Canada pays federal grants to students. The amounts are set for the 2026 to 2027 school year. Here is what they pay and how to find out whether you qualify.
How much the federal grants pay
There are four grants. You may qualify for more than one.
Full time students get up to $4,200 a year, or up to $525 per month of study.
Part time students get up to $2,520 a year. This one is capped at your assessed need. If your assessed need works out to $1,200, you get $1,200, not the full $2,520.
Full time students with dependants get up to $280 for each month in school, or up to $2,240 a year, per dependant. This stacks on top of your base grant. If you have two dependants, the amount doubles.
Students with permanent disabilities get $2,800 a year.
These amounts appear on canada.ca only until the end of the 2026 to 2027 school year.
Whether you qualify, by family size and income
This is the part that decides everything. Two income lines control your grant. The first is the ceiling for the maximum. The second is the floor where you get nothing.
If your gross family income is below the first number, you get the maximum grant. If it is at or above the second number, you get nothing. If it falls between the two, you still qualify, but for a reduced amount.
| Family size | You get the maximum if your gross family income is below | You get nothing if your gross family income is at or above |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38,474 | $69,987 |
| 2 | $54,412 | $98,017 |
| 3 | $66,641 | $117,317 |
| 4 | $76,952 | $129,769 |
| 5 | $86,033 | $141,180 |
| 6 | $94,245 | $151,937 |
| 7 or more | $101,797 | $161,321 |
Gross family income means your family's total income before tax. Not just your own.
If you land in that middle zone, the exact dollar amount depends on your income, your assessed need and your programme of study. Your provincial student aid office runs that calculation.
How to apply (you do not apply to Ottawa)
You apply through your own province or territory's student aid office. One application covers both the provincial aid and the federal grants. You do not fill out a separate federal form.
Find your provincial or territorial student aid office. Submit your application there. The federal grants are processed through that same application.
If you want the provincial half first, we have guides for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Each one walks through that province's own application, which is the same form these federal grants ride on.
If you are in Quebec, Nunavut or the Northwest Territories
These three regions run their own programmes. The federal grants above do not apply to students in those regions. You should look at your own province's or territory's programme instead. For Quebec that is Aide financière aux études, covered in our Quebec funding guide.
What to check before you count on this money
- The amounts are confirmed for the 2026 to 2027 school year. Whether they change after that, the pages do not say.
- The part time grant is capped at assessed need. It is not a flat $2,520 for everyone.
- The dependant grant is per dependant. Two dependants means two times that amount, on top of your base grant.
- If your income sits between the two numbers in the table, you still get a grant, just less than the maximum.
- Your assessed need is not the same as your tuition. It factors in living costs, books and other expenses. Ask your student aid office what went into the number.
Federal grants are need based, so they do not care what you studied or what your marks were. Awards that do are a separate pot of money, and you can apply for both. Browse awards you may qualify for.