Post-Secondary Funding

two students sitting outside

Student Aid Checklist

Government student loans and grants are available for students enrolled in post-secondary level courses. Beginning the application process can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to. Review the steps below to ensure you are on track with the right funding program for you. 

Am I a Full-time or Part-time Student?

Both full-time and part-time options exist and are applied for on separate applications. Before proceeding to apply for funding, you must determine whether you are (or will be) a full-time or part-time student during your funded study period. 

Full-time Students
As long as you maintain the minimum full-time course load, you are considered a full-time student for student loan/grant purposes. Full-time learners can access funding to assist with educational and living expenses while in school.
Part-time Students
If you are enrolled in less than the minimum full-time course load, you are considered a part-time student for funding purposes. Part-time learners can access funding to assist with the cost of tuition, books, travel and childcare (if applicable). Living expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries are not provided for part-time learners.

Course Load Requirements for Full-time Student Status

Fall and Winter (4 month terms)

  • Minimum of 3 post-secondary level courses and 9 academic credits per term.

Spring and Summer (2 month terms)

  • Minimum of 2 post-secondary level courses and 6 academic credits per term.

Please note: 

  • High school level upgrading courses do not count towards full-time enrolment.
  • The following situations are exceptions to the minimum course/credit requirements, where full-time enrolment may be met. Discuss your unique situation with the Student Connect Centre if you:
    • Are enrolled in practicums, capstone projects or field studies.
    • Are a student with a permanent disability who has been approved to study at a reduced course load.

Apprenticeship Programs

  • Enrolment in the 6-12 week technical training programs.
  • Enrolment in the 8-10 month technical training programs is considered part-time.

Who Do I Apply for Funding Through?

Basic eligibility requires applicants be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or have protected person status. Beyond that, you must apply for student loans and grants through the province/territory in which you have established residency.

In order to apply for Alberta Student Aid, you must be a resident of Alberta. Alberta Student Aid determines residency differently for dependent and independent applicants.

Independent

You are independent if you:

  • are married/common law, separated/divorced or widowed, or
  • have dependent child(ren), or
  • are 23+ years old, or
  • have been out of high school for 4+ years, or
  • have been available for full-time work for 2+ years since leaving high school

Residency is based on you or your spouse.

You are considered an Alberta resident if Alberta is the last province you or your spouse has lived in for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time post-secondary student. 

Dependent

You are dependent if you do not meet the independent criteria.

Residency is based on your parents/guardians. 

You are considered an Alberta resident if Alberta is the last province one of your parents/guardians has lived in for 12 consecutive months without being a full-time post-secondary student. 

Student Loans & Grants Options

Alberta Student Aid

Residents of Alberta will apply for student loans and grants through Alberta Student Aid.

Apply Now
Out-Of-Province Student Loads & Grants
International Students

In order to obtain student loans and grants through the Government of Canada and provincial programs, you must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person. International students must seek funding through their home country or private institution. 

How & When Do I Apply?

Alberta Student Aid releases new applications every spring/summer (usually in June) for the following academic year. All students are encouraged to submit funding applications early as some applications can take 1-2 months to process.

Application Process

Full-time Application Process

Access, complete and submit the application online.

  • In order to apply for full-time Alberta Student Aid student loans and grants, you must have a verified Alberta.ca account. Once you have a verified account, you will proceed to studentaid.alberta.ca to log in and access the online application for the academic year you wish to receive funding for. 

Monitor your account for approval and next steps.

  • View the status of your application and all correspondence affiliated with it within your studentaid.alberta.ca account. 
    • You may be asked to provide additional details in order for your application to be processed. Failure to do so may result in additional processing delays. 
  • Once approved, you may be required to complete loan agreements in order for funds to be released.
    • If this is your first time receiving student loans/grants, or it has been several years since you last received them, you will be required to complete loan agreements. If you are approved for both federal and provincial funds, you will have two agreements to complete:
      • Canada Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA), and
      • Alberta Loan Agreement
    • Your funds will not be released if you do not complete your loan agreements.
  • If you have a spouse/partner, you will be provided with a Spousal Consent and Declaration Form which will need to be completed and uploaded using the eDoc upload function.
Full-time Application Workshops

RDP's Student Connect Centre offers Alberta Student Aid application workshops in the spring and summer months. Find more details here closer to workshop dates. 

For assistance with your Alberta Student Aid application when workshops are not offered, please reach out to the Student Connect Centre or find detailed information on studentaid.alberta.ca. 

Part-time Application Process

Access the application

  • Access Alberta Student Aid's part-time application here. Please note you must complete one application for each part-time term you wish to receive funding for.

Complete the application

  • Applications must be completed in full by the student with the exception of Page 3/Section 5, which must be completed by the RDP Student Connect Centre. Contact the Student Connect Centre to request completion of Page 3/Section 5 of your part-time application. 

Submit the application

  • If this is your first time applying for Alberta Student Aid, you will need to submit your completed application to the Student Connect Centre. The Student Connect Centre will complete Page 3/Section 5 of your application and proceed to submit your application to Alberta Student Aid on your behalf.
  • If you have applied for Alberta Student Aid before and have a verified Alberta.ca account, you can submit your part-time application by logging in to studentaid.alberta.ca and uploading your application using the eDoc Upload function.

Please note part-time funding will only be provided for any given course once. If you have previously received part-time funding for a course and wish to repeat it, you will not be eligible for funding for it a second time. 

Students With Permanent Disabilities

If you consider yourself a student with a permanent disability, additional grants may be available to you. To ensure you are accessing all grant funds you are eligible to receive, you are encouraged to connect with RDP's Accessibility Services to discuss the disability grant process and complete additional paperwork to accompany your application. 

Contact Accessibility Services

How Do I Get My Money?

Log in to your studentaid.alberta.ca account to view the status of your application and all correspondence affiliated with it.

Your Student Award Letter will outline the funds you have been approved for and your scheduled disbursement date(s). 

Once approved, further action may be required of you:

  • Student Aid Agreements
    • If this is your first time receiving student loans/grants, or if it has been several years since you last received them, you will be required to complete Student Aid Agreements. If you are approved for both federal and provincial funds, you will have two agreements to complete:
      • Canada Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA), and
      • Alberta Student Aid Agreement
  • Consent and Declaration Form (required for applicants with spouses/partners)
  • Confirmation of Registration
    • Approximately one month prior to your study period start date, RDP will attempt to confirm your enrolment with Alberta Student Aid.
      • Full-time applicants must be enrolled in a full-time course load for the entire study period covered by their application (ie. If your application is for September - April, you must be enrolled full-time in both Fall and Winter terms). Waitlisted courses do not count towards full-time enrolment.
    • When enrolment is confirmed, RDP will also request payment of tuition and fees to come directly to the institution from your funders (if it has yet to be paid).
    • You will receive an email at this time with important information regarding your funding, including mention of whether further action is required on your part in order for funds to be released. It is your responsibility to ensure you are checking your email and confirming payment of your tuition and fees by RDP's term payment deadlines.

Funds are not released until:

  1. Your application has been approved,
  2. Your Student Aid Agreement(s) have been completed,
  3. Your Spousal Consent and Declaration Form has been completed and returned to Alberta Student Aid (if applicable), 
  4. RDP has confirmed your enrolment with Alberta Student Aid, and
  5. Your study period has begun.

Managing Your Student Loan

You are able to make changes to your student loan application by logging in to your studentaid.alberta.ca account. Please note that changes may take up to six weeks to process. During this time, your application will be frozen, meaning funds will not be released until the review is complete.

 

Student Aid Alberta

Making Changes to Your Student Loan Application

Changing Study Period Information

If you need to change your student loan session dates, log in and select Update Application to make the required corrections. 

If you need to change your program of study, you may do so by submitting a Request for Review or by cancelling your application and submitting a new one. It is recommended you contact the Student Connect Centre to discuss your best course of action.

If you need to change your educational institution, you must cancel your application and submit a new one listing the correct/updated institution. 

If RDP has already confirmed your enrolment with Alberta Student Aid and/or funds have already been released, please contact the Student Connect Centre for guidance on making changes to your application. 

Submit a Request for Review
Requesting Additional Funds

If you believe you have been assessed for less funds than you are eligible for, would like to change the amount of funds you have requested, or would like to display additional expenses in order to increase your total award amount, you will need to submit a Request for Review. Visit the Student Connect Centre for assistance exploring this possibility.

Submit a Request for Review
Cancelling Your Student Loan Application

You can cancel your student loan through your studentaid.alberta.ca account. When doing so, you will be provided with various reasons as to why you are cancelling. Please contact the Student Connect Centre should you have any questions about how to do so or what reason to provide. 

Submit Request

Understanding Your Student Loan Lifecycle

During Your Studies

From your study period start date (first day of classes) until your study period end date (last day of exam period),  post-secondary students with current and/or previous student loans may be eligible for interest-free and payment-free status. In order to place your loans in interest-free/payment-free status, you must either apply for and receive full-time student loans/grants for the current study period, or have your post-secondary institution confirm your enrolment for interest-free/payment-free status. Click here for more information on placing your loans into interest-free status or contact the Student Connect Centre to discuss your situation.  

  • Current Full-Time Students
    • Eligible to place previous full-time and part-time Canada Student Loans into payment-free status. Federal loans remain interest-free. 
    • Eligible to place previous Alberta Student Loans into interest-free and payment-free status.
  • Current Part-Time Students
    • Eligible to place previous part-time Canada Student Loans into payment-free status. Federal loans remain interest-free. 
    • Eligible to place previous full-time and part-time Alberta Student Loans into interest-free and payment-free status. 
    • NOT eligible to place previous full-time Canada Student Loans into payment-free status. 
Learn More
Grace Period/Non-repayment Period

You will enter your grace period/non-repayment period on the first day of the month following your study period end date. During this time, interest will not accumulate and payments are not required. 

  • Alberta Student Loans have a 12 month grace period.
  • Canada Student Loans have a 6 month non-repayment period. 

Should you return to post-secondary studies prior to the end of your grace period/non-repayment period, you can return to interest-free/payment-free status by applying for and receiving full-time student loans/grants or completing a confirmation of enrolment for interest-free/payment-free status. 

Repayment

Repayment begins once your grace period/non-repayment period has ended. If you received both provincial and federal loans, you may have two different lenders.

  • Once you enter your repayment period, interest will begin accruing on your Alberta Student Loans.
  • Interest accumulation for Canada Student Loans is permanently eliminated as of April 1, 2023. This means interest will not accrue on full-time or part-time Canada loans, including loans currently in repayment. Students are still responsible to pay any interest that may have accrued on loans before April 1, 2023.

Who do I owe, how much do I owe and how do I repay it? 

Depending on your loan history, you may have more than one lender to repay. Borrowers can find full details on their loan history, balance owing, interest rate (if applicable), payment schedule, payment methods and more through their National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) and/or provincial loan accounts. 

  • Borrowers from provinces with integrated loan programs (BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and New Brunswick) will have one lender to repay: the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC). 
  • Borrowers from provinces with non-integrated loan programs (Alberta, Yukon, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) may have two lenders to repay: their provincial/territorial loan program and the National Student Loans Service Centre.
    • Alberta Student Loan repayment is managed through your MyLoan account. Please note this is different than the account you apply for student loans through. 
    • Canada Student Loan repayment is managed through your NSLSC account.
    • Nova Scotia Loan repayment is managed through Resolve. Find more details on Nova Scotia Loan repayment here.  
    • PEI Student Loan repayment is managed through your PEI Edulinx account.
    • Yukon does not have a provincial/territorial loan program, therefore borrowers will only be in receipt of Canada Student Loans which are managed through their NSLSC accounts. 
  • Students in receipt of Quebec, Nunavut or Northwest Territory funds are to deal directly with their province/territory as these programs are not affiliated with the Canada Student Loans program. 

Find more information on loan repayment, including loan repayment options, repayment assistance programs and more in your NSLSC account, on the NSLSC YouTube Channel or on the repayment section of Alberta Student Aid's website. 

Pay of your loan using points

Did You Know student loan borrowers can use Aeroplan, TD or CIBC points to pay off student loan debt? Read more on how to do so with HigherEdPoints.