BC Resident (full-time)
Graduate students must be enrolled as a full-time graduate student in a student loan eligible program. If you have concerns about your program being eligible/ineligible, please contact us.
If you are not enrolled full-time, see the BC Residents (Part-Time) section. If you are enrolled in less than 2 units, you are ineligible for government student loan funding.
INELIGIBLE PROGRAMS
Please review our list of programs that are not eligible for student loans and grants.
StudentAid BC assists eligible BC residents with the cost of their post-secondary education through loans and grants. It is a partnership between the provincial and federal governments.
As a full-time post-secondary student, you have the primary responsibility of paying for your education. Most students meet their costs through employment income, savings, assets, support from family, scholarships, bursaries and/or awards. However, if this is not enough, StudentAid BC may be able to supplement (not replace) your own financial resources to help you reach your educational goals.
StudentAid BC is helping make post-secondary education more affordable for BC residents through their loans (repayable funding) and grants (non-repayable funding) programs. Students are automatically assessed for both BC student loans and grants (provided by the provincial government) and Canada student loans and grants (provided by the federal government) when they submit their applications for funding on a term-by-term basis. For more information and to apply, please visit StudentAid BC.
Families from other Provinces or Territories
If your family is not from BC, you apply through your home Province or Territory for funding.
StudentAid BC
Explore full-time student funding, including loans and grants available for students studying full-time.
StudentAid BC has created a series of YouTube videos to help students learn about the student financial assistance journey from start to finish.
Students can check out the complete playlist and subscribe to StudentAid BC’s YouTube channel to catch new videos added over time.
Apply for funding
- Determine your eligibility
- How to apply for loans and grants
- How to receive your loans and grants
- How to appeal your assessment
- What is an overaward?
Maintain your funding
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Student Line of Credit?
Student Lines of Credit or Private Loans may be a consideration to help you fund your education. The merits of this type of loan should be carefully considered and all of your options examined before you make a decision. We encourage you to review Education Funding resources through the Government of Canada as a planning step.
The main difference between a student line of credit and government student financial assistance is in how the interest accumulates and how the loans are repaid. If you qualify for a Student Line of Credit, you will usually be responsible for all the interest that accrues as soon as you take funds from your line of credit. If you do not take any funds from your line of credit, there will be no interest. In addition, you will usually have to make monthly interest payments on the amount you've borrowed while you are in school.
In contrast, if you qualify for Canadian and/or Provincial student loans, you will not accrue interest or make any monthly payments, provided you are enrolled as a full-time student and you take the appropriate steps to update your enrolment information. Another key difference is that you may qualify for non-repayable funding in the form of Federal and Provincial grants if you apply for government student financial assistance
National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) resources for repayment
The National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) offers online presentations (webinars) on the student loan repayment process.
The NSLSC services Canada Student Loans (Federal) as well as provincially-integreted loans for the following provinces: BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba (as of July 1, 2022), Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The webinars will be beneficial for students, since they will assist students with their obligations when repaying their student loans, and will provide answers on:
- How to save money
- How to avoid repayment difficulties
- How to maintain your student loan
The webinars are 45 to 60 minutes long and can be viewed on a computer, tablet or Android/iPhone.
To view the Student Loan Repayment Webinars, click on the links below: