If You Want to Appeal Your Assessment

Overview

Not everyone receives the StudentAid BC funding they apply for. If you are not approved for funding or if you think the amount awarded you is too low, you can ask for an appeal of your financial need assessment.

An appeal will only be considered if special circumstances set you apart from other students who have not been approved.

If you have not been approved for StudentAid BC funding and your financial situation has changed since you applied, you can ask for a reassessment instead of an appeal. Request a reassessment if there has been a drop in your student or spousal pre-study income, study period income, assets or other financial resources. If you would like a reassessment, complete an Appendix 7: Request for reassessment form [523kb] and submit it to StudentAid BC for processing.

To appeal a StudentAid BC decision, the process starts with completing the appropriate appeal request form.

The appeal unit of StudentAid BC in Victoria will review your request to see if your situation is different from other students.

Submitting an appeal request does not guarantee that you will receive more StudentAid BC funding.

How long does an appeal take?

It can take up to six weeks to process an appeal request.

After your situation is reviewed, you will be sent a letter outlining the decision. If you are not satisfied, you can ask for a review by an independent appeal committee.

What can I do if my appeal is denied?

In some cases, an appeal request will be referred to the independent appeal committee for further consideration. The committee includes members of the public, students and financial aid officers from B.C. colleges, institutes and universities. The decision of the committee is final.

You must meet the following deadlines to request an appeal unless severe medical problems prevent you from submitting the appeal in time:

• Overawards: 90 days after the date of the letter from StudentAid BC advising you of the overaward amounts you must repay.
• Loan remission: Six months after the assessment notification letter date.
• B.C. interest relief: Six months after the date of the letter telling you of the decision.
• B.C. debt reduction in repayment: Six months after the date of the letter telling you of the decision.
• All other appeals: Six weeks before your current study period ends.

Canada student loan documents cannot be issued after your study period ends. Since StudentAid BC may need more documentation from you in the weeks before your current study period ends, we advise you to appeal at least six weeks before that date to give us time to make a final decision on your appeal and meet the Canada student loan deadline.

Steps to appeal

1. If you are attending a B.C. public university, university-college, college or institute, or Trinity Western University, talk to a financial aid officer at your school. They can help you with the appeal process. If you are attending a private school within B.C. or a school outside the province, you can contact StudentAid BC directly for help.
2. Read the detailed information in appeal categories. You need to know which StudentAid BC policy you are appealing before you can proceed to the next step.
3. Complete an appeal request form. In your appeal request, include a letter addressed to StudentAid BC that clearly explains:
   • Which policy or decision you are appealing (see appeal categories).
   • Why you are asking for an appeal.
   • What makes your situation exceptional compared with other students.
   • Why your circumstances prevent you from completing your studies without the financial aid you applied for.
   • Any other funding options you have explored, such as part-time work, grants, scholarships, or personal lines of credit.
4. Send your appeal request to StudentAid BC.

Be sure to include all documentation that supports your claim.

Make sure all written correspondence includes your name, address and social insurance number.

Appeal requests sent by fax will not be accepted.

Policies that cannot be appealed

There are some StudentAid BC policies and student circumstances for which you can not request an appeal, and which the appeal committee will not consider.

The following are NOT eligible for appeal:

• Grants and/or loan funding for previous program years.
• Appeal deadlines (except where severe medical circumstances cause you to miss the deadline).
• Grant/loan overawards that result from an audit.
• Release of Canada student loan documents after your study period end date.
• Requests to issue B.C. student loan documents and/or grant cheques more than five months after your study period ends.
• Standard allowances.
• Weekly maximums.
• 10-year (520-week) maximums.
• Loan remission where your total outstanding loans are less than the eligible debt level.
• Applying loan remission to your non-StudentAid BC loans.
• Applying loan remission to student loans that you have repaid.
• Assets including stocks, shares, recreational or revenue property, Canada savings bonds, registered retirement savings plan, registered education savings plan, mutual funds, etc. unless the assets cannot be liquidated for legal reasons such as pending divorce or probate.

Other StudentAid BC policies and student circumstances may also not be eligible for appeal. Read the detailed appeal categories to see if your appeal request will be considered.

All appeals must be sent to the appeal unit at StudentAid BC in Victoria.