What provincial grants are available for students in Ontario?

Ontario's primary non-repayable aid is the Ontario Student Grant (OSG), embedded in the OSAP application. The OSG replaced the previous Ontario Tuition Grant and Ontario Student Opportunity Grant. Students from families with income under approximately $50,000 typically receive a grant covering a substantial portion or all of average tuition. Students from families with income up to approximately $175,000 may receive some grant funding. The grant is calculated automatically when you apply for OSAP — there is no separate application. Ontario also provides the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) bursary supplement for students with disabilities and targeted grants for Indigenous students through the Ontario Indigenous Student Bursary.

What is the BC Access Grant?

The BC Access Grant is British Columbia's main provincial non-repayable student grant, administered through StudentAid BC. It automatically assesses all students who apply for student aid in BC. The BC Access Grant provides up to $4,000/year for students with demonstrated financial need enrolled at eligible BC post-secondary institutions. It is designed to ensure low- and middle-income students in BC can access post-secondary education without taking on excessive debt. Students with the highest need receive higher grant amounts. The BC Access Grant is combined with federal Canada Student Grants in your total aid package — you do not apply separately for federal vs. provincial grants when you apply through StudentAid BC.

Does Quebec have student grants?

Quebec has a separate student financial aid system called Aide financière aux études (AFE). The AFE provides a combination of bursaries (non-repayable) and loans based on assessed financial need. Quebec bursaries can be substantial — students with high financial need may receive more in bursaries than loans in their total aid package. The AFE calculation is based on family resources, living situation, and program type. Quebec residents do not access federal Canada Student Loans or Canada Student Grants through the national system — the provincial AFE program is the complete system. Applications are made at afe.gouv.qc.ca.

Are there student grants in Alberta?

Alberta has the Alberta Student Grant as part of the Student Aid Alberta program. The Alberta Student Grant is integrated into the student aid application and is awarded based on financial need. In 2018, Alberta moved to a single application through Student Aid Alberta (studentaid.alberta.ca) that assesses both federal and provincial eligibility simultaneously. Current Alberta grant maximums and eligibility thresholds vary — the Alberta government has modified this program through multiple budget cycles. Students should apply through Student Aid Alberta to receive their complete federal and provincial aid assessment.

What student grants are available in Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia offers several non-repayable grants through Student Aid Nova Scotia, including the Nova Scotia Student Grant (NSSG) for students with demonstrated financial need and the NS Bursary at the maximum amount tied to assessed need. Nova Scotia has historically been one of the more generous provinces for need-based bursaries, in part because NS post-secondary tuition is among the highest in Atlantic Canada. Students in NS apply through the Nova Scotia Student Assistance portal (novascotia.ca/studentassistance), which assesses for both federal and provincial grants and loans simultaneously.

Do Indigenous students receive additional grants?

Yes. Indigenous students have access to additional grants at both federal and provincial levels. The federal government provides the Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students (which all students can access) plus additional support through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) administered by Indigenous Services Canada — for First Nations and Inuit students. Many provinces have Indigenous-specific grants: Ontario has the Ontario Indigenous Student Bursary; BC has the Indigenous Student Bursary through StudentAid BC; Alberta has targeted support for Indigenous students. Band funding through First Nations band councils is an additional source that students should investigate through their band office, as amounts and eligibility vary significantly.

Can you get both federal and provincial grants at the same time?

Yes, and this is the standard outcome for eligible students. When you apply for student aid in most provinces (except Quebec, which is separate), your single application is assessed for both federal Canada Student Grants and provincial grants simultaneously. Your total non-repayable aid is the sum of what you qualify for federally and what you qualify for provincially. In Ontario, for example, an eligible student in a low-income family might receive: $4,200/year Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students (federal) + a portion of the Ontario Student Grant (provincial) = total non-repayable. The two sources stack — they are not mutually exclusive.

Provincial Student Grants Guide Canada: Province-by-Province Non-Repayable Aid

Most students focus on OSAP or their provincial student loan without realizing the non-repayable (grant) portion varies significantly by province. This guide is your province-by-province reference.

Overview: How provincial grants work

In most provinces:

You apply once through your provincial student aid portal
The system assesses you for both federal grants (Canada Student Grants) and provincial grants
Your “total non-repayable aid” = federal grants + provincial grants
Any remaining assessed need is covered by student loans (which must be repaid)

Exceptions: Quebec and Manitoba have distinct systems. Quebec uses the AFE completely separate from the national system.

Ontario: Ontario Student Grant (OSG)

Administered by: OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program) Apply at: osap.gov.on.ca Combined with: Canada Student Grant (federal)

Family income (approx.)	Grant amount (OSG portion, ~2025–26)
Under $50,000	Up to full average tuition (~$7,000–$8,000)
$50,001–$100,000	Partial grant — sliding scale
$100,001–$140,000	Smaller grant
Over $175,000	Grant access unlikely

The OSG was designed so students from low-income families would not have to repay the grant portion of their OSAP. No separate application — granted automatically in the OSAP assessment.

Other Ontario grants:

Ontario Disability Bursary: For students with a documented permanent disability; supplements OSAP
Ontario Indigenous Student Bursary: For First Nations, Métis, or Inuit students
Distance Education Grant: For rural students accessing post-secondary remotely

British Columbia: BC Access Grant

Administered by: StudentAid BC Apply at: studentaidbc.ca

Year	Max BC Access Grant
2025–26	Up to $4,000/year

Eligibility: BC residents; enrolled full-time at eligible BC institution; demonstrating financial need through the StudentAid BC application.

Other BC grants:

Indigenous Student Bursary (BC): Additional funding for BC Indigenous students through StudentAid BC
Students with Permanent Disabilities Grant: Additional funding assessed at application
BC Completion Grant (may exist — verify at studentaidbc.ca for current programs)

Alberta: Alberta Student Grant

Administered by: Student Aid Alberta Apply at: studentaid.alberta.ca

The Alberta Student Grant amount is assessed through a single application for need-based aid. Alberta has modified grant levels through several budget cycles — check current maximums on the Student Aid Alberta website as part of your application process.

Note on Alberta student aid history: Alberta significantly changed its student aid structure between 2019 and 2023. Confirm current rules with Student Aid Alberta directly. Alberta residents receive federal Canada Student Grants through the integrated application.

Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Student Grant

Administered by: Saskatchewan Student Aid Apply at: saskatchewan.ca/studentaid

Saskatchewan provides need-based grants through its student aid application alongside federal Canada Student Grants. Saskatchewan has targeted grants for:

Students with disabilities
Students in northern and remote communities
Students returning to study after time in the workforce

Apply through the provincial portal; the system assesses both federal and provincial eligibility together.

Manitoba

Administered by: Manitoba Student Aid Apply at: gov.mb.ca/educate/studentaid/

Manitoba’s system has a bursary component assessed through the regular student aid application. Additionally, Manitoba operates a graduate remission system:

Manitoba Graduate Tax Credit / Remission: Graduates who live and work in Manitoba after graduation may receive income tax credits equivalent to a portion of their student loans. This is not a grant at application time but a retroactive benefit for staying in Manitoba — effectively reducing the cost of debt through the tax system.

Quebec: Aide Financière aux Études (AFE)

Administered by: Aide financière aux études (provincial) Apply at: afe.gouv.qc.ca Completely separate from federal student aid system

Quebec is the major exception to the national student aid framework. Quebec residents receive:

No access to federal Canada Student Loans or federal Canada Student Grants
Instead: AFE provides a combined package of bursaries (non-repayable) and loans through the provincial system
The bursary portion can be significant for students with high financial need

Quebec bursary amounts: Depend on parental income, living situation, number of dependent children, and program type. For students with parents below Quebec’s income thresholds, the bursary portion can exceed the loan portion.

Visit afe.gouv.qc.ca to use the estimator tool before applying.

New Brunswick: New Brunswick Bursary

Administered by: Student Aid New Brunswick (now part of the Student Financial Assistance portal) Apply at: nbbrokersregistry.ca / gnb.ca/studentfinancialaid

New Brunswick provides need-based bursaries assessed through the integrated application. NB is one of the provinces that also participates in the national Canada Student Direct Loan/Grant system. Additional NB supports include targeted funding for specific student populations.

Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Student Grant (NSSG)

Administered by: Student Aid Nova Scotia Apply at: novascotia.ca/studentassistance

Nova Scotia has consistently offered relatively generous grant support for students with demonstrated financial need. NS tuition is among the highest in Atlantic Canada, and provincial grants partially offset this.

Key NS grants:

Nova Scotia Student Grant: Need-based, assessed at application
NS Indigenous Students’ Bursary
Gaelic Bursary: For students of Gaelic heritage in eligible programs

Prince Edward Island: PEI Student Grant

Apply at: princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/student-loans

PEI participates in the national system. Provincial grants are modest relative to central Canada’s programs but are applied automatically through the PEI student aid application.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Apply at: studentaid.gov.nl.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador eliminated provincial student loans for provincial borrowing in 2015 and has further reduced the loan burden in subsequent years. NL students may find their provincial “loan” is now entirely replaced by grants from the provincial program, meaning the provincial portion is non-repayable. NL has one of the more generous provincial student aid programs in Canada on a per-dollar basis.

Federal Canada Student Loans and Grants still apply for NL students through the integrated system.

Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut

Territories have smaller student aid programs but importantly have Student Financial Assistance (SFA) programs that include grants and bursaries specifically designed for territorial students. Students in the North face higher living costs, and territorial programs attempt to compensate.

NWT: ntassert.com (assess eligibility for grants and bursaries for NWT residents)
Yukon: education.gov.yk.ca/studentfinancialassistance
Nunavut: gov.nu.ca/finance (student assistance component)

How to maximize your grant entitlement

Checklist:

Apply for student aid in your province early — before deadlines (often September 1 for fall applications)
Update your application if your family income changes significantly (job loss, medical leave)
Re-apply every year — grants are not automatically renewed without a new application
Notify your provincial aid office if your enrollment status changes during the year
For Indigenous students: contact your band council AND your provincial student aid office — different funding streams can stack