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scholarship vs bursary (British English)

English translation: merit vs need

21:58 Mar 13, 2012
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Education / Pedagogy / University website
English term or phrase: scholarship vs bursary (British English)
We will let you know if there are any ***scholarships*** and ***bursaries*** available to you.

I find no difference between these two terms in dictionaries. Is there any difference in the amounts granted to students?
Does a scholarship cover tuition fees & living expenses while a bursary covers just living expenses? or viceversa?

Any help will be much appreciated.
Marina Soldati
Argentina
Local time: 09:09
Selected answer:merit vs need
Explanation:
It isn't quite that simple, and there's a lot of overlap, but:
scholarships are awarded on merit i.e. to those deemed most worthy in academic terms, regardless of their financial status
bursaries are awarded to needy students who might therwise be denied the privilege of studying, regardless of their academic capabilities

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Note added at 12 mins (2012-03-13 22:10:42 GMT)
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I don't believe there's any difference in what they cover - that is determined by the awarding body and either can cover all or some of the tuition, living expenses, etc

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Note added at 40 mins (2012-03-13 22:38:43 GMT)
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My own experience: I gained a scholarship to a very expensive private grammar school. These scholarships were awarded by the local council to those pupils who did exceptionally well in the "11-plus" examination AND whose families were on income support i.e. very poor. So, you had to qualify on both counts! But it only covered tuition fees.
Selected response from:

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 13:09
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +12merit vs need
Sheila Wilson
Summary of reference entries provided
Bursary/Workstudy application
Jenni Lukac (X)

Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +12
scholarship vs bursary (british english)
merit vs need


Explanation:
It isn't quite that simple, and there's a lot of overlap, but:
scholarships are awarded on merit i.e. to those deemed most worthy in academic terms, regardless of their financial status
bursaries are awarded to needy students who might therwise be denied the privilege of studying, regardless of their academic capabilities

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2012-03-13 22:10:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't believe there's any difference in what they cover - that is determined by the awarding body and either can cover all or some of the tuition, living expenses, etc

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 40 mins (2012-03-13 22:38:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

My own experience: I gained a scholarship to a very expensive private grammar school. These scholarships were awarded by the local council to those pupils who did exceptionally well in the "11-plus" examination AND whose families were on income support i.e. very poor. So, you had to qualify on both counts! But it only covered tuition fees.

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 13:09
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you, Sheila!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: Yes. I'd just prepared an answer along these same lines, but too slow. See http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-be...
4 mins
  -> Thanks. Interesting reference - I hadn't considered repayment
agree  Sven Petersson
13 mins
  -> Thanks
agree  aricb: It's a hard question because there are all kinds of scholarships, including need-based scholarships; ultimately, whoever provides the scholarship can dictate the criteria. But you've captured the general distinction.
16 mins
  -> Thanks. Yes, you would need to check with the provider to be really sure - not always possible for a translator, though
agree  sporran
4 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Edith Kelly
7 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  British Diana: At my university there was a "travelling scholarship" you could apply for which covered foreign travel in the vac - very useful, but awarded on merit.
9 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Jenni Lukac (X): I agree with aricb. There's a lot of overlap. However, see the reference below that supports need.
9 hrs
  -> Thanks for the reference, Jenni
agree  trsk2000 (X)
10 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Charlesp
10 hrs
  -> Thanks
agree  Colin Rowe: Absolutely. At my (British) school, a scholarship was awarded for particularly good results in the entrance examination (and was essentially a 50% discount on the tuition fees), while a bursary was means-tested financial assistance.
10 hrs
  -> Thanks Colin
agree  David Moore (X): I almost disagreed, but with the impressive array of "agrees", I wondered: have things changed? Well, yes, they have. In the 1950s, the terms were defined (at my school at least) differently. So I rang them for an explanation. And I agree.
12 hrs
  -> Thanks. Wow, from the horse's mouth! I wouldn't want to ring my school. I was always in trouble there!
agree  Lara Barnett: Agree with this but don't agree there is "a lot" of overlap as per some of the above comments. "bursary" is more of a grant for those who need help and "scholarship" is awarded on merit.
12 hrs
  -> Thanks. I think it's one of those areas where some occurrences sit in the middle whilst others are clearly one or the other
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Reference comments


10 hrs
Reference: Bursary/Workstudy application

Reference information:
Bursaries are non-repayable awards given to either undergraduate or graduate students on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Financial need is the difference between your financial resources (for example, scholarships, government student loans, parental or family contributions, personal savings, work income and assets) and your educational costs and living expenses. Bursaries should not be treated as your primary source of funding. Instead, you should think of them as a supplementary source of income.


    Reference: http://students.sfu.ca/financialaid.html
Jenni Lukac (X)
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
neutral  David Moore (X): Not necessarily to undergraduates either - younger children are eligible to recieve them too.
2 hrs
  -> This is one example of how an educational institution defines it. I'm sure that others have their own versions. In any case, the address for Simon Fraser University is in the link if you want to set them straight.
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