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High School Transition

Funding and Scholarship Programs

Nova Scotia Student Loans

The Nova Scotia Student Assistance Program is a loan program designed to assist students in financing their post-secondary education. A provincial student loan is meant to supplement a student’s resources, not replace them. In order to apply for financial assistance with the province of Nova Scotia, you must meet the following four criteria:

You must be either a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.
You must be considered a Nova Scotia resident as dictated by the Nova Scotia Student Assistance Program. Please note that residency requirements in Nova Scotia are different from those suggested by Revenue Canada.
You must be a full-time student attending an approved post-secondary institution. This is a school that has been certified by the Department of Education and approved for Student Assistance funding. A full-time student is someone attending for at least 12 weeks and is enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load. Students with disabilities must be enrolled in at least 40% of a full course load.
Lastly, you must demonstrate financial need, as determined through a financial assessment.

When an assessment is finalized, the student will receive an Explanation of Assessment in the mail. This outlines anticipated costs, resources, and calculated need. The maximum student loan you can receive depends on the number of weeks in your academic year. The maximum Canada Student Loan is $165 per week and the maximum Nova Scotia Student Loan is $150 per week. For a student attending university from September to April, the maximum is approximately $10,710.

Students should note that only 60% of calculated need is awarded at the beginning of the school year. To receive additional student loan funding for the remainder of the school year, a pre-study report must be submitted as soon as classes start. If the information on the pre-study report differs from the application, you may not be eligible for additional funding. Therefore, it is best to estimate costs as accurately as possible on the original application.

Nova Scotia Student Assistance Office
Department of Education and Culture
P.O. Box 2290, Halifax Central
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3C8
Tel: (902) 424-8420, 1 (800) 565-8420 (toll free within Nova Scotia)
Fax: (902) 424-0540
TDD: (902) 424-2058
Email: stuasst@gov.ns.ca
Web site: studentloans.ednet.ns.ca