Government Student Financial Assistance
In Canada, student financial assistance (also known as student aid, or student grants/loans) is available from the federal and provincial/territorial governments. There are two main forms of assistance available: loans and grants. Student loans must be paid back whereas grants, in most cases, do not need to be repaid.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and designated protected persons may be eligible for Canada Student Financial Aid.
International students on a study permit are encouraged to explore financial aid options available from their home country or to contact local banks for lending options.
Applying For Student Financial Assistance
You apply for government student assistance in your home province even if you are planning to study in another province. Government student assistance is intended to help you pay for your education. The amount of assistance available will depend on your personal and family situation and can only be determined after you have submitted an application. Whether you receive grant funding or loan funding, these funds can be requested by the U of R to be used towards your tuition and fees.
Contact Us
Student Awards and Financial Aid
Office: Administration Humanities, Rm. 210
University of Regina
3737 Wascana Pkwy
Regina, SK
S4S 0A2
safa@uregina.ca
1-306-585-4591
Student Financial Assistance Programs
Saskatchewan Student Financial Assistance
Other Provincial Financial Assistance Programs
US Student Funding
Residents of the United States may be eligible for funding through programs such as Veteran Affairs and Sallie Mae.
- Sallie Mae offers private student loans for American citizens.
- The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs offers opportunities for veterans, service members, and family members to utilize their GI Bill benefits towards their UofR tuition.
- The University of Regina does not confirm FASFA loan funding or Pell Grant funding. We can confirm enrolment for unfunded interest-free status, as we are a deferment-only institution.
What Are The Benefits?
Benefits of Government Student Financial Assistance
- Interest free while you are a full-time student
- No payments required while you are a full-time student
- You do not need to have a co-signer or collateral
- A portion of your loan may be forgiven
- You may also be considered for non-repayable funding such grants and bursaries
- Your grants can be used towards tuition and fees
Financial Assistance Frequently Asked Questions
Application Process
Check your province's website for any additional steps you may need to take when applying for interest-free status.
It all depends on whether you will be registered in part-time studies or full-time studies.
Full-time Studies: "Full-time studies" is defined as registration in a minimum of 60% (40% for students with a disability) of a "full course load" for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Part-time Studies: "Part-time studies" is defined as registration between 20-59% (20-39% for students with a disability) of a "full course load" for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Full-course Load: A "Full-course load" is the maximum number of credit hours that a student can register for each term.
Undergraduate students
Fall/Winter: For an undergraduate student to be considered full-time they need to be registered in a minimum of 9 credit hours in each term (6 credit hours for students with a disability). In the Fall and Winter terms, a full-course load for an undergraduate student is 15 credit hours each term. You must meet this requirement in each term of your study period, we are not able to average your registration across multiple terms.
Spring/Summer: There are multiple parts of term during the period between May and August which have different start and end dates. You must ensure that your entire length of study does not have more than a 3 week break between terms.
The study period must be a minimum of 6 weeks in length to be eligible for government student assistance.
On your student aid application, you will indicate the first day of the first part of term, and the last day of the last part of term for the course(s) you will be taking from May-August.
For Saskatchewan student assistance students: once our office has confirmed your registration, you will not be able to change your loan dates. Please ensure that when you apply for a loan you are confident in your course selections. Out of Province students may have more flexibility depending on how the government aid works in your province. Please check with our office before making any changes.
Graduate students
Graduate students please refer to the minimum registration requirements listed on the Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research website regarding full-time and part-time registration. Graduate studies does not reduce the minimum course load requirements for students with a permanent disability.
In order to qualify for full-time student loans in the Spring/Summer term, students must be full-time for the entire period of studies for which they would like to receive full-time funding. The minimum length of the course must be six weeks to be elgible for either part-time or full-time student aid funding, unless a student was on a full-time funding for Winter. In that case, they can do a Winter extension for a May 6-30, 2024 course only (Part of Term 2). For Sask Student Financial Aid, this is done through a Program Extension Form, rather than by completing a new application for Spring/Summer funding. This table below indicates which course dates would qualify for full-time as an undergraduate, disability-reduced-course-load-eligible, or graduate student for the Spring/Summer 2024 term. There are other dates in addition to these dates, but these are the most common ones.
To find your particular course dates, you can log into UR Self-Service and review your registration. If you are choosing courses and want to make sure they meet full-time requirements, you can review the dates of the course in Visual Schedule Builder, and/or review the "Part of Term" or the course dates that are listed.
Students who will be applying for full-time funding need to be in a minimum of 60% of a full-course load (or 40% for students who are registered with a disability with their provincial student aid office), and the courses they are registered in need to be the same (or very close to the same) dates of studies and duration of each course. For example, in Spring, Part of Term 4 (see dates below), a student would need to be registered in 6 credit hours to be full-time (3 for student with a disability that is registered with their provincial student aid office). If the same student also then registers in one 3-credit hour class in Summer, Part of Term 7 (see dates below), the student must apply for a full-time loan for May - June, and a part-time loan for July - August (unless they have a registered disability with their provincial student aid office, then they could apply for a full-time loan for the entire May - August period).
For help with determining your full/part-time status or the confirmation process, please contact Student Awards and Financial Aid at 306-585-4591 or safa@uregina.ca. You can email our team your student ID and course reference numbers (CRN's), or we can review your registration, and we can tell you if you meet full or part-time requirements, and for which study period dates.
Part of Term |
Start |
End |
Undergrad (UG) |
UG % of Full Course Load |
UG Disability Reduced Course Load Credit Hours |
Disability Reduced Course Load for UG % of Full Course Load |
FGSR Minimum credit hours required to be full-time |
FGSR % of Full Course Load |
FGSR Disability Reduced Course Load Credit Hours
|
FGSR % of Full Course Load |
Weeks of Study |
1 (Spring & Summer) | May 6 | Aug 27 |
9 credit hours |
75% | 6 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 16 |
4 (Spring) | May 6 | June 26 |
6 credit hours |
100% | 3 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 7 |
7 (Summer) | July 2 | Aug 22 | 6 credit hours (EX: Two 3-credit hr courses that start July 4 and end August 24) |
100% | 3 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 7 |
10 | May 6 | Aug 8 | 9 credit hours (EX: Three 3-credit hr courses that start May 3 and end August 9) |
75% | 6 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 16 |
1 & 10 | May 6 | Aug 27 | 9 credit hours (EX: Three 3-credit hr courses that start in May and end in August) |
75% | 6 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 16 |
4 & 7 | May 6 | Aug 22 |
12 credit hours (EX: Two 3-credit hour courses in Spring & |
100% | 6 | 50% | 6 | 100% | 3 | 50% | 16 |
2 (Extension of Winter term only- must have been in receipt of full-time student financial aid in the Winter 2024 term) |
May 6 | May 30 |
3 credit hours |
100% | 3 | 100% | 3 | 100% | 3 | 100% | 3 |
|
|
Eligibility and Requirements
You must be registered in each term in which you have applied for financial aid. For example, if you have applied for financial aid for September to April, you must be registered in September to April classes. Additionally, your course load should match the type of funding in which you have applied. For example, if you have applied for full-time funding, you should be registered in full-time classes. Please review the chart below to see what qualifies students as full-time for each term.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Credit Hours |
Standard (Students without an accommodation) |
Course Load |
|
Credit Hours |
Disability |
Course Load |
3 |
Part-Time |
20% |
3 |
Part-Time |
20% |
|
6 |
Part-Time |
40% |
6 |
Full-Time |
40% |
|
9 |
Full-Time |
60% |
9 |
Full-Time |
60% |
|
12 |
Full-Time |
80% |
12 |
Full-Time |
80% |
|
15 |
Full-Time |
100% |
15 |
Full-Time |
100% |
GRADUATE STUDIES |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Credit Hours |
Standard (Students without an accommodation) |
Course Load |
|
Credit Hours |
Disability |
Course Load |
1-5 |
Part-Time |
50% |
1-2 |
Part-Time |
20% |
|
6-12 |
Full-Time |
100% |
3-5 |
Full-Time |
50% |
|
|
6-12 |
Full-Time |
100% |
Note: Students on a reduced course load must have submitted documentation to the Government confirming their disability. Waitlisted courses do not count towards your registered credit hours.
If you are planning to enrol in classes at more than one institution, you are considered a dual-registered student. In order for the University to confirm your student financial assistance you must complete the following based on the institution where you are studying:
- University of Saskatchewan: please send an email to safa@uregina.ca and include your name, your U of R ID number, your U of S ID number, the courses you are taking, the number of credit hours, and the start and end dates of these courses.
- Any other post-secondary institution: please send an email to safa@uregina.ca and include your name, your U of R ID number, the name of the institution, a proof of your registration at the other institution showing the courses you are taking, the number of credit hours, and the start and end dates of those courses.
- If you want to ensure you will receive transfer credit for the course, we recommend that you request a Letter of Permission (LOP) from your faculty/college.
Please note that it is your responsibility to pay the tuition and fees at the other institution.
Funding Details
- Income - pre-study and study period
- Assets - RESPs/investments
- Parents or spousal income
- Dependents
- Scholarships
- Previous years' income tax assessment.
For Saskatchewan applicants, once your application has been reviewed you will receive an assessment letter and a Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA). You are required to complete the online MSFAA. Your confirmation of enrolment will then be sent to our office electronically for us to confirm your status as a student. If the funding is confirmed you should expect to receive your funds within 10 business days. Note: you will not receive any money prior to your start date.
For example, if your funding is processed and confirmed by the University of Regina on August 15 you will not receive your first disbursement until the start date of August 31.
Additionally, there is a maximum amount we are able to request to be directed to the University of Regina. If your tuition and fees are higher than this amount, you are responsible for paying the difference. It is your responsibility to monitor your student account and ensure that all tuition and fees are paid on time.
Students who have a two-term loan (ex: Fall and Winter), may have a credit on their account if the Winter fees have not been assessed yet. The funds may appear as a credit, but we cannot refund that credit as those funds are being held for the Winter fees. This is a University policy to request the fees for two terms, when the student has applied for financial aid for two terms. Depending on the province of your financial assistance, your funding disbursements, and the reason for the credit balance we are sometimes able to refund the credit balance to you. If you have any questions about the credit on your account, please contact our office (safa@uregina.ca or 306-585-4591) so that we can assist you.
Changes During the Academic Term
If you add or drop a course, you must contact the provincial office handling your student financial assistance and let them know you have changed the credit hours you are registered in. They will update your file and reassess you based on this new information. Please note that the Student Awards and Financial Aid office reviews your registration regularly and also reports changes to your status to your provincial office.
Once you notify the provinical office of your change in credit hours, there are two possible outcomes:
- Overpayment: if you drop a class, this could reduce your monthly disbursements or the amount of your next assistance
- Additional funds: if you have added a course this could result in additional funds for you (if you are not at the maximum amount already).
Any tuition credit resulting from dropped courses or tuition taken in excess of your actual tuition amount may be returned to you. Please contact our office so we can investigate your particular situation and let you know if we can refund the excess funds to you or if it must be sent back to National Student Loans Service Centre.
If you are planning to drop a course it is highly recommended that you contact Student Awards and Financial Aid office (safa@uregina.ca). We can review your schedule and let you know if dropping that course would result in a possible discontinuation.
Important: a discontinuation counts as a 'strike'. After two 'strikes' you have to wait a year before you can get financial assistance again. More then two 'strikes' could result in you waiting even longer for financial assistance. A 'strike' happens if you withdraw or drop below full time status during your study period. A 'strike' could also happen if you aren't successful in passing a certain percentage of your courses. Usually at least 60% of a full course load year must be passed.
For example: if you are taking three courses each term- this is considered 60% of a course load - you must pass all courses to be considered successful. If you are taking five classes each semester - this is considered 100% and you would have to pass at least six out of ten of these classes to be considered successful.
Any tuition credit resulting from a discontinuation is sent back to National Student Loans. If you have applied for two semester financial assistance and have discontinued from your studies in the Fall term, we will send the tuition we have taken for the Winter term back to National Student Loans. You will need to re-apply for new financial assistance for the Winter term if you plan to return to study.
Questions Regarding Student Loans and Alternative Funding Options
First Nations students that are financially supported by the “Post-Secondary Student Support Program” (sometimes referred to as band-funding), may also apply for Canada Student Financial Aid for the same term. If the total amount from both sources exceeds your actual balance of tuition and fees for the term, you can complete the following steps to request a refund of the credit on your account:
- Step 1: Contact SAFA (safa@uregina.ca or 306-585-5345) and ask them to review your account to see if you are eligible for a refund. If you are eligible for a credit refund, SAFA will place a memo on your account and let you know how much you are eligible to receive.
- Step 2: Contact Financial Services (financial.services@uregina.ca or 306-585-4123) and ask them to process the refund of the credit on your account.