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The series consists of records documenting the development and consideration of a variety of academic awards, grants and loans made available to British Columbian students. The assistance programs reflected here are awarded according to qualities beyond academic achievement and community service, and include programs for students entering the health care field, awards and assistance for BC athletes, assistant programs for students with permanent disabilities, and assistance for adult education.

The records are arranged by funding program.

The records correspond to ORCS 40020.

This series consists of records supporting and documenting the quality assurance activities of various committees of the Policy and System Quality Branch of the Ministry of Advanced Education (and its preceding ministries). The committees captured in this series primarily include:

Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB): 2003-present
Degree Program Review Committee (DPRC): 1995-
Post-Secondary Employers Association (PSEA): 1994-present
Private Post-Secondary Education Commission (PPSEC): 1990-2003
Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA): 2003-2016
British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT): 1989-present
These committees contribute to quality assurance and consumer protection related to private post-secondary institutions, as well as out-of-province and international public post-secondary institutions in some cases.

The Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB) and its predecessor, the Degree Program Review Committee, are responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Minister responsible for post-secondary education (in this case, the Minister of Advanced Education) regarding new degree programs and exempt status of public and private post-secondary institutions within and without British Columbia, as well as the use of the word “university” by private and out-of-province public post-secondary institutions. The majority of the records have been created by DQAB.

DQAB is comprised of fourteen individuals: eleven are voting members who are selected for their background and expertise, and three are non-voting members from the Ministry of Advanced Education. Prior to DQAB, the Degree Program Review Committee (DPRC) was established in 1995 by the Minister responsible for post-secondary education to provide advice on the educational merits of all new and significantly revised degree programs proposed in the BC education system.

DQAB was established following the Degree Authorization Act, which received Royal Assent on May 9, 2002 and was brought into force by regulation on November 7, 2003. The legislation allows private and out-of-province public institutions to legally grant degrees in British Columbia and expands the authority of BC public institutions to grant applied baccalaureate degrees and applied master’s degrees. The Act also required the establishment of a quality assessment process to review application for degree authority in British Columbia, and as a result the degree approval process was revised and the Degree Program Review Committee was replaced by the Degree Quality Assessment Board.

The records in this series were created by both the DPRC and the DQAB, and many files document the policies and procedures of both committees, as well as the development of the DQAB.

The Private Post-Secondary Education Commission is responsible for consumer protection regarding registered institutions and ensuring that standards of integrity and educational competence are met by accredited institutions. PPSEC was created in 1990 under the Private Post-Secondary Education Act. Legislation establishing the committee required all private institutions offering post-secondary education be registered. Registered institutions had the further option of applying for a form of accreditation, which they could use to market themselves as a better quality institution. In 1999, the Act was amended to require that institutions pay into a Tuition Assurance Fund for the purposes of reimbursing students in an institution closed while they were a student there. The 1999 amendments provided PPSEC with more investigative authority as a consumer protection agency.

In 2002, Cabinet approved a recommendation from the Core Services Review Task Force to replaced PPSEC with a self-regulating, cost-recovery board comprised of industry representatives. In 2003, PPSEC was replaced by the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (OIC 1034-2004) and the Act was repealed in 2004 (BC Reg 466/2004).

These records are comprised of meeting notes and agendas, degree exempt status assessment reports, use of the word “university” reports, guidelines for reviewers, program recommendations and decisions, correspondence with education institutions as well as internal communications and memos, and legal advice. Much of the correspondence consists of concerns from the public regarding the quality of private post-secondary education institutions and government response to these concerns.

The records correspond to ARCS 200-20 and ARCS 400-20.

The series consists of records documenting the Premier’s Excellence Award given to top high school graduates to attend a British Columbia university, college, or institute. The records contain the full application packages of successful applicants, which are comprised of personal essays, curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, proof of academic achievement, and other documentation supporting merit and qualifications of the applicant. The files also contain correspondence between the Ministry and the successful students, and well as interoffice memos regarding the Premier’s Excellence Award.

The Premier’s Excellence Award was established in 1986 and consists of a financial scholarship to attend a British Columbia post-secondary institution and a medal of recognition. The awards are based on the student’s academic achievement and service to their communities and schools. One grade 12 student is awarded per year from each of British Columbia’s fifteen college regions. Successful candidates are selected by a screening committee.

The series corresponds to ORCS 40060.

The series consists of records related to the provision of core financial assistance to eligible full-time British Columbia post-secondary students. The files consist of loan application forms for each year which the student wished to receive financial assistance, as well as any records documenting the verification and audit of the applicant’s financial information, loan remission requests and decisions, and review requests and decisions.

These records represent a selection of applications for assistance to provide evidence of how applicants are processed and evaluated for the years 1981-1985.

These records correspond to ORCS 40210: Student loans and grants – core assistance.

This series consists of the records of the Academic Council and its predecessor, the Academic Board for Higher Education as well as board minutes from the various regional colleges and provincial institutes. This series also includes copies of correspondence outward of the chairman and director of the council, policy papers, research reports, and data books showing funding and enrollment levels in provincial post-secondary institutions.

In 1964 an Academic Board for Higher Education was established by an amendment to the Universities Act (S.B.C. 1963, c. 52). The board was empowered to set academic standards for regional (community) colleges, to assist colleges in securing adequate staff and facilities, and to approve funding for college programs. The board was conducted by a chairman, appointed by cabinet, and functioned under the auspices of the Department of Education. The Academic Board was replaced in 1978 by the Academic Council of British Columbia, a crown corporation which derived its authority from the Colleges and Provincial Institutes Act (S.B.C. 1977, C. 67). The new council was established to coordinate academic, technical, and career programs in community colleges and in other provincially funded training institutes. As well, the council monitored admission and transfer arrangements between colleges, institutes, and universities.

"Colleges", as defined by the 1977 Act, were institutions whose objects were to provide (a) comprehensive courses of study equivalent to those given by a university at the first and second year postsecondary level, (b) postsecondary education or training, and (c) continuing education. "Provincial institutes", though not specifically defined by the Act, referred to institutions which provided occupational or vocational training and which offered programs for continuing education. The Academic Council was abolished in 1983, at which time many of its duties were assumed by the Academic Technical Programs Branch of the Ministry of Education.

Briefs, correspondence and newspaper clippings, Commission on University Programs in Non-Metropolitan Areas