

• Reference List – keep an up-to-date reference list available.  Be sure to confirm with each reference that they are okay with being your reference.

• Dress appropriately – always dress professionally when pounding the pavement looking for a job or going for an interview, even if the job itself does not warrant that type of standard.

How will you know if you have enough money to go to school?  Download this budget planner to figure it out!

Budget Planner

Student Aid Estimator