Rutherford scholarship – more attainable than students think

Times Contributor

 

For more than 30 years, the Alexander Rutherford scholarship, named in honour of Alberta’s first Premier and Minister of Education, has been awarding Alberta’s students for their exceptional academic achievements with a combined total of over $20 million every year with funds coming from the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund, a program that was created by a $100 million endowment from the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund. The scholarship was designed to help stimulate an incentive for Alberta students to pursue secondary studies, seeing that the bursary money cannot be claimed unless a student is currently enrolled at a post-secondary institution or an apprenticeship program. 

A common misunderstanding about the Rutherford scholarship is that the award is not competitive, but is automatic, explains Karen Galandy, Strathmore High School teacher and guidance counsellor. 

“If you meet the 75 or 80 average in your Top 5 subjects each year, you automatically get it, and I think most kids don’t know that, they’re usually stunned. I think most kids don’t understand that it’s for Grades 10, 11, and 12, so your Grade 10 marks actually do matter,” said Galandy.

To be eligible for the Rutherford scholarship, students need to have achieved the required averages in their Top 5 designated subjects in Grades 10, 11 and 12. In Grade 10, a 75 per cent average or more grants $300 and an 80 per cent average or higher grants $400. In Grade 11, a student receiving a 75 per cent average or more can accept $500 and an 80 per cent average or higher rewards $800. In Grade 12, a 75 per cent average or more grants $700, and a student who has received an 80 per cent average or higher can receive $1,300. Students must be a Canadian Citizen or be a permanent resident, and must be from Alberta or have a parent that is a resident or was during the student’s time of qualifying grades. Most importantly, students cannot receive the scholarship unless they are currently enrolled for post secondary education. 

In addition, there is a Rutherford Scholars Award which is presented to Alberta’s Top 10 students, a ranking based upon the student’s first writing of the diploma examinations in five of the core subjects. The winners of the award will receive an additional $2,500. 

 Students are encouraged to apply for the automatic scholarship money and future high school students can expect to apply in the years to come. The Heritage Fund is to continue, “in perpetuity,” as Galandy sees it, and carry on to help create initiative in students to further their educations and possibly pursue further bursary money and scholarship opportunities.