Designation is a status assigned by StudentAid BC to an approved post-secondary institution that allows eligible students to apply for Canada and British Columbia student aid including loans, grants and other student financial assistance programs. If you want students at your institution to be able to apply for student aid with StudentAid BC, your institution must be designated before they apply.
- Timeline for processing designation applications
- Designations eligibility requirements
- Designation application process for all institutions located outside of B.C, and B.C. private post-secondary institutions
- Designation application process for public post-secondary institutions located in B.C.
Timeline for processing designation applications
- New institutions applying for designation for the first time will need to set up a Business BCeID. This requires approximately 2-3 weeks to process for Canadian post-secondary institutions in provinces located outside of B.C., and 3-6 weeks for post-secondary institutions located outside of Canada.
- Designation applications require approximately 4-8 weeks to process.
Designation eligibility requirements:
- All institutions must meet the designation eligibility criteria outlined in Chapter 1 of the StudentAid BC Policy Manual and have at least one program that meets StudentAid BC program eligibility requirements.
- B.C. private institutions that hold a designation certificate must have programs approved by the Registrar under the Private Training Act.
- Degree granting private or out-of-province Institutions that have consent from Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills under the Degree Authorization Act after review and recommendation by the Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB).
- Institutions located in the United States need to be designated Title IV under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.
- International institutions need to be approved by an authority in each country and listed in the Europa World of Learning.
Designation application process for all institutions located outside of B.C and B.C. private post-secondary institutions:
Designation process:
- 1 Submit a designation application via the button below.
- 2 StudentAid BC will review your application to determine if your institution is approved for designation.
- 3 If your designation application is approved, we will send your institution an email with the next steps you will need to take to set up an institution account in our systems.
Designation renewal process:
- B.C private post-secondary institutions and all institutions located outside of B.C. will need to renew their designation agreement with StudentAid BC.
- This renewal process will be automatically tracked, and institution users will be able to see their institution designation date on the designation page in your institution account (Partner Portal & SIMS Institution Account).
Designation application process for public post-secondary institution located inside B.C.:
Designation process:
- 1 Enter a Memoranda of Understanding with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills (BC Public institutions do not need to complete a designation application form).
- 2 Create a SIMS Institution Account.
- 3 Apply for designation within the SIMS Institution Account which formally enters you into a designation agreement with StudentAid BC. You can watch the video How to set up an Institution account in SIMS and apply for designation.
Designation renewal process:
- BC public post-secondary institutions will have a designation agreement with StudentAid BC that requires renewal.
- This renewal process is automatically tracked, and institution users will be able to see their institution designation date on their designation page in their SIMS Institution Account.