Eligibility search tool
Use this tool to find out if your school and program are designated by Student Aid.
Limited Student Aid funding
Some private career colleges have a limit on the amount of Alberta Student Aid funding available for students. If your school has reached the maximum amount of provincial student aid, you may be eligible for federal student aid. Please contact your school for further information.
Details can be found in Student Aid Policy, Alberta Private Career Colleges.
Ineligible programs
Students enrolled in the following programs are not eligible to receive student aid:
- Adult basic education
- Commercial Truck Driving Training or Class 1 Extended Driver Training
- High school equivalency
- Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)
- Literacy training
- Programs that do not lead to a credential such as personal or professional development, hobby, self-interest, or continuing education programs
- Programs that are less than 12 weeks in length
- Private career college programs with less than 20 instruction/practicum hours in a typical school week
- Upgrading or college preparatory courses
- Additional training or exams offered by professional bodies, organizations, or associations that are required to practice a profession (medical residency, law articling, accounting designation, etc.)
Funding is also available to help adult Albertans get the basic education, upgrading or English as a Second Language they need for further training or a job. Learn more about funding for academic upgrading and adult learning.
How to request designation
If you don’t find your school or program listed in the search tool, you can submit a request to have them designated.
If your program isn’t designated
If you find your school but not your program, follow these steps:
- Download and complete a Request Designation Review form
- Email the completed form to ae.designationinquiry@gov.ab.ca
- Wait to hear back about the results of your request
Note: Allow at least 6 to 8 weeks to receive your review results. Reviews may exceed this timeframe when additional information is required, or during high volume processing periods.
| If you find your program, but it is only listed for part-time, this means you can’t receive full-time student aid. You must apply as a part-time student. |
If your school isn’t designated
If you can’t find your school in the search tool, then you need to find out if it can be designated. How you do this depends on where the school is located.
Step 1: See if your school is eligible
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School location |
Determining eligibility |
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Canada |
Contact your school to see if they’re designated for student aid by the province they are located in. If so, Alberta will designate them too. |
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United States |
Check the Federal School Code Search to see if your school is approved by the United States Department of Education. If your school has Title IV Status, you may be eligible for student aid. If not, you can’t receive student aid. |
|
Outside North America |
Your school must be:
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Medical degree program outside North America |
Your school must be:
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Step 2: Inform Student Aid
Once you’ve confirmed your school is eligible for designation, then you must:
- Download and complete a Request Designation Review form
- Email the completed form to ae.designationinquiry@gov.ab.ca
- Wait to hear back about the results of your request
Allow at least 45 days to receive your review results. Reviews may exceed this timeframe when additional information is required, or during high volume processing periods.
Your designation review must be approved before you apply for student aid or request interest-free status on your student loans.