Please answer the following questions and click "personalize" to see the programs relevant to you
British Columbia student loans
- This loan is subsidized by the provincial government. It is issued in the form of amaster B.C. student loan agreement.
- Interest will be paid by the provincial government while you are attending school full-time.
- Repayment will begin six months after your studies end.
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To be eligible for provincial assistance, you must first be eligible for a Canada student loan. |
Canada student loans
This loan is subsidized by the federal government. It is issued in the form of a Schedule 1, also known as a certificate of eligibility.
- Interest will be paid by the federal government while you are attending school full time.
- Maximum assistance is 60 per cent of total funding, up to $210 per week of study.
- You must be enrolled in at least 60 per cent (40 per cent for students with permanent disabilities) of a full-time course load.
- Repayment will begin six months after your studies end.
Information is also available on the Human Resources and Social Development Canada website at http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/hip/cslp/cslp.shtml .
Part-time Canada student loans
If you are studying part-time at a designated post-secondary institution and your family income falls below a set limit, you may be eligible for the federal part-time student loan program.
Need assessment for part-time students is different than for full-time students. The part-time student loan program pays for tuition, books, supplies, transportation and child care.
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The part-time student loan program does not cover living costs. |
For more information, see how to apply - part-time students
Adult basic education student assistance program
This provincial program helps adults enrolled in skills upgrading, education and training courses such as:
- adult special education
- pre-vocational
- English language training
- academic upgrading (but not for repeating courses to obtain better grades).
The program provides grants to help meet direct educational costs including tuition fees, and books and supplies if applicable. The amount awarded to you is based on a standard need-assessment procedure.
How to apply
You can only apply to this program if you are an adult attending a public post secondary institution in B.C.
An application form 
[284kb] must be completed and returned to the financial aid office at your institution, who will determine if you qualify.
E-mail your questions to SABC.SpecialPrograms3@gov.bc.ca.
Canada study grant for students with dependants
For this grant program, "dependants" include children or other wholly dependent relatives, but do not include your spouse.
If you have one or two dependants, you may be eligible to receive up to $40 for each week of study. If you have three or more dependants, you may be eligible to receive up to $60 for each week of study.
The Canada study grant for students with dependants is not considered additional assistance - the weekly maximum for student funding still applies.
You do not apply separately for this program. Your eligibility for this grant is based on the assessment results and award configuration of the full-time application.
Please contact StudentAid BC for more information.
Canada study grant for part-time students with dependants
If you are a student with dependent children and you are attending a post-secondary institution part-time, you will automatically be given a grant of up to $1,920 if you meet the following conditions:
- You have applied and been accepted for a high-need part-time grant of $1,200.
- You have also applied for the maximum part-time loan of $4,000.
- Your post-secondary financial needs are still unmet.
You may receive the Canada study grant only once per program year (a program year is from Aug. 1 to July 31).
Please e-mail your questions to SABC.SpecialPrograms1@gov.bc.ca.
Canada study grant for high-need part-time students
This program is for part-time students whose family income falls below a set limit (see chart below). The grant covers tuition, books, supplies, transportation and child-care expenses up to $1,200.
Who is eligible?
You may qualify for this grant program if:
- You are a single parent.
- You are in a low-income family with three or more members including student, spouse and dependant.
- You have a documented permanent disability that restricts your ability to study full-time.
- You are responsible for the care of an elderly dependant.
- You are responsible for the care of a dependant with a disability.
- You need to take three to eight credits in prerequisites before you can enter a full-time program.
- You have only one or two courses left to gain a credential.
Maximum family income limits
for high-need part-time student grants
| Family size |
Income level |
| 1 person |
$14,100 |
| 2 people |
$23,300 |
| 3 |
$31,900 |
| 4 |
$37,800 |
| 5 |
$43,700 |
| 6 |
$48,600 |
| 7 |
$53,000 |
| 8 |
$56,800 |
| 9 |
$60,100 |
| 10 |
$62,700 |
How to apply or get more information
If you are attending a public post-secondary institution, complete a part-time studies application [212kb] and submit it to your institution’s financial aid office for processing. For more information, contact the financial aid officer at your school.
If you are attending a private post-secondary institution, the part-time studies application [212kb] must be completed by your school and then sent to the special programs unit of StudentAid BC for processing. E-mail your questions to SABC.SpecialPrograms1@gov.bc.ca.
Canada study grant for female doctoral students
Under this federal program, women studying at the doctoral level in certain fields may qualify for up to $3,000, based on financial need, to help with their education.
Eligibility
If your field of study is listed below, you may be eligible for the Canada study grant for female doctoral students. You will be automatically considered for this grant when StudentAid BC processes your student loan application.
Applied sciences
Aerospace sciences
Architecture
Forestry
Engineering
All programs
Agriculture and biological sciences
Agriculture
Biophysics
Biochemistry
Botany
Microbiology
Veterinary sciences
Zoology
Math and physical sciences
Astronomy
Chemistry
Computer science
Environmental studies
Geography
Geology and related studies
Mathematics
Metallurgy, materials science
Meteorology
Oceanography and water studies
Physics
Resource management
Art, social sciences and related fields
Business administration
Commerce
Management
Administrative studies
Economics
Music
Philosophy
Political science
Religious studies
Theological studies
Other fields of study
Dental specialties
Physical education
Law and jurisprudence
Please e-mail any questions about this program to SABC.SpecialPrograms1@gov.bc.ca
Canada study grant for the accommodation of students with permanent disabilities
If your permanent disability creates barriers to post-secondary education, you may be eligible for a non-repayable Canada study grant of up to $8,000 per program year.
What does the grant pay for?
This grant can be used to meet the cost of the following services, if they are not already provided by your school:
- Sign language interpretation.
- Specialized tutoring services for disability-related learning barriers.
- Note-takers.
- Readers.
- Attendant care while at school.
- Specialized transportation, such as handyDART to and from school.
- Alternative formats such as large print, braille print or talking textbooks.
- Technical or recording equipment, including braille, talking calculators and tape recorders.
- Computer hardware and software, and other adaptive technical aids.
- Reimbursing 75 per cent of the cost of a learning disability assessment (up to $1,200) if the assessment meets ministry criteria [203kb]
This funding cannot be used for:
- Living expenses.
- Tuition, books or educational supplies such as paper, pens, ink, disks, CDs, etc.
- Medical devices, treatments, prescriptions or medical fees.
- Attendant care for home or non-course-related hours.
- Administration fees.
- Vehicle modifications or purchases, maintenance, repairs or fuel.
- Alterations for educational institutions or residences.
- Services that are already available through your post-secondary school.
How do I apply?
You must have a clear need for services, equipment or exceptional education-related costs associated with your disability. In addition, you must:
- Meet the basic StudentAid BC eligibility requirements for full-time or part-time post-secondary student assistance.
- Complete a StudentAid BC application form if you are attending school full-time or if you have been approved to study at a 40 per cent course load through the appeal process (see Appendix 6 - Appeal request [2mb] contains forms for 15 different kinds of appeals; choose and print the one you need).
- Complete a part-time studies application form [212kb] if you are a part-time student.
- Complete a technology service support application form [87kb].
Your application will be assessed and you will be notified of the outcome by letter. If applicable, you may be referred to Assistive Technology British Columbia.
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You must submit receipts and/or unused funds from any previous Canada study grant for accommodation of students with permanent disability award to the special programs unit of StudentAid BC, before you can receive more funding from this grant program. |
Canada access grant for students with permanent disabilities
This federal program provides grants of up to $2,000 per program year (Aug. 1 to July 31) for full-time and part-time students with permanent disabilities. Receipts are not required.
If you are a full-time student, the $2,000 Canada access grant for students with permanent disabilities will be applied before any other funding to reduce your assessed need. If you are a part-time student, this grant will be applied before any part-time student loans are awarded.
How do I qualify?
Once you have applied for full-time or part-time StudentAid BC funding, you automatically qualify for the Canada access grant for students with permanent disabilities if any one of the following statements is true:
If you are a first-time student attending school full time, you do not qualify automatically. You must fill out an Appendix 8 form 
[116kb] and send it to StudentAid BC separately from your StudentAid BC application.
If you are a first-time student attending school part-time, your application for the Canada access grant for students with permanent disabilities must include documentation of your permanent disability and the reason you need adaptive equipment or support services to attend school.
Assistance program for students with permanent disabilities
This provincially funded program is for students with permanent disabilities attending public and private post-secondary schools in B.C.
Depending on your need, grants of up to $10,000 are available for exceptional education-related services and adaptive equipment. If you need an attendant while at school, the grant may be increased up to $12,000.
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This grant does not cover living expenses, tuition or books. |
For more information on this program, see the disability co-ordinator at the public post-secondary school you are planning to attend.
Applications can be downloaded and printed from this link. [457kb]
B.C. permanent disability benefits program
If you are a student or former student who is or becomes permanently disabled during the lifetime of your B.C. student loan, you can apply to have your B.C. student loan forgiven in full.
Eligibility criteria
You can apply for the B.C. permanent disability benefits program if you have any of the following:
- A disability designation as determined by the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
- A persistent multiple barriers designation as determined by the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
- Canada Pension Plan disability benefits.
Eligibility criteria for the B.C. permanent disability benefits program are not subject to appeal.
How to apply
To apply, submit a B.C. permanent disability benefits application [71kb] to StudentAid BC.
You must include a recent letter (dated within 12 months) from the B.C. Ministry of Housing and Social Development confirming that you have either a persons with disabilities or persons with persistent multiple barriers designation. Or include a copy of a recent letter (within 12 months) from the Canada Pension Plan confirming that you receive Canada Pension Plan disability benefits.
You are still eligible to apply for this program if your loans are held at Revenue Services of British Columbia.
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If your StudentAid BC file is under audit, your application will not be processed until the audit is complete. |
Canada student loan permanent disability benefits
For information about the federal government's permanent disability benefits program for student loans, visit the National Student Loans Service Centre.
Canada access grant for students from low-income families
This federal program may help you meet up to 50 per cent of your post-secondary tuition costs, to a maximum of $3,000.
You are considered to be from a “low income family” if the income of your parent(s), step-parent(s), sponsor or legal guardian falls under the National Child Benefit Supplement Program.
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The Canada access grant replaces Canada student loan funding. |
To be eligible you must:
- Come from a low-income family (the income of your parent(s), step-parent(s), sponsor or legal guardian must fall under the National Child Benefit Supplement Program).
- Be pursuing post-secondary education within four years of leaving high school.
- Be enrolled in post-secondary education for the first time.
- Be enrolled in a study program at least two academic years long that leads to a degree, certificate or diploma at a designated educational institution.
- Be eligible for a full-time Canada student loan.
Millennium access bursary
This bursary, set at $3,000 for the 2006-07 program year, is given automatically to dependent students who apply for student loans, whose parental contribution is assessed at less than $1,000, and who meet all bursary eligibility criteria. About 2,800 students are expected to benefit from the bursary this year.
To receive a Millennium access bursary, you must:
- Be a resident of British Columbia.
- Qualify as a dependent student.
- Be enrolled in full-time studies in an undergraduate program that is at least two academic years long.
- Have no previous post-secondary education.
- Be a low-income student based on assessed parental contribution, which must fall below a level established by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation each program year.
The access bursary, which is a four-year trial project, is being delivered in addition to the Millennium bursary program in B.C.
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You may be asked by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation to take part in follow-up studies to help policymakers understand the challenges facing low-income students, and the effectiveness of different kinds of financial aid. |
The British Columbia health care bursary
This provincial bursary program was established to train health-care workers in areas where the province is facing skill shortages, and to help B.C. health-care workers keep pace with changing technology and preventive care needs. Up to $1 million is awarded annually across all health-care sectors to qualified applicants with the greatest financial need.
Bursary awards range from $500 to $3,500. You can only receive one health care bursary in a 12-month period.
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The following programs are Not eligible:
- Nursing programs - nursing students can apply for the nurses education bursary.
- Medical school programs and programs at the doctorate level - see the financial aid officer at your institution for information on assistance in these areas.
|
Eligibility
To be eligible for a health care bursary, you must meet all these criteria:
- You have been a permanent resident of B.C. for the last 12 months.
- You are not delinquent or in default of a B.C. student loan.
- You can show financial need.
- You are enrolled in an eligible health-care program, at least four months long, at an eligible B.C. public post-secondary institution, St. Paul's Hospital or the B.C. Cancer Agency.
- Your study program leads to a certificate, diploma or degree recognized for practice in B.C.
See appendix A of the application form [1.25mb] for a list of eligible programs of study and eligible post-secondary institutions.
Bursary award periods and application deadlines
There are three award periods each year for the B.C. health care bursary. Your application must be received by StudentAid BC (address below) by the application deadline date for each award period:
| Award Period |
Application Deadline |
| January to April |
4:30 p.m. Nov. 15 |
| May to August |
4:30 p.m. March 15 |
| September to December |
4:30 p.m. July 15 |
How to apply
Application forms [1.25mb] and tips on how to complete the application form are available electronically on this website. They are also available in hard copy from B.C. public post-secondary institutions, health-care union offices and StudentAid BC of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. Contact information is at the bottom of this webpage.
Complete your application and mail it to:
B.C. Health Care Bursary
StudentAid BC
PO Box 9173 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9H7
Courier address only:
B.C. Health Care Bursary
StudentAid BC
1106 Cook St.
Victoria BC V8V 3Z9
We must receive your application by 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date.
You will be notified of the results by mail about six weeks after the deadline date. You cannot check the status of this application online.
Due to budget limitations, not all applicants can be awarded a health care bursary. We send a list of alternative funding sources to those who are not awarded bursaries.
For more information call 250 356-8380 (in Victoria)
or ask Service BC to transfer you to the Victoria number by calling
604 660-2421 (in the Lower Mainland) or
1-800-663-7867 (toll-free in Canada).
E-mail inquiries to SABC.SpecialPrograms4@gov.bc.ca.
The nurses education bursary program
This provincial program awards up to $2 million in bursary funding a year to qualified applicants in the following order of priority:
- Registered nurses (RNs), registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who are upgrading or who need more education to work in B.C.'s health-care system.
- Former nurses and foreign-trained nurses needing refresher or educational upgrading.
- Students in LPN, LPN Access, RN or RPN study programs; awards in this category are distributed in relation to the number of available positions and student spaces in British Columbia.
Within each category, bursaries are awarded to the applicants who demonstrate the greatest financial need. Family size is also taken into consideration.
Applicants in the first two categories receive priority funding. In the third category, some priority is given to nursing students who have student loans but whose financial needs are still unmet.
Bursary awards range from $500 to $3,500. You can only receive one nurses education bursary in a 12-month period.
Eligibility
You can apply for a nurses education bursary if you meet all these criteria:
- You are enrolled in an eligible nursing program in British Columbia, at least four months long, that leads to a certificate, diploma or degree recognized for practice in B.C.
- You can show financial need.
- You are not delinquent or in default of a B.C. student loan.
See appendix A of the application form [1.24mb] for a list of eligible study programs and post-secondary institutions.
Bursary award periods and application deadlines
There are three award periods each year for the nurses education bursary. Your application must be received at StudentAid BC (address below) by the application deadline date for each award period:
| Award Period |
Application Deadline |
| January to April |
4:30 p.m. Nov. 15 |
| May to August |
4:30 p.m. March 15 |
| September to December |
4:30 p.m. July 15 |
How to apply
Application forms [1.24mb] and tips on how to complete the application form are available electronically on this website. They are also available in hard copy from B.C. public post-secondary institutions, health-care union offices and StudentAid BC. Contact information is at the bottom of this webpage.
Complete your application form and mail it to:
Nurses Education Bursary
StudentAid BC
PO Box 9173 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9H7
Courier address only:
Nurses Education Bursary
StudentAid BC
1106 Cook St.
Victoria BC V8V 3Z9
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We must receive your application by 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date. |
You will be notified of the results by mail about six weeks after the deadline date. You cannot check the status of this application online.
Due to budget limitations, not all applicants can be awarded a nurses education bursary. We send a list of alternative funding sources to those who are not awarded bursaries.
For more information call 250 356-8380 (in Victoria)
or ask Service BC to transfer you to the Victoria number by calling
604 660-2421 (in the Lower Mainland) or
1-800-663-7867 (toll-free in Canada).
E-mail inquiries to SABC.SpecialPrograms4@gov.bc.ca
Youth Educational Assistance Fund (YEAF) for former youth in care
The Youth Educational Assistance Fund (YEAF) provides grants for former B.C. youth in care between 19 and 23 years of age. For the 2007-08 program year (August 1- July 31), the grant is $5,500.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the grant you must meet all of the criteria below:
- You must first meet one of the following legal criteria, by being a student
- who was
- in the continuing custody of a director designated under section 91 of the Child, Family and Community Service Act pursuant to that Act;
- in the permanent custody of the Superintendent of Family and Child Service designated under the former Family and Child Service Act pursuant to that Act; or,
- under the guardianship of a director referred to in paragraph (i) or the Superintendent referred to in paragraph (ii) pursuant to section 29(3) of the Family Relations Act
until the person turned 19 years of age or the person was adopted; or,
- who was under the guardianship of:
- a director of adoption pursuant to the Adoption Act;
- the director of adoption under the former Adoption Act; or,
- the Superintendent of Family and Child Service designated under the former Family and Child Service Act pursuant to the former Adoption Act.
until the person turned 19 years of age or for at least five years immediately prior to the person's adoption.
If you don’t know if you meet the above criteria, please contact your former social worker or any Ministry of Children and Family Development office for help.
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In addition to the above criteria, you must be: |
- a full-time student or a student with a permanent disability studying at a reduced course load
- registered to take post-secondary-level courses from a designated post-secondary institution in a program leading to a certificate, diploma or degree that is at least 12 weeks in length
- between 19 and 23 years old
To apply for the grant, complete an application form [103kb] and attach a letter from any Ministry of Children and Family Development office or delegated Aboriginal agency stating you are a former youth-in-care. If you are not applying for financial assistance through StudentAid BC, a financial aid officer at your school must also complete a confirmation of enrolment form [1.12mb].
If you are denied funding and want to appeal, please complete an appeal form [95kb] and submit it along with the documentation listed on the form to:
StudentAid BC
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development
Attn: Special Programs Unit
PO Box 9173 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9H7
E-mail questions to SABC.SpecialPrograms3@gov.bc.ca.
