Islanders entering their first year at Holland College will benefit from a new provincial bursary program that will result in grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,000, Holland College President Brian McMillan announced today. This will make Holland College tuition the lowest of any of the Maritime Provinces’ community colleges for eligible P.E.I. students.

“This is a commendable initiative by government, “Dr. McMillan said. “Since January, the Holland College Board of Governors has been working toward streamlining tuition rates for our 65 programs to create a more balanced fee structure. The creation of the George Coles Bursary program, combined with the Island Skills Award, demonstrates the provincial government’s commitment to ensuring that post-secondary education is accessible for all Islanders. This significant investment is a tremendous enhancement to the college’s goal to make access to our programs more affordable,” he noted.

The bursaries will be available for Islanders entering Holland College who are not receiving funding through Human Resource and Social Development Canada, and is in addition to the Island Skills Award for which they are now eligible. All but six of the college’s programs now have tuition of $3,250, $4,500, or $5,500. The Coles bursaries, combined with the Island Skills Award, will further reduce costs for eligible students by $2,000, $2,500 and $3,000 respectively. Eligible Island students starting any of the six programs that fall outside of these tuition levels, Correctional Officer, Law and Security, Advanced Care Paramedicine, Basic Firefighting, Commercial Diving, and Police Science (Cadet) will also receive a bursary of $3,000. 

Holland College Board of Governors Chair Ray Murphy praised the government for its commitment to providing accessible post-secondary options for Islanders.

“Government’s greatest investment must be in people. The creation of the bursaries provides an opportunity for Islanders who may otherwise not have been able to afford to attend college. This will result in a better trained workforce, and improve the quality of life for Islanders,” he said.