Government student loans and grants

For both undergraduate and graduate students

Applying for 2011/12 | B.C. students | part-time students | students from other Canadian provinces | US students | international students (non-US)

Applying for 2011/12

Applying for BC Student Loans? The 2011/12 StudentAid BC student loan application is now available at www.studentaidbc.ca for classes starting August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. Please be aware that the governments of Canada and BC are integrating their full-time student financial assistance programs (Canada Student Loans and BC Student Loans) to simplify your borrowing experience. For further information, see www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc/integration.htm

Students must complete separate applications for each term of study. You can apply for more than one term at the same time. However, individual loan applications must be completed for each term you are requesting funding for. For example, if you are interested in applying for two terms (September 2011 - April 2012), you must complete two separate student loan applications - one for September - December and one for January - April. Both of these applications can be completed and submitted individually at the same time. You do not need to wait until one term is completed before you apply for the next.

This change will allow you the flexibility to apply for funding for only the terms you require resources and will enhance your budgeting ability as you will know the exact amount of funding you will receive for each term.

Your overall amount of StudentAid BC funding should not be impacted. However, if your assessment has been reduced significantly from previous assessments, please speak to a Financial Aid Advisor immediately. See our help and contact information.

Student loans – Canada

Government student loans provide funding to eligible students based on demonstrated financial need. Funds will be disbursed through a combination of the Canada Student Loan (CSL) program and the appropriate provincial student loan program. One application will qualify you for both programs. However, your application must be directed to your province of residence. If you are unsure as to where your province of residence is, please phone 778.782.6930 for assistance.

• Visit StudentAidBC (SABC) for complete program information for British Columbian student loans
• Although the majority of SFU programs are eligible for government student loans, some programs do not meet SABC program eligibility criteria (e.g., Executive MBA, MEd Off-campus, Graduate Diploma in Business Administration and all non-credit continuing studies programs).  Phone 778.782.6930 for more information about specific program eligibility.

All student loans take six to eight weeks to process, so apply early.