Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union
Canadian Federation of Students Local 35

This information pertains ONLY to Loans & Grants administered by Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid.
For further information about other provinces see the contact information section.

Applicant Category
For student financial assistance purposes, you will be considered a dependent student if:

• you have never been married or in a common-law relationship, (to be considered living common law, you must have lived with your partner for a period of at least 12 consecutive months);

• you have never been a single parent with legal custody and fi nancial responsibility for supporting a child(ren);

• you are pursuing post-secondary education within four years of leaving highschool; or,

• you have not been in the labour force full-time for two years (the two years need not be consecutive; however, each year must be a period of 12 consecutive months).

You will be considered an independent student if:

• you are not married or living in a common-law relationship;

• you are not a single parent; and,

• you do not meet any of the other criteria for dependent student.

Loans
You are eligible for student loans if:

• you are a Canadian citizen, or have permanent resident status or are considered to be a protected person within the meaning of subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Act;

• you are a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador;

• you have insufficient fi nancial resources to meet your assessed need;

• you are not in default on previous federal and/or provincial student loans;

• you pass a credit check (this criterion applies only to students who are 22 years of age or older who are applying for student loans for the first time);

• you provide accurate basic personal information (e.g. Social Insurance Number, fi rst and last names, date of birth and gender) as confirmed by the Social Insurance Register of the Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada;

• you are registered as a full-time student at a designated educational institution (refer to the CanLearn Web site at www.canlearn.ca for the listing of designated institutions); and,

• you are enrolled in a program of study of at least 12 weeks in duration leading to a degree, diploma or certificate.

To receive a provincial student loan, you must be enrolled in at least 80% of a full course load. This requirement may be reduced to 60% of a full course load for the following students upon submission of a Reduced Course Load Request Form:

• single parent students who are enrolled in at least one university credit course requiring lab time in addition to regular classroom time;
• or, who have a child(ren) with special needs; or, who have other personal circumstances that merit special consideration. (Note: In all cases, the child(ren) must be under 12 years of age);

• students who have a severe medical condition or have recently experienced trauma that merits special consideration; or, students with other documented extenuating circumstances.

To receive a federal student loan, you must be enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load. Students who have a permanent disability may receive full-time assistance (federal and provincial), upon request, if enrolled in at least 40% of a full course load. A permanent disability is a physical or mental impairment that restricts their ability to perform the daily activities necessary to participate full-time in post-secondary studies or the labour force
and that is expected to remain with them for their expected life.
Your educational institution determines the percentage of a full course load in which you are enrolled for student      financial assistance purposes.

Available Assistance
Assistance is available in the form of government subsidized loans and non-repayable grants.
Provincial:
Up to $70 per week of study in student loans; and,
Up to $70 per week of study in non-repayable grants.
(Eligible Memorial University of Newfoundland medical students can access up to an
additional $60 per week in student loans)

Federal:
Up to $210 per week of study in student loans; and,
Various non-repayable grants based on need.
Federal Grants

How to Apply
Loans
You have two options:

1. Apply online at www.gov.nl.ca/studentaid. Expected processing time - 10 business days.
2. Complete and sign a paper application and mail or deliver it to the Student Financial Services Division. Expected processing time - 20 business days.

The Student Financial Services Division encourages use of the online application because it provides an informal, instant assessment based on the information you provide and the processing time is quicker.
Applications must be received prior to the deadline date (i.e., eight (8) weeks after the
start date of the semester for which you are applying).

Calculation of Need
A standardized process is used to calculate the amount of assistance you will need. The amount by which your educational and living costs exceed your individual and
family resources (if applicable) is referred to as your “assessed need”.

• Education Costs

• Living Allowance

• Financial Resources

• Employment Income

• Scholarships

• Training Allowances

• Parental Contribution

Overawards
Overawards refer to an amount of assistance you have previously received and were not entitled to. This may result when a reassessment is conducted on your file due to factors such as underestimating income, dropping a course(s), changes to fees, withdrawing from your program or adjustments from an audit. Overawarded amounts will
be recovered from future loan and/or grant entitlements and will be used to adjust your debt reduction grant entitlements.

Audit
All information you provide to the Student Financial Services Division is subject to audit, including number of dependents, marital status, the date you left high school and financial information. The fi nancial information you provide will be checked against information you, your parents or your spouse provide to the Government of Canada when submitting income tax returns. If discrepancies are discovered, automatic adjustments will be made to your fi le and you will be notifi ed in writing. If you feel the action taken was incorrect, you must provide additional information to the Division by submitting an Audit Income Form that provides a monthly breakdown of your income.

Further Information
The above information was taken from the 08 / 09 General Information Guide published by Newfoundland and Labrador Student Aid. For the complete guide, click download below.