Student Financial Assistance

Student Financial Assistance Offices

For questions about your financial assistance application, please contact your school's financial assistance office:

Did you know that ?

You are eligible for Student Financial Assistance if ...

- You have Canadian citizenship, permanent resident status, refugee status or protected person status.
- You must be a Québec resident or be deemed to reside in Québec You must have been admitted to a recognized educational institution.
***To find out if your school and program are recognized, visit your school's student financial aid office.
- Be pursuing or be deemed to be pursuing full-time studies in a recognized program.

To validate your admission to the student financial assistance program, visit your school's student financial assistance office and/or the government's student financial assistance website.

You can also simulate the amounts allowed via the government's online calculator to see how much your loan and grant will be!

Admission period

Application period : You have 30 days from the end of your last recognized month of study to apply for financial aid.

You can apply for financial aid throughout your academic studies. Assistance can also be retroactive if you meet the various conditions.

Documents you need to apply :

Dealines

- Please note that you have 45 days to transmit a document requested by the Student Financial Assistance, otherwise your application will be suspended until the document has been transmitted.

- Please note that you have until December 29 to declare a change of situation for the previous year.

Loan Debt Limits

You can receive up to a certain amount depending on your level of education

You are entitled to a sum for :

Tuition fees, Related Expenses and School Supplies
- According to study period.

Tuition fees
- covered up to $6,000 per study period if applicable;
- recognized the 1ᵉʳ month of each study period.

Allowances for training support materials
- $500 loan per study period.

Living expenses, which include accommodation, food, personal expenses and transport
- Up to $632 for a person living with his or her parents;
- Up to $1348 for a person living away from home.

Child care costs
- $196 per month of education for each child.

Children's living expenses
- $302 per month for each child.

Travel expenses for a training course
- Recognized the 1stᵉʳ month of each study period.

Costs related to the city, regions and so-called peripheral RCMs
- $88 per month of study to a maximum of $707 per year.

Expenses related to the purchase of visual orthotics
- Up to $224 per person recognized in the month of purchase over a period of 2 consecutive years.

Expenses related to the purchase of medication or chiropractic care
- Monthly fees exceeding $16 will be taken into account at the time of declaration, provided they apply to you, your children or your spouse's children.

You are entitled to a debt remission if :

You meet one of these conditions:
- Have completed a technical college program leading to a college diploma within the required deadlines;
- Have completed an undergraduate degree program on time. Remission may also be granted for previous college studies if they meet eligibility requirements.
- For graduate studies, debt remission may be granted if you have already benefited from debt remission at undergraduate level.

Debt remission corresponds to a 15% reduction in your debt under certain conditions. The amount corresponding to the debt remission is paid directly to the financial institution holding the debt so that it can be deducted from your student debt.

Applications for debt remission must be made within three years of completion of the program of study for which remission is requested. The fact that you have previously started and abandoned another program of study is not a criterion for exclusion from the program. In addition, only the months of study during which you are enrolled full-time are taken into account in the evaluation of deadlines.

The amount corresponding to the debt remission is taxable and a tax statement is sent to you.

Which bank does the student financial assistance program work with?

The financial institutions that have joined the Loan and Bursary Program are :
- Desjardins Group ;
- Bank of Montreal ;
- Laurentian Bank of Canada ;
- National Bank of Canada Financial ;
- Royal Bank of Canada.

When and how will I receive my financing?

Once your application has been accepted, you will receive your funding on a monthly or one-off basis, depending on the level of support allocated to you by your banking institution.

If your application includes a bursary, it will become effective once your monthly payment has been validated with Revenu Québec.

Do I accumulate interest during my studies?

- No! The government pays the interest accumulated on loans while you're in school!

- You'll start receiving interest on your loan once you've completed your studies.

What happens when I finish my studies?

- Once you've completed your studies, you have up to 6 months to start repaying your loan.
- The interest on your loan begins to accumulate.
- A 15% reduction in your debt can be made if you complete an undergraduate degree program on time.
- For graduate studies, debt forgiveness may be granted if you have already benefited from debt forgiveness at undergraduate level.

What are the program deadlines for accessing debt forgiveness?

The usual deadlines are :
- 27 months of study for a technical college program ;
- 24 months for a three-year undergraduate program;
- 32 months for a four-year undergraduate program;
- 16 months for a professional master's program (master's degree without thesis);
- 20 months for a research master's program (master's with thesis);
- 32 months for a post-graduate program.

However, the duration of some programs may vary.

If the person who is helping to finance my studies suffers a drop in income this year, what should I do?

You can use an online form to declare the change in your financial situation. The assistance you receive will be measured against your actual household income.

If your income has decreased by at least 10% compared to the previous year, you must complete the form and submit it online to obtain a new calculation of your financial assistance.

Can I apply for a derogation if I've reached the program's debt limit or if I've reached the limit of months eligible for the program?

Yes, you can apply if you have an exceptional situation that puts you over the limit. However, you must be able to justify these needs.

Exemption requests are made in collaboration with your school's student financial assistance office. You can contact them to help you with your application.

I'm in my last semester of eligibility for the government's Student Financial Assistance program. Will I be eligible next year if I have to drop a course because I can't complete it under these conditions?

In its response to this question, the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur states two things:

- Unfortunately, if you are registered part-time when your class or classes resume, you will not be eligible for the loans and bursaries program.
- If you are registered full-time, you can apply for an exemption: https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/student-financial-assistance

How to send a form other than by fax

Fax isn't the only way to send a form. Here's how to send it online.

1. On the site's main interface, click on Online services.
2. Log on to your Online File on the Financial Aid website.
3. Select the Transmit a document tab
4. Click on the box: Submit a document on a voluntary basis.
5. Select the document category you wish to deposit.
6. Search for the document by clicking on the magnifying glass.
7. Select: Attestation of a serious and exceptional situation (total destitution).
8. Select the award year.
9. Click on the paperclip to integrate your completed form.
10. Make sure you have submitted the completed PDF version. No other file types are accepted.
11. Click on the Add button, otherwise your document will not be integrated.
12. Click on the Submit button to send the document.