Financial Aid Directory

Government Funding Programs in Nova Scotia

Employability Assistance for People with Disabilities

The Employability Assistance Program for People with Disabilities (EAPD), through the Nova Scotia Department of Education, in partnership with the Department of Community Services and Department of Health, provides a support system for educational related equipment and services, including post-secondary programs. Other eligible goods and services are technical aids, tutors, interpreters, tuition, books and training allowances that could assist a person with a disability to access post-secondary training.

Department of Education and Culture
Rehabilitation Programs and Services
Trade Mart, 4th Floor
2021 Brunswick Street
P.O. Box 578
Halifax, NS B3J 2S9
Tel: 902-424-6737
Fax: 902 424-4843
E-mail: digiosma@gov.ns.ca

Student Loans Program

The Nova Scotia Student Assistance Program is a loan program designed to assist students in financing their post-secondary education. The student loan is meant to supplement your resources, not replace them.

In order to apply for financial assistance with the province of Nova Scotia, you must meet the following four criteria:

  • First and foremost, you must be either considered a Canadian citizen or a 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 fulltime student attending an approved post-secondary institution. An approved school is one that has been certified by the Department of Education and has been 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. For disabled students full-time is considered at least 40% of a full course load.
  • Lastly, you must establish a need for Student Assistance. This involves an assessment of your financial situation.

When determining if a student qualifies for a student loan, the Student Assistance Office assesses a student's financial situation. The costs a student incurs are offset by other resources, which they have available to them.

When an assessment is finalized the student will receive an Explanation of Assessment in the mail. This assessment outlines anticipated costs, resources, and your calculated need. If your calculated need is high enough, you will receive 60% of it as a first disbursement. This first disbursement will consist of both Canada Student Loan and Nova Scotia Student Loan. The actual breakdown is 60% Canada Student Loan and 40% Nova Scotia Student Loan.

The maximum student loan you can receive depends on the number of weeks in your academic year. The maximum Canada Student Loan is $165/wk and the maximum Nova Scotia Student Loan is $150/wk. For a student attending university from September to April the maximum is typically $10,710.

Keep in mind that you only receive 60% of your calculated need for the beginning of your school year. To receive additional student loan funding for the remainder of the school year, the student must submit a Pre-study report as soon as classes start. If the information on your Pre-study report differs from your application, you may not be eligible for additional funding. This is why it is best to estimate costs as accurately as possible on the original application.

Nova Scotia Student Assistance Office
Tel.: 902-424-8420
Toll-free: 1-800-565-8420 (within Canada)
TTY: 902-424-2058
www.studentloans.ednet.ns.ca




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