by Theresa Ann White

Created on: February 08, 2009

One of the best places to start searching for financial aid for Canadian universities is the CanLearn site, hosted by the government of Canada.

Here, you will find a separate page which is devoted to Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships, the three external sources of financial aid for postsecondary education.

Tuition alone ranges from $2500 to $8000 a year at Canadian universities and the cost of room and board can easily triple those amounts. Government loans will not cover these costs completely, so the site also emphasizes planning ahead by using a personal savings program, personal income and scholarships.

As with American financial aid, student loans are issued through the government and are determined by financial need. Loans must be repaid.

Scholarships are awarded based on scholastic or athletic excellence or some special skill but most also calculate financial need into their determination.

In Canada, scholarships are divided into two areas: grants and bursaries. Grants are provided by the government based on proven need. Bursaries may originate from a government source, a private institution or organization or an academic institution. Neither of these two sources of funding must be repaid.

Apprenticeship Incentive Grant
(AIG)

This grant is provided through the Canadian government and awards $1000 cash a year to a qualified apprentice who has completed the first and /or second year of a qualified Red Seal apprenticeship program. There are about fifty Red Seal trades and include everything from Cook, Roofer, Ironworker, Lather and Motorcycle Mechanic to Baker, Carpenter, Bricklayer and Powerline Technician. The small grant is helpful for partial coverage of tuition and needed supplies. For complete details about the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, visit its website. For a complete list of Red Seal trades, read the .pdf pamphlet available here. To determine whether a student is eligible for the AIG grant and to apply for the grant, visit the Service Canada website.

Canada Study Grants and Canada
Access Grants

These grants are awarded based on financial need. However, they are restricted to specific Canadian provinces. Students living in Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are not eligible for these awards. Awards range around $3000 a year with a high of $8000 for one grant category. There are five specific populations covered under these grants with eligibility criteria and application guidelines for each. These grants include the following: Students with Dependents, Students with Permanent Disabilities, Females Pursuing Doctoral Studies, Students from Low-Income Families and High-Need Part time Students. (Click on each link for details about the program.)

* Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation bursaries *

The government allocates up to $325 million a year in bursaries to students throughout Canada. Distributed through the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, each grant averages $3000 and is based on both merit and financial need. A note of caution: in 2008, the government decided to halt these bursaries, and no awards will be available after 2010. There is no formal application for these scholarships, as students are automatically considered when they apply for financial assistance.

Scholarships for studying abroad are also available through two separate programs: Government of Canada International Scholarships Program (graduate level only), Canadian Bureau for International Education, a non-governmental organization devoted to international education.

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