Canadian student loans and grants

Canada's federal and provincial/territorial governments provide funding to post-secondary students who demonstrate financial need, including:

• student loans that are interest-free while you study and must be paid back
• student grants that you don't pay back

You only need to submit one application to receive funding from both the federal government and your provincial/territorial government. If your application is approved, you'll receive funding from the first day of classes to the last day of exams.

• Full-time funding can be used to pay educational costs and typical living costs associated with a moderate standard of living.
• Part-time funding can only be used to pay educational costs.

Citizenship and residency

To qualify for Canada Student Loans, Canada Student Grants and most provincial/territorial student loans, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• be a resident of the province/territory to which you apply for funding
• meet your province/territory's full-time or part-time requirements during the study period for which you receive funding

Full-time or part-time study

To apply for full-time or part-time funding, you'll need to be registered in a minimum number of UVic units per term.

• For most provinces/territories, courses must not be duplicate, mutually exclusive, audited or waitlisted.
• Some government lenders allow you to appeal to receive funding for a repeat course. Contact us if you plan to register in any repeated, duplicate or mutually exclusive courses during your funding application period.

Undergraduate students

Graduate students

Refer to the academic calendar for the definitions of full-time status and part-time status for UVic graduate students.

Consecutive weeks of study

To qualify for funding, your courses must take place over a minimum number of consecutive weeks.

Winter Session (September - April)

In most cases, your consecutive weeks of study begin with the first day of classes for the academic term and end on the last day of exams. Contact us if you're not sure your courses meet the minimum requirement.

You can receive funding for UVic's Fall term (September - December), Spring term (January - April) or both terms.

• You can submit two separate applications (one for each term) or one application for the entire eight-month Winter Session.
  • If you submit one application for Winter Session, you must register in the minimum number of UVic units for both the Fall and Spring terms.
• If you're studying in the Fall and going on a co-op work term in the Spring, you should submit separate applications (one for each term) to avoid delays in receiving your funding.

Summer Session (May - August)

During Summer Session, many UVic courses are delivered in short time frames (e.g. four weeks or eight weeks) that don't satisfy the minimum requirements. However, you may be able to combine courses or extend your existing funding.

• We recommend that you contact us for guidance, but only after you register for courses.
• Once your courses are set, we'll be able to review your options so that you can decide on the best way to apply for funding.

When to apply

Applications are usually available from provinces/territories in June.

• If you need to receive your funding at the beginning of the term, you should apply at least two months before the first day of classes.
• You can still apply after school starts, and will still be eligible to receive funding for the entire study period.

You can continue applying for future study periods as long as you can demonstrate financial need and maintain your eligibility.

The deadline to apply for funding varies by province.

Approximate deadlines for Canadian government funding

Province/territory	Application deadline
Most provinces/territories	42 days (six weeks) before the study period ends
Alberta	30 days before the study period ends
Ontario	60 days before the study period ends

How to apply

Review the application criteria stated by your province/territory, including:

• the requirements for you to be considered a resident of the province/territory
• the requirements to be a full-time or part-time student
• the requirements for demonstrating financial need

Contact us if you have any questions or need assistance. When you're ready, submit your application to your province/territory.

Student aid organizations

• British Columbia

• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Northwest Territories
• Yukon

Confirming enrolment

Your course registration must match what you indicated in your funding application.

You can apply while your courses are waitlisted, but you won't receive any funding from your province/territory until UVic confirms that you're fully registered in the minimum number of UVic units.

Maintaining your funding

You've made an agreement to receive funding from your province/territory, and you need to meet your commitment. Contact us if you're thinking about actions that might impact your eligibility:

• going on a co-op work term or international exchange
• dropping courses
• withdrawing from your studies
• splitting enrolment with another school
• other changes to your enrolment at UVic

Depending on your circumstances, there may be options you weren't aware of to continue receiving funding.

Contact us

Do you need help determining your eligibility or completing your funding application? Got a question about maintaining your funding? Have a form you need signed? We're here to provide you with advice and guidance.

• 250-721-8423
• finaid@uvic.ca

You can also visit us in the Jamie Cassels Centre during regular office hours.