Eligibility Criteria

AHS Reg.: s. 7

Citizenship and Immigration Status      

To be eligible for the Louise McKinney Post Secondary Scholarship, a student must be a:

• Canadian citizen, or
• permanent resident of Canada, or
• protected person, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).

A student must have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) to be eligible for financial assistance from Alberta Student Aid. Students with questions about applying for a SIN may contact:

• Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218.

Protected persons must be able to document that their protected person status is valid at the start of their current study period.

Protected persons must provide copies of the following documentation:

• a temporary Social Insurance Number (SIN) card or confirmation of SIN letter showing a 900 series SIN number, and
  
  
• a Notice of Decision issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board or Verification of Status document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Protected Persons Status Documents issued prior to January 2013 are acceptable as well.

Students with only a study permit or a work permit (e.g., visa students) are not eligible.

Students must also meet Alberta residency criteria and other eligibility requirements to be eligible.

Residency

AHS Reg.: ss. 1(g),7(1)(a) and 7(2)(a)

To be eligible for the Louise McKinney Post Secondary Scholarship, a student must be an Alberta resident.

To be considered an Alberta resident, one of the following conditions must apply:

• one parent or legal guardian has maintained permanent residence in Canada for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to commencing post-secondary studies and be residing in Alberta, or
  
  
• Alberta is the last place the student has maintained permanent residence for 12 consecutive months immediately prior to commencing post-secondary studies, or
  
  
• the student’s spouse/common-law partner has maintained permanent residence in Alberta for 12 consecutive months prior to the person attending post-secondary.

Program Eligibility

AHS Reg.: ss. 1(c),(7)(1)(c) and 7(2)(d)

Course Load Requirement and Course Delivery

To be eligible for the Louise McKinney Post Secondary Scholarship, a student must be enrolled full-time in the second or subsequent year of an undergraduate or professional program at a publicly funded post-secondary institution in Alberta.

Or be enrolled full-time in the second or subsequent year of full-time study in an undergraduate program or a professional program, at a post-secondary institution outside Alberta because that program of study is not offered in Alberta. The student must provide a letter demonstrating the student’s class standing in the top two per cent of their program enrolment in the previous year of study.

Program of study refers to the outcome of study. For example, a Bachelor of Arts degree is the outcome of taking an arts program. For this scholarship, the program of study must not be offered in Alberta. An example of an eligible program of study is a Doctorate of Chiropractic as this program is not available in Alberta.

A term is defined as a study period of up to 17 weeks in length. Co-op work terms, internships or exchange programs may be eligible as long as these programs are a mandatory component of the undergraduate or professional program.

Students are not eligible for a Louise McKinney Post Secondary Scholarship if they:

• Have been nominated for a Jason Lang Scholarship for the same period of study, or
• Are in a graduate program, or
• Are an apprentice, or
• Are currently taking upgrading courses.

Application Process

To inquire about the deadline date and application process, contact your institution’s Student Awards Office.

Out of province applicants must submit to Alberta Student Aid by January 15:

• a completed application form, and
• an academic transcript, and
• a letter from the Registrar indicating their class standing in the two per cent of the program enrolment of their previous year of study.

Selection Process

Selection is based on academic standing. There are a limited number of scholarships available to each school and application deadlines vary by school.

Questions with respect to the scholarship policy of each school should be directed to the Student Awards Office. Students who plan to change post-secondary institution or program should contact the Awards Office at the institution they are currently attending to determine their eligibility.

Students studying in-province are nominated by the Student Awards Offices at eligible Alberta public post-secondary institutions.

Payment

The scholarship payment will be made prior to Jason Lang nominations. Louise McKinney Scholarships must be paid prior to March 1. Louise McKinney Post-secondary Scholarship - Study Outside Alberta recipients will be paid by March 31.