Alberta's student-funding stack rests on the Alberta Heritage Scholarship Fund, a long-running endowment that underwrites most of the province's merit scholarship programs. Combined with Alberta Student Aid (loans and grants) and university and trades awards, a well-prepared Alberta student has several sources to draw on.
Who this page is for
You're an Alberta resident applying to post-secondary in Alberta or elsewhere. You're looking at the full Alberta provincial stack alongside federal supports and institutional awards.
Alberta Student Aid
Alberta Student Aid administers Alberta's portion of the student-loan program, plus Alberta-specific grants:
- Alberta Student Loan and Alberta Grant for Full-Time Students: provincial loan with both need-based and grant components.
- Alberta Grant for Students with Dependants: additional grant for students supporting dependants.
- Alberta Grant for Disabled Students: additional support for students with permanent disabilities.
- Alberta Low Income Grant: additional grant for students from low-income families.
Apply at studentaid.alberta.ca. You apply for each program year, so apply early.
Alberta Heritage merit programs
The Heritage Scholarship Fund backs a suite of merit scholarships that are specific to Alberta:
- Alexander Rutherford Scholarship: up to $2,500 total based on Grade 10, 11, and 12 averages at specific thresholds. Awarded for use in first-year Canadian post-secondary. Check the averages for each tier to see if you qualify.
- Jason Lang Scholarship: $1,000 per year for returning Alberta undergraduates with 80%+ average in 24 credits the previous year. Renewable.
- Louise McKinney Post-Secondary Scholarship: $2,500 per year for top-performing continuing Alberta undergraduates. Merit-based.
- Laurence Decore Award for Student Leadership: for Alberta Grade 12 students demonstrating leadership, $500 to $1,500.
- Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship (Alberta): graduate-level award.
These are administered by Alberta Advanced Education and, for institution-tied awards, by your school's awards office.
Alberta universities and colleges
- University of Alberta: President's Citation ($120K over four years full ride), Academic Excellence Scholarship, entrance awards by Faculty, in-course awards renewable year-over-year.
- University of Calgary: Chancellor's Club Scholarship, International Entrance, Seymour Schulich Scholarship.
- Mount Royal University: Founders Scholarship, President's Entrance.
- MacEwan University: Board of Governors Scholarship, Founder's Circle.
- SAIT and NAIT: trades and technology entrance and continuing awards. SAIT's Board of Governors Award and NAIT's Entrance Awards are two to look at.
Trades + apprenticeship in Alberta
Alberta has its own funding for trades students. The federal apprenticeship grants (AIG and ACG) closed on March 31, 2025 and no longer take applications. The federal Canada Apprentice Loan is still open to apprentices in Red Seal trades: up to $4,000 in interest-free loans per period of technical training, repaid after training. It stacks with Alberta supports like the Registered Apprenticeship Program, which lets high school students earn credit toward a trade while they finish high school. The "Scholarships for Trades Students" guide (linked below) covers Alberta-specific trades funding alongside the federal framework.
Indigenous-specific
- Métis Nation of Alberta: bursary and scholarship programs.
- Indian Resource Council of Canada: awards for First Nations students with ties to member nations.
- Indspire: administers national and Alberta-specific streams.
What our directory lists
Below: Alberta-eligible awards currently in our directory. For the full Alberta student funding guide (step-by-step AlbertaStudentAid application walkthroughs, stacking strategies for the Heritage awards), see the "Read next" link.