The money provided by StudentAid BC is for your education. Your first responsibility is to pay the tuition fees and other required fees to your school. That has priority over all other costs for which you may have received funding.

Your school may have part of your funding sent directly to them, as payment towards your tuition.

To stay eligible for StudentAid BC loans or grants, you must attend school full-time for the entire study period for which you have received funding.

If you drop below the required course load during your first semester/term but plan to attend full-time in the second semester/term, you must submit a new application for student financial aid. Your new application will be assessed once the withdrawal process at your school is complete.

If you stop attending classes, drop below your required course load, or fail to maintain the minimum number of weekly instructional hours for non-academic programs for your entire study period, but you do not formally withdraw from school, you may still be considered withdrawn for student financial aid purposes.

You will be considered withdrawn if:

• You miss two consecutive calendar weeks of study (with the exception of a year-end break where post-secondary institutions are permitted to close for up to three weeks at the end of the calendar year), or
• You drop below 60% of a full-time course load for three consecutive calendar weeks of study (40% for students with a permanent disability, or a persistent or prolonged disability), or
• You miss enough classes that school officials feel you cannot successfully complete the program.

If you withdraw from school two times while receiving B.C. student financial aid, you will be denied further funding by StudentAid BC. You can appeal this decision.

To continue to be eligible for student financial aid, the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program policy and StudentAid BC policy require you to maintain a satisfactory scholastic standing.

You will not be eligible to receive more student financial aid, or continue on in-study payment-free status if:

• You withdraw from a full-time course load on two separate occasions while in a funded term.
• You fail to achieve satisfactory marks in 68 weeks or more of full-time study while in a funded term.
• You withdraw from a part-time course load or fail to achieve satisfactory marks in some or all of your funded courses.

If you withdraw from, or otherwise do not successfully complete, part-time studies, federal policy requires:

• A part-time student borrower who fails to meet a satisfactory scholastic standard during a funded period of studies will be restricted from receiving funding during subsequent periods of part-time studies.
• Students who have not successfully completed courses funded through part-time student financial aid may be reinstated to receive part-time funding provided they demonstrate successful completion of one semester funded through their own resources.

If you withdraw from full-time studies:

• Your school will automatically notify us that you no longer meet requirements for assistance.
• Your funding will be re-calculated based on the number of weeks you attended school.
• You will be notified how your withdrawal decision affects your student loan or grant.
• Any tuition refund you are eligible for will be applied to your outstanding loan balance if your school received tuition from your student loans.

Requalifying for full-time student aid depends on several conditions, including successfully completing full-time studies for two semesters or one academic year without StudentAid BC assistance.