Check your school designation

To be eligible for student aid, you must attend a designated school and be enrolled in an eligible program.

Designation is a status granted by StudentAid BC to an approved school that allows eligible students to apply for Canada and British Columbia student aid including loans, grants and other student financial assistance programs.

Is your school designated?

StudentAid BC designates schools for both federal and provincial student aid. As outlined in the StudentAid BC policy manual.

  1. All public universities, colleges, and institutes in B.C. are designated
  2. Not all private training or out-of-province institutions have been designated by the government

Full-time and part-time students applying for the 2026/27 Program Year. StudentAid BC is transitioning to a new Student Account and Application for all full-time and part-time students applying for the 2026/27 Program Year. Your school must be designated in the new system for you to apply for student aid. To confirm whether the school you plan to attend for the 2026/27 Program Year is designated in the SIMS Institution Account, please contact your school’s financial aid office directly.

Full-Time students applying for 2025/26 Program Year. You can check if your school is designated when you start your application on the Student Dashboard.

Part-Time students applying for 2025/26 Program Year. You can check if your school is designated when you start your application on the Student Account for part-time students. If your school is not listed in the system, it is currently not designated for 2025/26. Please contact the financial aid office at your school to confirm their designation status.

What do I do if my school is not designated?

Your school must be designated before you apply for student aid and before the first day of your study period. The designation process should be started early, before you apply, because it may take several months to complete.

If your school is not designated in the new system, you can contact the school (e.g. financial aid office, international office, Registrar’s office) to request they apply for designation in the new system. To apply for designation, please ask your institution to review the Institution Designation Overview page.