High School Transition

Funding and Scholarship Programs

Quebec Student Financial Assistance

The Government of Quebec has not signed an EAPD agreement with the federal government, therefore post-secondary student financial aid in the province is delivered in a different fashion than elsewhere in Canada. Funding for post-secondary studies includes provincial and federal program funding. Financial assistance for students with a disability is divided into two sections, or degrees of functionality, as described below.

Major Functional Disability:

To be eligible for financial aid as a student with a disability in Quebec, you must qualify as having a Major Functional Disability (MFD). This classification covers four categories of disability - visual, hearing, medical and physical. Designation with a MFD depends on a medical professional’s degree of functionality assessment, or on the basis of hearing or vision impairment. (Note that certain disabilities, for example learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders, do not qualify under the guidelines).

If a student is deemed to have a MFD, he or she may take a minimum of six credits per semester and still receive the financial equivalent of a full-time bursary. It is important to note that the funding is in the form of bursary, with no loan component. The amount a student may receive is determined on the same basis as all students (parental income, personal income, etc). If deemed to have a MFD, a student can also apply for funding to cover special needs (note-takers, tutors, interpreters, equipment etc.)

Minor Functional Disability:

A student may, in some cases, be designated as having a minor functional disability. This classification recognizes that while the student is not severely limited enough to qualify for full financial aid, he or she may still have some disability-related requirements. As such, a student identi- fied as having a minor functional disability will be able to access funding to cover educational support services, such as tutors, computers and other adaptive devices.

The provincial government is generally very efficient with refunds, and funding limits are substantially higher than in other provinces. For example, deaf students can receive full funding for interpreters. Students may find more information on this funding either at the financial aid department of their prospective institution, or at the office of students with disabilities. Students transferring from CEGEP to university do not need to be reassessed for eligibility. They need simply request a transfer of institution (again, a student financial aid office can do this).

To obtain assistive devices and other equipment, students should contact the relevant rehabilitation centre. For example, visually impaired students in Montreal would contact the Montreal Association for the Blind.

Service de l’accueil et des renseignements
Aide financière aux études
Ministère de l’Éducation
1035, rue De La Chevrotière
Québec (Québec) G1R 5A5
Tel: (418) 646-5245 (outside of Quebec)
Interactive Telephone System:
(418) 646-4505 (Quebec City)
(514) 864-4505 (Montreal)
(888) 345-4505 (in Québec)
Web site www.afe.gouv.qc.ca