Institution and Program Designation Requirements

In addition to meeting the General Program Designation Requirements and the designation requirements for the specific program or institution type and location as mentioned in this chapter, a program delivered online must also meet the following criteria to be eligible for Alberta and Canada student loans and grants:

1. A program (including a career, vocational, or technical program) must have at least 20 hours of student activity or participation on average per week.
   
   
2. The educational institution must actively monitor student participation and maintain contact with students to ensure minimum course load is maintained.
   
   
3. The educational institution must demonstrate its courses/programs and monitoring activities meet criteria guidelines.
   
   Criteria guidelines for online programs are stipulated within the Pan Canadian Designation Policy Framework. The educational institution must show that it is actively and adequately monitoring academic progress for those students registered and confirm that they are also ensuring students are maintaining full-time status. The educational institution must explain how and what mechanisms are used to ensure the appropriate measures are taken by completing the Required Info for Correspondence, E-learning, Distance Study Program form. 
   
   
4. The educational institution must provide specific program/course start and end dates.
   
   
5. For an educational institution in the United Kingdom only: The educational institution must also have an acceptable rating in a full institutional audit conducted within the last 5 years.

The full institutional audit is conducted by the United Kingdom Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Private Career College Programs Delivered Exclusively Online

Reg.: Schedule 2, s. 11(2)

Effective August 1, 2024, Private Career College programs that are eligible to receive Alberta Student Aid funding, and are delivered exclusively online, may be eligible to receive their full entitlement of Canada student loans and grants. These programs may also be eligible to receive Alberta student loans and grants up to the cost of tuition and books, if not already covered by Canada student loan and grant funding.

For the purposes of Alberta Student Aid, a Private Career College program is delivered online if the delivery of course content and instruction is via the internet, audio, video and/or other web-based multi-media platforms and applications.

Online programs must have at least 20 hours of student activity or participation on average per week. It is up to the institution to verify if a student’s application is for a program that is exclusively online before confirming registration. An incorrect confirmation of registration may result in a compliance review.