Full-time course load
Student Aid considers you a full-time student if you:
- are enrolled in at least 60% of what your school considers a full-time course load, or
- have a disability and are enrolled in at least 40% of a full-time course load
- are attending a licensed private career college in a program that is 12 weeks or longer and has 20+ instruction/practicum hours per week
For example, in a standard undergraduate program, one to two courses per semester is usually considered part-time. Three to five courses is usually considered full-time.
If you drop below the minimum course load for full-time studies, you’ll become a part-time student. This will affect your eligibility and Student Aid will reassess your account. You may be required to pay back some loan or grant money.
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Student Aid doesn’t determine course loads. Contact an advisor at your school to determine how many courses you need to take to be a full-time student. |
Academic Progress
Program length
Student Aid considers the length of your program when determining your eligibility. You are eligible for full-time student aid for:
| the number of years specified for your program + one additional year |
For example, if you’re in a four-year degree program, you may be eligible for full-time student aid for five years. If you’re in a two-year diploma program, you may be eligible for full-time funding for three years.
When this limit is not used in completing a program or study period, it cannot be carried forward to a subsequent program. Open Studies or a Qualifying Year also count toward this limitation. Students with disabilities are exempt from the ‘program length + one year’ limitation.
Learn more about how the length of your program affects your eligibility for student aid.
To continue receiving student aid, you must make reasonable progress through your program. Below is a list of additional academic progress limits:
- Open Studies
- Successive short-term programs
- Scholastic progress (repeating the same year of study)
- History of withdrawals or dropping to part-time
- Early withdrawal
Read more about academic progress to determine whether one of these scenarios applies to your situation.
Citizenship and residency
To receive student aid for full-time studies, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or
- have protected person status
You must also be a resident of Alberta.
Residency is determined differently for independent and dependent students:
| Independent | Dependent |
|---|---|
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You are independent if you:
Note: Students who are granted Special Independent Status will be considered independent for eligibility purposes for all available provincial and federal funding, including Canada Student Grants. |
All other students are considered dependent on their parents or guardians. Dependent students enrolled at a school located in the same community where their parent(s) reside are expected to live with their parents. You will be assessed as a single, dependent student, not paying rent or mortgage payments, and the living allowance will be adjusted. For details see Student Aid Policy - Standard Living Costs and Monthly Living Allowances |
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You are an Alberta resident if:
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You are an Alberta resident if:
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Financial need
You must have financial need to receive student aid.
We calculate your financial need using this formula: Costs – Resources = Financial need
| Costs | Resources | Financial need |
|---|---|---|
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How much you expect to pay toward living and education |
How much you already have or expect to receive |
How much you’ll get in loans and/or grants |
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Includes tuition, fees, living expenses, child care costs, etc. |
Includes parent contribution, AISH payments, EI payments, etc. Students must contribute some of their own money. |
You can receive your calculated financial need as long as it doesn’t exceed your loan limits. |
See a complete list of what Student Aid counts as allowable costs and student resources.
School and program eligibility
Your school and program must be eligible for student aid.
To see if your school and program are eligible, use the school and program eligibility search tool.
Special circumstances
You may be eligible to apply for student aid as a full-time student if you fall into any of the following categories:
Multiple schools at once
If you’re enrolled part-time at multiple schools so that your total course load adds up to full-time, this is known as concurrent enrollment. You can apply for student aid as a full-time student.
In this case, you choose one of your schools to be your 'primary educational institution', and you complete your Student Aid application with their information. Once you’ve submitted your application online, upload a Schedule 3 for concurrent enrollment with the rest of your school information.
Integrated internship
If you’re participating in an integrated internship, co-op, or practicum as part of your program of study, you may be eligible for student aid. An internship is integrated if:
- you must complete the internship to receive your degree, diploma, or certificate, and
- your school considers you to be a full-time student during the internship
Exchange or field study
If you’re participating in an exchange or field study program, you can apply for student aid as a full-time student.
Studying outside of Canada
If you’re enrolled in and paying tuition to a school outside Canada, you can still receive student aid for full-time students, as long as your school and program are eligible.
When you apply for student aid online, you must enter your costs and resources in Canadian dollars, factoring in exchange rates.