“How do I apply for student loans?”

Full-time and part-time students may be eligible for loans from the Alberta government, the Canadian government, or both. You only have to apply once to be considered for both types of loans.

When you apply for a loan, you are automatically considered for grants. A loan is money you will eventually have to repay. A grant is free money. You don’t need to pay it back.

To get a student loan, you’ll need to apply through Alberta Student Aid.

If you’re a part-time student, see I'm a part-time student. Can I get student loans? for details on how to apply.

If you’re a full-time student, you’ll need to apply online. You’ll need a verified Alberta.ca Account to access the Alberta Student Aid system and get started. Getting a verified account can take up to 10 days.

Once you have a verified Alberta.ca account, follow these steps to complete your application:

1.   Determine if you are a full-time or part-time student.

2.   Determine if you are eligible. To get student aid, you must meet academic and residency requirements, have financial need, and be enrolled in an eligible program.

3.   Find out what you’re eligible for. Use this Student Aid Estimator to find out how much federal student aid you could get from the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.

4.   Gather your information. You’ll need your personal info (address, phone, birthdate and so on), Social Insurance Number, Alberta Student Number, income from Line 15000 of last year’s tax return, emergency contact info, info about your academic program (length of program, start and end dates, and your student ID, if you know it), and your financial info (how much money you will get from your parents or from other sources, including awards).

-      You can request your Alberta Student Number online, get it from your school, or find it on an official document like a report card or school ID card.

5.   Create your Student Aid account. (This is optional for part-time students.)

6.   Complete and submit your application online through your Student Aid account.

-      If you’re a part-time student, submit your application according to the instructions on the part-time application form,

-      Additional supporting information may be required if you are a student with a disability, married, applying to multiple schools, studying outside of Canada, participating in an exchange program, or taking aviation training.

7.   Wait for Student Aid to contact you. (Processing your application can take from a few days to 45 days or longer.)

Where to get help

For help getting a verified Alberta.ca account or accessing the Alberta Student Aid system, call the Alberta Student Aid Service Centre at 1-855-606-2096. Centre staff can also help you with your questions about Student Aid programs. 

What would you like to know?

An alis staff member will review your question and respond via email. If it’s something that can help others look for work, explore careers, or succeed on the job, a version of your question and answer may even be added to the site.