Funded by BC Children's Hospital Foundation, Mini Med School Scholarships provide:
- A scholarship of $1,000 CAD to go towards tuition fees at any national or international postsecondary academic institution.
- An in-person career placement at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute for one week, Monday, July 6 to Friday, July 10, 2026. This is a research-based career placement. You will not be interacting with patients or be involved in clinical care of any kind.
To be eligible for the career placement part of the award you must:- Reside in the Lower Mainland or have access to housing in the Lower Mainland during the placement (residency or transportation is not included as part of the Mini Med School Scholarship)
- Be at least 16 years of age as of July 1, 2026 to meet minimum safety standards for a healthcare facility
Eligibility Criteria:
To be eligible to apply for the Mini Med School Scholarship, you must:
- Be a grade 12 student currently enrolled at a BC private or public school and graduating in 2026
- Be selected to attend Mini Med School (In-Person, Virtually Live OR On-Demand) scheduled for October 2025
- Have participated in all 4 Mini Med School 2025 sessions in October & November (attendance for sessions will be tracked by program organizers)
Deadline
The application must be submitted by Friday, January 9, 2026 at 11:59 pm.
Application Package:
A complete application package for the Mini Med School Scholarship includes the following:
- Mini Med School Scholarship Application Form: Click here to access the Mini Med School Scholarship application form.
- High School Transcript: This should include your most up-to-date grades. This can either be the unofficial transcript issued by the Ministry of Education or any type of transcript provided by your school
- Resume
- Recommendation Letter: This can come from any teacher at your school and should be 1-2 pages long
- Short Essay: In 500 words or less (approximately a one-page word document, single spaced), answer the following question:
Identify one topic area that was introduced in this series (Mini Med School 2025) which was particularly captivating for you. Identify the key questions that the presentation led you to ask and describe what you have learned in attempting to answer these questions on your own.
Assessment Criteria:
Up to 3 Mini Med School Scholarships will be awarded. Award applications will be assessed by the Mini Med School awards committee based on the following criteria:
- Scholarly success: Academic achievement, awards and honours
- Community engagement: Volunteer services, work experience and extracurricular achievements
- Mini Med School Scholarship application form and essay
- Reference letter from a teacher
FAQ
- Do I have to be enrolled at a BC or Yukon high school to be eligible?
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Yes. To be eligible to apply you must be enrolled at a BC or Yukon-based high school.
- I'm currently enrolled in grade 11. Can I apply for the Mini Med School Scholarship?
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No. To be eligible to apply for the upcoming scholarship, you will need to attend Mini Med School 2025 as a grade 12 student.
- What is the minimum GPA required to apply?
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We don't have a minimum GPA requirement, but award applications will be partially assessed on academic success.
- Can I apply without knowing what school or field of study I plan to pursue?
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Yes. On the application form you will be asked to outline your future plans, but we understand changes happen.
- If I plan to take a gap year after high school, am I still eligible to apply?
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Yes, students planning to take a gap year are still eligible to apply. However, you'll need to clearly outline your future academic or career plans in your application to help us understand how this scholarship will support your goals. You will not be able to receive the scholarship until after you’ve paid your tuition.
- I live outside the Lower Mainland, can I still apply for the Mini Med School Scholarship?
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Yes! For the 5-day career placement, residency, living expenses or transportation is not provided. Successful applicants can either opt-out of the career placement (and still accept the $1,000 CAD scholarship), or make their own arrangements to be located in the Lower Mainland for the 5-day period.
- When is the career placement at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute?
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The 5-day career placement will take place from Monday, July 6 to Friday, July 10, 2026 from approximately 10:00 am to 4:00 pm each day.
- What will the 5-day career placement include?
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Successful candidates will be placed with a career mentor for a week. During that week you will shadow your mentor and provide support for a research project. This may include hands-on lab work or computer-based data analysis. Please note: this is a research-based career placement. You will not be interacting with patients or be involved in clinical care of any kind.
Note: this is a draft schedule and subject to change.Monday, July 6 | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Orientation & Networking – Connect with other like-minded high school students participating in a BCCHR placement.
- Meet your Mentor – An introduction to your research mentor as you begin to explore what it means to study for a career in health sciences.
- Faculty Spotlight – Hear from one of our award-winning scientists about groundbreaking work happening right now at BCCHR.
- Hands-on Research – Spend the day with your mentor as you become a key part of their research project. Whether you’re in the lab, observing or analyzing data, today is all about hands-on learning.
- Explore BCCHR Core Facilities – Take a guided tour of some of BCCHR’s specialized research equipment, giving you an up-close look at the tools driving groundbreaking discoveries.
- Hands-on Research – Continue contributing to real-world health science.
- Career Exploration Panel – Join our panel for a casual conversation with current undergrad and medical students. Ask anything — this is your chance to hear what it’s really like to pursue a career in health sciences.
- Hands-on Research – Keep building your skills with your mentor as your research project progresses.
- Student Research Showcase – Hear firsthand from undergrad and med students about the exciting research they’re doing at BCCHR and how they got there.
- Hands-on Research – Wrap up your final day of research.
- Celebration Lunch – Join mentors, faculty, and fellow students to celebrate!
- Who will my career mentor be? What kind of research will I be doing?
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After scholarship recipients are selected, we’ll reach out to learn more about your interests and future career goals. Based on this, we’ll do our best to match you with a mentor whose research aligns with your passions.
Your placement will focus on child and family health research — not clinical or patient-facing work. This is a research-based position, giving you the chance to explore what it’s like to work in a lab or academic research setting.
Past student activities have included:
• Capturing detailed images of cells using a microscope
• Conducting DNA cloning for plasmid construction
• Preparing samples for immunofluorescence
• Practicing tissue harvesting techniques
• Extracting and quantifying DNA
• Conducting literature reviews and learning about the research process
• Exploring virus antigen mutagenesis
• Running DNA electrophoresis
• Performing Western blotting - What are the requirements for working at the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute?
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To protect the safety of the community, those working at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (including the successful candidates of the career placement) must be at least 16 years of age as of July 1, 2026.
Additionally, successful candidates will be asked to complete a BC Ministry of Justice Criminal Record Check and a selection of online lab and facility safety courses. - Can I participate in the career placement virtually?
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No, the career placement is designed to maximize interactions between the successful candidates and the career placement mentor. Participating virtually is not an option.
- How many applications for the Mini Med School Scholarship do you receive each year? How competitive is this program?
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Last year we received 60 applications for the Mini Med School Scholarship.
- If I’m selected, how will I receive the $1,000 scholarship? What can it be used for?
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The $1,000 scholarship is intended to support your tuition fees at any recognized post-secondary or academic institution, either in Canada or abroad. After you’ve paid your tuition, you’ll be asked to submit proof of payment (such as a receipt or confirmation from your school). Once that’s received, we’ll issue your scholarship cheque.
For other questions, please contact researchevents@phsa.ca.
