Types of Grants and Bursaries

Grants and bursaries are non-repayable forms of student funding for students who demonstrate financial need. There are provincial and federal government grants and bursaries available for students. Eligibility varies with individual grants and bursaries.

Provincial Grants and Bursaries

Maintenance Grants
Value: up to $3,000 per semester (a semester is a period of one to four months)

• Available primarily, but not restricted, to students who are:
• single parents
• married/common law students whose spouse/partner cannot work for medical reasons
• single students with maintenance payments.

Alberta Opportunities Bursary
Value: up to $1,500 per year

• Available to first- or second-year students who:
• have high financial need and are attending an educational institution in Alberta that is participating in this bursary program.

Northern Student Supplement
Value: up to $1,500 per year

• Available to students who are:
• from northern Alberta and are eligible for the Alberta Opportunities Bursary who may have higher costs to attend post-secondary school.

Alberta Student Loan Relief Benefit

The purpose of the Loan Relief Benefit is to keep student loan debt manageable and to provide eligible students with a financial boost in their first year. This is a provincial program that does not replace funds issued under the Canada Student Loan Program.

• Available to first-time, first-year, full-time post-secondary students who:
• receive loan assistance after July 31, 2001
• have been issued more than $7,140 per academic year (or $3,570 per semester) in provincial or combined federal and provincial student loans issued by Alberta.

Do I have to apply?

You do not need to apply–your eligibility is automatically assessed from your Application for Financial Assistance.

You will have to repay the full amount of the Loan Relief Benefit if:

• you do not complete your period of study for which the Benefit was issued, or
• you did not sign and return the Electronic Confirmation of Financial Information letter is you applied for funding online

Federal Grants and Bursaries

Canada Student Grant for Students from Low-income Families
Value: $250 per month of study

• Available to students from low-income families who:
• qualify for a federal student loan
• meet the specific grant eligibility requirements
• are enrolled in a university undergraduate, college or trade school program, of a minimum of two years duration

Canada Student Grant for Students from Middle-income Families
Value: $100 per month of study

• Available to students from middle-income families who:
• qualify for a federal student loan
• meet the specific grant eligibility requirements
• are enrolled in a university undergraduate, college or trade school program, of a minimum of two years duration

Canada Student Grant for Students with Dependants
Value: $200 per month of study per each child under 12 years of age (at the beginning of the school year)

• Available to students with dependants who:
• qualify for a federal student loan
• meet the specific grant eligibility requirements
• have a child under 12 years of age (at the beginning of the school year)
• have a child 12 years of age or older with a permanent disability (a permanent physical or mental impairment that results in the child requiring daily care)

Canada Student Grant for Persons with Permanent Disabilities
Value: $2,000 per loan year

• Available to students who:
• qualify for a federal student loan
• have a permanent disability as defined by the Canada Student Loan Program
• have submitted a completed Schedule 4 and acceptable documentation of their permanent disability with their application for student funding

Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Permanent Disabilities
Value: up to $8,000 per loan year 

• Available to students who:
• qualify for a federal student loan
• have a permanent disability as defined by the Canada Student Loan Program
• have exceptional education related costs for services or equipment due to their permanent disability
• have submitted a completed Schedule 4 and acceptable documentation of their permanent disability with their application for student funding

Transition Grant (for recipients of the Canada Millennium Bursary (CMB) in 2008-2009)

Effective August 1, 2009, the CMB will be discontinued.  However, if you received a CMB in 2008-2009 and you are continuing in the same program, you may receive a Transition Grant for up to three additional years of continuous study.  This is to ensure that eligible recipients of the CMB will continue to receive the same level of grant funding for the remainder of their current post-secondary program.