Student Financial Aid in Yukon: Loans, Grants and How to Apply

How Yukon student aid is structured

Yukon does not run its own separate student loan program the way some provinces do. Instead, the territorial government's Student Financial Assistance unit processes your application for the federal Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CSFA) and layers the territorial Yukon Grant on top, through one login and one application.

On top of those two, Yukon also runs the Student Training Allowance and a set of targeted funds for specific fields and circumstances, described below.

The Yukon Grant

The Yukon Grant is a territorial funding program available to eligible Yukon residents attending an approved post-secondary program, inside or outside the territory. The amount you receive is based on the length of your program rather than a single flat payment. Check the current amount and eligibility rules on the Student Financial Assistance portal before you budget around it, since territorial funding levels are reviewed and can change between academic years.

Canada Student Financial Assistance Program

The federal CSFA program provides grants and loans to full-time and part-time students, assessed against your income, your family situation and your program's costs. Yukon residents apply through the same territorial Student Financial Assistance portal rather than a separate federal site, and the assessment determines how much comes as a grant, which you do not repay, and how much comes as a loan, which you do.

Your assessed need depends on factors including your income and your family's income if you are considered a dependent student, your program's tuition and living costs, and whether you study full-time or part-time. Enrollment intensity also affects which CSFA stream you fall under and how your aid is calculated, so confirm your program's official full-time or part-time status with the registrar before you apply for aid, since it is not always the same as how the workload feels.

Income you earn during your study period, including from a part time job, also factors into your assessed need. Report it accurately on your application. An assessment based on incomplete income information can lead to a repayment demand later if the numbers do not match your actual tax filing.

Your assessed need can also change from one academic year to the next if your income, your program's tuition, or your living situation changes. A lower award one year does not mean you are permanently assessed at that level, so reapply and update your figures each time rather than assuming last year's result still applies.

Federal Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans have been interest free since April 1, 2023, when the federal government eliminated interest on both permanently. That does not remove the obligation to repay the principal, it only means no interest builds on the federal portion while it is outstanding.

Extra funding for specific fields and situations

Beyond the Yukon Grant and CSFA, the territory lists targeted support for:

• Students with disabilities

• Early childhood education students

• Health care and social services students, through a dedicated bursary

• Trades and technical studies students

• Aviation technology students

• French language post-secondary students

• Student parents

Each of these has its own eligibility rule and amount. If you fall into one of these groups, ask the Student Financial Assistance office directly which funds you qualify for, since more than one can sometimes apply to the same student.

Funding through your First Nation or Indigenous Services Canada

If you are a status First Nations, Inuit or Metis student, funding for post-secondary study can also come through your own First Nation or self-governing government, or through Indigenous Services Canada's Post-Secondary Student Support Program, separate from the Yukon Grant and CSFA. Eligibility, amounts and application deadlines are set by your First Nation or by Indigenous Services Canada directly, not by the territorial Student Financial Assistance office, so start that application through your own First Nation's education office or Indigenous Services Canada rather than the Yukon portal.

How to apply

Log in to the Student Financial Assistance application portal, complete the application for the academic year you are starting or continuing, and submit supporting documents such as your acceptance letter, your program's cost information and any income documentation requested. Apply before your program starts. Assessment, and then disbursement of your grant and loan funds, both take time, and a late application risks a late payment relative to your tuition due date.

Aid is assessed one academic year at a time, not once for your whole program. Reapply every year you need funding, even if nothing about your situation has changed, and update your application if your income, program or enrollment status changes partway through the year.

Repayment

The federal portion of your loan is managed through the National Student Loans Service Centre once you finish or leave your program. Check the Government of Canada student aid pages directly for your current repayment start date and repayment assistance options if your income after graduation is low, since these terms are federal policy and reviewed separately from Yukon's own programs.