Government of Nunavut — Department of Family Services / Education · Provincial
Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students (FANS) (NLCA Beneficiary supplementary tier; OPTED OUT of federal aid)
About this award
Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students (FANS) — Basic Grant up to $3,428 per semester PLUS actual airfare home community to gateway city. Beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement (NLCA) get additional non-repayable tuition + travel + settlement support. Nunavut is OPTED OUT of federal Canada Student Loans — FANS is the ONLY government channel.
Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students (FANS) is Nunavut's standalone territorial program for residents pursuing post-secondary studies. Critically, Nunavut has OPTED OUT of the federal Canada Student Financial Assistance Program — Nunavut residents do NOT apply to Canada Student Loans/Grants. The FANS portal is the single channel for government student aid. The Basic Grant pays up to $3,428 per semester, with the unique additional benefit of covering actual airfare between your home community and the gateway city (Iqaluit, Yellowknife, or Edmonton depending on routing) — recognising that most Nunavut students must fly out of the territory for post-secondary studies. The most generous tier of FANS benefits goes to beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement (NLCA): the NLCA Beneficiary Supplementary Grant covers tuition, travel, and settlement costs on a fully non-repayable basis, making it one of the most generous Indigenous student aid packages in Canada. Non-NLCA-beneficiaries still receive the Basic Grant + airfare support. A new Part-Time Grant stream was added in 2022. The program covers students at Nunavut Arctic College and at post-secondary institutions outside Nunavut; the airfare covers travel to and from the place of study. Eligibility excludes stacking with other federal or provincial aid.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident — citizenship requirement
- All, College, Undergraduate, Graduate, Trades — study level
- Resident of NU — provincial eligibility
How to apply
Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour
Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.
Submit by No deadline~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
If you're an NLCA Beneficiary, file your NLCA Beneficiary documentation prominently in your application — this unlocks the supplementary grant tier with tuition + travel + settlement covered fully non-repayable.
The airfare benefit is unique to FANS and can be substantial: a single round-trip Iqaluit ↔ Ottawa flight can run $1,500-$2,500, so the FANS travel coverage alone is a significant component of total benefits.
Don't apply to federal Canada Student Loans — FANS's eligibility rule will disqualify you.
The new part-time stream (added 2022) is useful for working learners and those balancing programs around community responsibilities.
Students at Nunavut Arctic College and at outside institutions both qualify; the difference is the travel logistics — outside students should plan for the airfare claim cycle (typically reimbursement after travel, not pre-paid).