Government of British Columbia — Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills · Provincial
StudentAid BC — Provincial Loans, Grants, and Scholarships
About this award
British Columbia's provincial student financial assistance program — loans, grants, and scholarships for BC residents at designated post-secondary institutions. The single provincial channel for need-based aid in BC; works alongside federal Canada Student Loans/Grants under one combined application.
StudentAid BC is the Government of British Columbia's student financial assistance program, administered by the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. Unlike Quebec (which is opted out of federal aid), BC participates in the federal Canada Student Financial Assistance Program — so a single StudentAid BC application covers BOTH provincial and federal funding. The program assesses your financial need and may issue a combination of loans (repayable), grants (not repayable, awarded based on income and family size), and scholarships (merit-based, separately administered). Coverage extends to full-time and part-time students at designated post-secondary institutions in BC, and to BC residents studying at recognized institutions elsewhere in Canada. Effective August 1, 2026, eligibility tightens for students at private institutions outside BC and at for-profit institutions outside Canada — those students cannot receive new StudentAid BC funding (returning students for the same program may continue). Application is rolling throughout the program year (August 1 to July 31); processing takes weeks, so apply early enough that funds arrive before tuition is due.
Can you get it?
- Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident or Protected Person — citizenship requirement
- Secondary Vocational, College, Undergraduate, Graduate — study level
- Resident of BC — 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
Submit your StudentAid BC application at least 6 to 8 weeks before your program begins so funds arrive before tuition is due.
The application covers both BC and federal aid in one form — you do NOT submit a separate federal application.
If you're a BC student planning to study at a private institution outside BC for a program starting after August 1, 2026, double-check eligibility before you commit — the rules have tightened.
Use the StudentAid BC funding estimator (linked from the homepage) before applying, to model what you can expect.
If you receive a private scholarship while on StudentAid BC, it counts as income in the need calculation — check the protected-exemption thresholds before accepting multiple sources.