Student Financial Aid in Alberta: Loans, Grants and How to Apply
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Jul 07, 2026 • Canadian Universities & Colleges, Canadian Student Aid & Scholarships
Alberta and Canada student aid combine into one application through Alberta Student Aid, with grants up to $5,100 a year and combined loans up to $17,000 a year for most programs, or more for professional and medical programs.
💵 Alberta Student Grant for Full-Time Students pays up to $425 a month, $5,100 a year, based on family income and size
The Alberta Part-time Grant ended starting the 2025-26 academic year
📩 One application assesses your Alberta and Canada student loans and grants together
⏱️ Apply through studentaid.alberta.ca before your term starts, and reapply every academic year
From 2026-27, the minimum student contribution rises to $3,000 and parental or spousal contributions count again in your assessment
One application for two levels of aid
You apply once, through Alberta Student Aid , and the system assesses you for both the Alberta and Canada Student Financial Assistance programs at once. You do not file a separate application with the federal government. Your award splits automatically between Alberta and Canada funding based on the same financial information.
A full-time Alberta resident studying in the province and an Alberta resident studying elsewhere in Canada can both apply through this system, as long as your program qualifies for student aid.
How your award is assessed
Your assessment weighs your program's cost against your resources: your own income and savings, your family income if you are a dependent student, and a minimum expected contribution. The gap between assessed cost and assessed resources becomes your loan and grant package, split between non-repayable grants and repayable loans.
Grant eligibility for the Alberta Student Grant for Full-Time Students depends on your family income against thresholds that scale with family size, from roughly $38,474 for a single applicant up to $101,797 for a family of seven or more, according to Alberta Student Aid's policy manual . Fall below the threshold and you qualify for a partial or full grant on top of your loan.
Changes for 2026-27
Several assessment rules moved for the 2026-27 academic year, according to Alberta Student Aid's update page .
The minimum student contribution rises from $1,500 to $3,000 a loan year, reducing how much aid a student with savings or summer earnings can access.
Parental and spousal contributions count in your resource calculation again, after being set aside in prior assessments.
Alberta Student Aid now collects your income verification once per loan year instead of multiple times.
Canada Student Grants apply only to public institutions and eligible not-for-profit institutions, cutting eligibility at private for-profit schools, with exemptions for some continuing students.
For the 2025-26 academic year, the Alberta Part-time Grant stopped being offered, so students studying part time should plan around loans rather than counting on that grant.
Grant and loan amounts
| Funding | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Alberta Student Grant for Full-Time Students | $425 a month, $5,100 a year |
| Combined Alberta and Canada loans, standard program, 2 semesters | $17,000 a year |
| Combined Alberta and Canada loans, graduate or professional program, 2 semesters | $25,500 a year |
| Combined Alberta and Canada loans, medical, dental, optometry, veterinary medicine, 3 semesters | $42,500 a year |
These are ceilings set by Alberta Student Aid , not automatic awards. Your actual funding depends on your assessed need.
When and how to apply
Apply online through studentaid.alberta.ca before your term starts, since processing takes time and your loan needs to be in place for tuition and living costs. Reapply every academic year. Your award changes as your family income, program cost and living situation change, so an assessment from a prior year does not carry forward.
Keep your income tax filing current, since your assessment pulls from your, or your family's, tax return. A late or missing tax filing delays your funding.
Repayment
Repayment on both your Alberta and Canada student loan begins after you leave school, following a non-repayment period built into the federal and provincial systems. The National Student Loans Service Centre manages your federal repayment and can place you on income-based repayment assistance if your income runs low relative to your loan payments. Check current repayment assistance thresholds directly with your loan servicer, since they move every year.
If your situation changes
An assessment is not fixed once submitted. If your family income drops, you lose a co-signer, you become a parent, or your program costs change partway through the year, contact Alberta Student Aid for a reassessment rather than living with a package that no longer matches your real situation. Reassessments can increase your grant or loan amount when your circumstances genuinely worsen.
Aid beyond loans and grants
Student aid covers your baseline cost, but it rarely covers everything. Layer in your institution's own entrance and in-course scholarships, which do not need repayment and often stack with your government aid package. Indigenous students should also check funding through Indigenous Services Canada and their band or Metis settlement, which runs alongside, not instead of, Alberta Student Aid. A part-time job during the school year and a summer job before it both count as resources in your following year's assessment, so plan your earnings with that in mind rather than treating them as separate from your aid picture.