Funding for part-time students

To be eligible for student financial assistance, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person or an individual registered under the Indian Act, regardless of your citizenship
• be a New Brunswick resident, as defined by the program
• have a financial need according to program criteria
• be enrolled in 20-59% of a full course load at an eligible post-secondary institution
• have not reached the maximum $10,000 in Part-Time Canada Student Loans
• not be in default of a full-time or part-time Canada Student Loan and/or a Canada Apprentice Loan

You are not eligible for part-time assistance if you:

• have a family income above the applicable thresholds
• have reached the part-time loan limit of $10,000
  Note: If you pay back part of your part-time loan, you can take out that amount again. You may still be eligible for Canada Students Grants if you reach the loan limit
• are enrolled in a program of study that does not have a full-time equivalent
• did not successfully complete the courses you were given part-time funding for in the past
• declared bankruptcy
• are an international student

When you are ready to apply, review the checklist to ensure you have all the information you need to submit your application.

Student information:

• Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• Email address (where information can be sent to you regularly)
• Mailing address (where you want to receive notices and letters)
• Permanent address (if different from mailing address)
• Amount of outstanding Part-Time Canada Student Loan, if applicable
   

Academic information:

• Name of program of study
• Educational institution name and phone number
• Description and code for each course
• Start and end date (year/month/day) of each course
• Copy of a previous study period transcript may be requested (if applicable)
   

Resources:

• Income from your previous year’s Income Tax Return (line 15000 – if applicable) 
• If you had no income, submit documentation explaining this situation 
• Copy of your previous year CRA Notice of Assessment
     

Student with a disability:

• If applying as a student with a disability, refer to the Students with disabilities information sheet for required documentation details
    

Permanent residents: 

• Clear copy of both sides of your valid Permanent Resident (PR) card or a copy of your landing document
• If sponsored into Canada, provide a letter from your sponsor with the details of the sponsorship
     

Protected persons of Canada (including Convention Refugees):

• Clear copy of both sides of your Protected Person Status Document (PPSD) which must be valid for the entire study period for which you are applying for financial assistance, or a copy of the Notice of Decision issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board, or a copy of the Verification of Status document from Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Copy of your SIN document that begins with a “9”
   

Married or common-law students will also require:

• SIN and date of birth of your partner and any children enrolled in post-secondary studies 
• Partner’s total income from the previous year (line 15000) 
• If partner had no income, they must submit documentation explaining this situation
• Copy of partner’s CRA Notice of Assessment
   

Single parent students will also require:

•  SIN of any children enrolled in postsecondary studies
    

Your international educational institution must be designated under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program for you to be eligible for funding. You should apply for funding as early as possible before your study period starts.

With one application you will be considered for all federal funding programs.  How much funding you can receive is based on many different factors, such as tuition, books and supplies, transportation to and from classes, childcare costs incurred to attend classes, etc.

The 2023-2024 program funding maximums are:

There are two grants available for students with disabilities who qualify for student financial assistance:
 

Canada Student Grant for Students with disabilities

This grant provides $2,800* per academic year to help reduce the costs they face when participating in a post-secondary program.

To be considered for this grant, you must:

• self-identify as having a permanent or persistent or prolonged disability when completing your application for student financial assistance
• submit the disability verification form which normally only must be submitted once for verification of your eligibility as a student with a disability
• if you are applying based on a learning disability diagnosis, submit Section A of the disability verification form and a copy of your Psychoeducational Assessment completed by a registered psychologist within five years of the date of your application (or completed when you were 18 years of age or older)
   

Canada student grant for services and equipment

Students with disabilities can receive up to a maximum of $20,000 per academic year to purchase education related services and assistive equipment which are not provided by your educational institution.  Examples are tutors, note-takers, interpreters, readers and technical aids.

To be considered for this grant, you must:

• have submitted a part-time student grant and loan application and been approved for funding as a student with a disability
• submit the application for Canada student grant for services and equipment – students with disabilities and all required supporting documents no later than six weeks before the end date of your period of study

Gross annual family income and family size are taken into consideration in the process to determine if you qualify for assistance. Your application will be assessed based on the following costs:

• tuition including compulsory fees
• book and supplies
• transportation to and from classes
• an incidental allowance of $10 per week, per course

Note: Childcare and transportation costs are not included in the assessment if you are taking studies through correspondence or distance learning, except for the periods where in-class attendance is mandatory (e.g., examinations, etc.)

Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) is a legal lifetime agreement between you and the federal and New Brunswick governments that outlines your responsibilities and terms and conditions of accepting your funding and your responsibilities for repaying the loans you borrowed. You will complete the online agreement with the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) and you normally only sign it once. There are separate MSFAAs for full-time and part-time students. 

Once all documents have been submitted, applications are normally processed within two to four weeks. If you are a first-time applicant or are returning after a break of two or more years, once your application has been assessed, you will receive a Notice of Assessment in the mail indicating:

• the amount of your funding
• when you will get your funding
• your 10-digit Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) number needed to complete your MSFAA with the National Student Loans Services Centre (NSLSC)
• instructions on what to do with the MSFAA number to get your assistance.

If you are a returning applicant with no break from your studies, once your application has been assessed, you will receive your Notice of Assessment in the mail indicating the amount of your funding and when it will be available. You normally would not need to complete the online MSFAA process again.

Within three to five days of receiving your Notice of Assessment, the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) will send you a “Welcome Email” that will include a secure URL needed to create an online NSLSC account.

To agree to the terms and conditions of accepting your funding and repaying your loans, you need to complete an electronic Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) through your online account with the NSLSC.

To register for your online NSLSC account, you will need to be ready to provide your:

• bank account information (transit, institution, and account numbers)
• social insurance number (SIN)
• unique 10-digit MSFAA number
• date of birth

If you do not receive a “Welcome Email” from the NSLSC, please contact Student Financial Services.

If you are a returning applicant with no break of two or more years from your studies, you would normally already have an online account with the NSLSC and would have agreed to the terms and conditions of accepting your funding through your signed MSFAA.

If your contact information changes, you must update your online account with the NSLSC and inform Student Financial Services of the changes.

The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) manages Canada student loans and federal grants. The NSLSC processes your Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA), deposits funds into your bank account or sends it to your school, helps you to keep track of your funding and the amount you must repay, works with you to set up a loan repayment schedule and helps you find the best way to repay your loan if you are having difficulties with repayment.

Once the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) has your completed Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) on file, your school must confirm your enrolment with the NSLSC as part of the process of getting your money. 

Your school may advise the NSLSC that a portion (or all) of your funding is to be paid directly to the school to cover your academic fees. Remaining funds, if any, will be electronically deposited into the bank account you provided on your MSFAA within approximately five business days of enrolment being confirmed. You will receive a message from the NSLSC in your secure inbox with the details on the amount of funding paid to you and your school.

If you do not reapply for student financial assistance for upcoming studies, you need to notify the NSLSC through your online NSLSC.ca account that you are still in school. If not, you will have to start repaying your loans earlier than expected.

Note: If you have part-time loans and full-time loans and are studying full-time, both loans will be payment free while you are in studies, unless you have reached the maximum lifetime assistance limit. However, if you are studying part-time, only your part-time loan will be payment free while in-study and regular payments will be expected on your full-time loan.