Government loans

The federal and provincial/territorial governments provide student loan and grant assistance for Canadian citizens and permanent residents studying at the post-secondary level.

The funding is offered in the form of repayable loans and non-repayable grants and is issued to students if they have demonstrated financial need. These loans are interest free while you are a full-time student.

Part-time students: Part-time students may also be eligible for student loan and grant funding. Apply through your province of residence.
BC students: Apply online with Student Aid BC

Get more information from the Government of Canada

Are you eligible?

Undergraduate students

You may be eligible if you meet the following criteria:

Registered in a minimum of 4.5 units for credit per term. Students who have registered as having a permanent disability with their student loan provider are considered full-time at 3.0 units for credit per term.
Course of study is a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Period of study does not have breaks greater than ten working days.
None of my courses are duplicate, mutually exclusive, audited or waitlisted.

Graduate students

Graduate students must be registered as full-time according to the regulations set by Graduate Admissions and Records.

Summer session

View the summer session loan and grant requirements for full-time students or part-time students.

Scholastic standards

In accordance with the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act, students must attain a satisfactory scholastic standard to be eligible for student financial assistance.

Satisfactory scholastic standard is successful completion (i.e., student receives credit towards a degree, diploma or certificate from the educational institution) of at least 60 percent of a full course load of study (40 percent for students with a permanent disability) at the post-secondary level.

Withdrawing from full-time studies

Maintaining at least 4.5 credit units per term is important to ensure your continued eligibility for student loans.

If you are receiving government student loans and grants to finance your studies, please contact Student Awards and Financial Aid (finaid@uvic.ca) before dropping any courses.

Six months after withdrawing from full-time studies, the student becomes responsible for starting to repay outstanding loans and accrued interest.

Any loan or grant disbursements awarded for the current session or term are forfeited if the student withdraws from full-time studies. In particular, the university may not release grant cheques to individuals who are not full-time students.

If student loans and grants have already been released for the current session to a student who withdraws, the provincial agency may require that a portion be repaid.

Going on an international exchange

If you require funding while you are overseas on an international exchange through the University of Victoria, please ensure you complete all the necessary paperwork before you leave!

Make sure you read:

Financial Aid Information for International Exchange Students covering things you need to do regarding loans, confirmation of enrolment and other financial matters.
More information about exchange

Lenders & repayments

Lenders

Once the full-time student enrolment has been confirmed by the school, most funding will be disbursed electronically directed to the student's bank account.

Check the Government of Canada website for a list of designated postal outlets.
Lender contact information

Please note that although registration status for student loans for most provinces are electronically confirmed, loans are only valid for 30 days from date of issuance. Please contact Student Awards and Financial Aid if you have any questions about confirmation of enrolment for new funding or interest-free status.

Repayment

Once you have negotiated your student loans, your must contact your lenders regarding repayment and maintaining interest-free status.

What you need to know about repayment: loan repayment

Confirmation of enrolment

Government issued student loans are confirmed electronically by the school. Once the full-time enrolment has been confirmed by the school, funding will disburse either electronically or via documents to the student for part-time loans. Part-time loans and grants documents will need to be negotiated at a designated postal outlet.

Request a confirmation of enrolment

For Continuation of Interest Free Status, students from most provinces can request this online at National Student Loan Service Centre Portal.

For BC Students Apply for Interest Free Status at studentaidbc.ca

Students from Quebec, Nunavut and Northwest Territories are required to complete paper forms.

Anyone with loans pre-dating the year 2000 must complete a paper Schedule 2 form and submit it to the appropriate lender.

Please check with your provincial administrator or our office for more information.

Our contact information

Student Awards & Financial Aid
PO Box 3025 STN CSC
Victoria, BC
V8W 3P2
finaid@uvic.ca or phone (250) 721-8423

How to apply

Students must apply to their province/territory of residency and only one application is required to access both the federal and provincial funding. Student loan applications are usually available in May/June of each year and students should apply early to ensure that their loans will be processed before the school year commences. The majority of provinces/territories prefer students to apply on-line or access a printable version of the application from their websites.

Canada.ca

The one-stop information source on post-secondary education in Canada. Includes student loan information (applying and repayment), budgeting tools and a financial need calculator.

Visit Government of Canada

Provincial loan applications

Students who have completed a Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA) and have since changed their bank account information, must complete the following form for future electronic disbursements through National Student Loan Service Centre