Determine Your Eligibility

Basic eligibility requirements

To receive any form of student financial assistance through StudentAid BC, you must meet all of these basic eligibility criteria:

• Be a Canadian citizen, a landed immigrant (permanent resident) or have protected person status.
• Have a valid Canadian social insurance number that does not start with 0, 3 or 8 (these social insurance numbers are not eligible for StudentAid BC).
• Be a resident of British Columbia.
• Be pursuing full-time studies as your primary occupation.
• Be enrolled in an eligible program of study at an eligible post-secondary institution.
• Be able to demonstrate financial need.
• Make academic progress and achieve satisfactory scholastic standing in each period of post-secondary study.

You are not eligible if you are:

• Delinquent or in default of previous student loans or are restricted from receiving student assistance due to an audit, overaward or similar reasons.
• Incarcerated or have any outstanding warrants for your arrest.

Normally, students are not eligible to receive benefits from the B.C. Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance while they are attending post-secondary studies. There is more information available on receiving income assistance while studying.