Eligibility

Basic Eligibility Requirements

Students are eligible for financial assistance if they meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

  • You are a Canadian citizen (as defined in the Citizenship Act), permanent resident or have protected person status (as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act), or a person registered as an Indian (under the Indian Act).
  • You are a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador
  • You have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number
  • You have demonstrated financial need
  • You are not in default on previous federal and/or provincial student loans
  • You are pursuing full-time studies at a designated educational institution
  • You are enrolled full-time in a program of study leading to a degree, diploma or certificate that is at least 12 weeks in duration
  • Your period of study is at least six weeks in duration

 Note: Students can only receive funding from one province at a given time.

To Maintain Eligibility

  • Academic Performance – Students must successfully complete a full course load (60% – federal, 80% – provincial and 40% – students with disabilities) during each period of study they receive financial assistance as a full-time student. If a student does not meet this requirement on two separate occasions, they will no longer be eligible for financial assistance for a 12-month period. A third occurrence will result in a loss of eligibility for at least 36 months.
  • Subsequent or Switching Programs – Students must demonstrate that the program(s) represents academic progression, has good labour-market prospects, and will not result in an unmanageable level of debt. Students must submit a letter of rationale to support their decision. Students are encouraged to provide labour market research including contact with employees/employers in their chosen field.
  • Faculty Registration – If attending university, students must be in a faculty by the end of their fourth semester.
  • Work Terms – If registered in full-time studies, the student must confirm their start/end dates and their gross income for the work term period. If their work term is unpaid, they must provide confirmation from their employer or educational institution.

Note: Education/social work internships and nursing preceptorships are not considered work terms.

  • Audit – all information provided to StudentAidNL is subject to  audit. Any discrepancies will result in an automatic adjustment to the student’s file and may affect their eligibility.

Providing False or Misleading Information –  Under Section 22 of the Student Financial Assistance Act, 2019, a person who, either orally or in writing, makes a false statement or misrepresentation or gives false or misleading information for the purpose of obtaining financial assistance under this Act or assisting another person in obtaining financial assistance under this Act commits an offence. StudentAidNL will immediately suspend an application if fraud is suspected and consult with the Department of Justice and Public Safety.

  • Program + 1 – Students are eligible for funding for the scheduled length of their program, as defined by their school, plus a grace period of up to a maximum of one academic year (two semesters).

Example: A Bachelor of Arts program is normally eight semesters (four academic years) in duration. Financial assistance is available for those eight semesters (four academic years) plus an additional two-semester (one academic year) grace period, for a total of ten semesters (five academic years) of funding.

  •  Lifetime Limit– There is a lifetime borrowing limit of 340 weeks for full-time student financial assistance. If a student is pursuing PhD studies, this increases to 400 weeks. Eligible students with a diagnosed disability or students who obtained a guaranteed loan (prior to August 1, 1995) are eligible to access up to 520 weeks of assistance.

Note: The lifetime limit includes times the student applied to receive interest-free status. A student can apply for interest-free status if they have an outstanding loan balance and are in full-time study not in receipt of student financial assistance.

 

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