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Chapter 1:
Eligibility for Student Loans and Grants- Student Eligibility
- Independent and Dependent Students
- Residency
- Full-Time Status
- Academic Progress
- Previous Loans
- Program Eligibility
- Types of Funding
- Alberta Student Grants
- Funding Allocation
- Disbursement Schedule
- Financial Eligibility
- Allowable Costs
- Student Resources
- Other Resources
- Resources Not to be Reported on Application
- Loan Limits
Residency
Reg.: Schedule 2, ss. 1(2) and 1(3)
The intent of residency rules is to establish to which province/territory each student should apply for student loans and grants. A student who is a resident of more than one province/territory must not, for a given study period, apply to more than one province/territory for student loans and grants.
Once a student is considered an Alberta resident, the student may continue to apply for and receive loans and grants through Alberta Student Aid during each subsequent consecutive year in which the student remains continuously enrolled. This is the case whether the student is in the same or in a different program and whether in the same or in a different educational institution. If a student in this situation were to have a 12-month break in studies, the student’s residency must be re-established before a new application can be processed.
Residency for Dependent Students
Alberta Student Aid requires residency information from parents of dependent students to verify that the student meets the Alberta residency requirements.
A dependent student is considered a resident of Alberta when at least one parent has maintained permanent residence in Canada for the 12 consecutive months immediately before, and is maintaining permanent residence in Alberta on the date in which the study period begins.
If the student’s parent(s) move out of Alberta within 12 months prior to or after the student begins post-secondary studies, the student may continue to receive Alberta Student Aid funding for the remainder of the academic year and during each subsequent consecutive year in which the student remains continuously enrolled. A student is considered to be continuously enrolled when they do not take a break in studies of 12 months or more.
If the parents of a dependent student do not reside in Canada, the student should apply to the province/territory in which their parents last resided.
Residency for Single Independent Students
Independent students are considered to be residents of Alberta, if Alberta is the last province/territory they lived in for 12 consecutive months. The time spent as a full-time post-secondary student in Alberta does not count towards the length of time required to establish residency in Alberta.
If a student has spent time outside of Alberta doing volunteer activities, this time does not count against the student’s Alberta residency.
Residency for Married and Common-Law Students
A student is considered an Alberta resident if their spouse/partner meets the residency requirements.
When married or common-law students both require student aid, it is preferable for one province/territory to fund both of them. They may both apply for student aid to the province/territory in which they are attending studies, as long as it is a province/territory in which one of them has established residency.
If the couple (both students) are attending an institution in a third province/territory of which neither is a resident, each will be considered a resident of his or her original province/territory unless a mutual agreement among the provinces/territories is reached. Students in this situation may contact the Alberta Student Aid Service Centre to discuss this further.
Residency for Students from Border Communities
Students residing in border communities are considered to be residents of the province/territory to which their home postal code belongs.
Residency for Students Who Do Not Meet Any Province or Territory’s Residency Criteria
Any full-time student who does not meet any Canadian province or territory’s residency criteria may be considered an Alberta resident as long as the student is:
- attending an Alberta educational institution, and
- residing in Alberta during the study period.
A student with protected person status, who is living in Alberta on the date of which their program begins and has not established residency in another province or territory, can be considered a resident of Alberta.
Determining the province/territory of residence can be challenging and occasionally requires submission of a residency résumé (Missing Information Request for Residency) form or discussions between provinces/territories. Students with complex residency scenarios may benefit from speaking with the Alberta Student Aid Service Centre.