Each eligible recipient will receive up to $10,000 to help offset the APN program tuition and fees.

The bursary will be paid in equal installments on a semester basis to a total of $10,000.

The first payment will be issued once the applicant has submitted all required documentation and considered eligible.

All installments are paid directly to the recipient’s bank account. Funds will be disbursed by HEABC and may take up to 6 weeks for processing once it is deemed the applicant meets all eligibility requirements.

• APN Education Bursary Application Form;
• APN program registration or acceptance letter for intakes beginning between September 1, 2022, and May 31, 2025;
• Void cheque or direct deposit information;
• A copy of applicant’s APN program tuition statement dated no sooner than two weeks following the start of the term;
• Proof of registration with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry;
• A signed Return of Service agreement with the Ministry of Health committing to 12-months of work within BC’s public health system as a licensed practical nurse upon graduation.

Please note: Bursary recipients must submit additional documentation each semester to continue to receive bursary funds. This includes a copy of the student’s tuition statement each semester, dated no sooner than two weeks from the start of the new term and an unofficial transcript from the last completed semester.

To continue receiving semester-based funds, applicants must submit the following documents each semester:

1. A copy of the applicant’s APN program tuition statement dated no sooner than two weeks following the start of the new term.
2. Unofficial transcripts from the last completed semester.

The applicant must have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) as of the date they submit their application and to receive a T4A, as this bursary is a taxable income.

The bursary is open to individuals who began their first term of the APN program between September 1, 2022, and May 31, 2025.

This bursary is for registered HCAs interested in the Access to Practical Nursing program at a qualifying public BC post-secondary institution, beginning their first term between September 1, 2022, and May 31, 2025. The list of qualifying post-secondary institutions is provided in question #9 (see below).

The APN Education Bursary is available to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents only.

Please note HCAs who received the HCA Recruitment Incentive or have completed the Health Career Access Program (HCAP), must complete their existing return of service before they can be eligible for the APN bursary.

Qualifying institutions include any public post-secondary institution in British Columbia offering an APN program that is recognized by the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).

Currently, these include:

• Coast Mountain College
• Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
• North Island College
• Northern Lights College
• Okanagan College
• Vancouver Community College
• Vancouver Island University

At this time, private post-secondary institutions do not qualify as part of the APN Education Bursary and therefore applicants from such schools are not eligible for this bursary.

Qualifying applicants must sign a Return of Service (ROS) agreement to receive the APN Education Bursary. This agreement is between the APN bursary recipient and the Ministry of Health of BC. The ROS commits the applicant to work as a licensed practical nurse within BC’s public health system upon graduation for a minimum of 12 months with a ‘Qualified Employer ’.

“Qualified Employer” means a publicly funded health sector employer, such as: (a) a regional health board designated under section 4(1) of the Health Authorities Act, Provincial Health Services Authority, First Nations Health Authority or Providence Health Care; or (b) an employer at long-term care or assisted living facility to the extent the position is to work at such a facility, excluding contract agencies; excluding contract agencies.

This bursary is specific to students in Access to Practical Nursing Programs and not Practical Nursing Programs.

Recipients of the APN bursary are not eligible for the Employer Sponsored Earn and Learn Programs and / or Ministry related bursaries such as the Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) or the Return to Practice Nursing (RTPN) bursary programs and Priority Program Bursaries (and vice versa).

Bursary recipients are required by law to return all bursary funds under the following circumstances:

• The bursary recipient withdraws or is asked to withdraw from the APN program and is therefore unable to fulfill commitments outlined in the Return of Service (ROS) agreement, unless exceptions are made by the Ministry of Health;
• The bursary recipient fails to complete their 12-month ROS commitment (this includes recipient who have either resigned or are terminated from a licensed practical nurse position).

You can search for Nursing job listings by public health employer on the BC Health Careers website.

APN bursary applicants must be registered with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry. This step ensures that all bursary applicants meet the minimum standard professional requirements set out by the Registry.

Graduates of the APN program can obtain regulatory/licensing requirements from the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives.