What is an appeal?
You can submit an appeal to have StudentAid BC review your assessment if your personal situation has changed in a way that may have impacted your assessment. If your circumstances meet one or more of the criteria listed within the drop-down menus of the part-time appeal categories below, and you have not received the maximum amount of funding for the application study period, you may submit an appeal request. The outcome may result in a change to your StudentAid BC award.
Submitting an appeal request does not guarantee that you will receive more StudentAid BC funding. Even if your educational and living costs are high, StudentAid BC is restricted by part-time maximum student loan and grant amounts. You cannot increase your award through an appeal if you reach the maximum student loan or grant amounts. Please review your Assessment to see if you have received maximum funding amounts.
How do I request an appeal?
- 1 Talk to a financial aid officer at your school. If you are attending a B.C. public post-secondary institution or Trinity Western University, they can help you with the appeal process. You can contact StudentAid BC if you are attending a private post-secondary institution within B.C. or a school outside of B.C.
- 2Read the Appeal Criteria listed in each appeal category below.
- 3 Complete the appropriate Appeal Request Form and gather all the required documentation.
- 4 Upload your completed Appeal Request Form and all required documentation to your Student Account for Part-Time Students.
Did you apply for part-time funding before November 20, 2024?
If you submitted a part-time paper application form before November 20, 2024, and you want to request an appeal, please contact StudentAid BC.
Deadlines
- Six weeks before your current study period end date.
- Your appeal assessment will be delayed or denied if you do not submit your completed Appeal Request Form and all required documentation by the deadline.
How long does it take for StudentAid BC to process an appeal?
It can take up to six weeks to process an appeal request. Please check StudentAid BC's home page for current processing times.
What does the appeal process look like?
- 1 StudentAid BC reviews your Appeal Request Form and all supporting documentation and applies policy found in StudentAid BC's Policy Manual to determine if your circumstances meet the criteria.
- 2 Your circumstances will be reviewed:
- If approved, you will receive a Final Decision Letter through your Student Account for Part-Time Students.
- If not approved, you will receive a Notification of Findings Letter through your Student Account for Part-Time Students. The Notification of Findings Letter includes the preliminary decision and a list of any missing documentation that is required to support your appeal request.
- 3 If you receive a Notification of Findings Letter, you will have 15 calendar days to submit further documentation to your Student Account for Part-Time Students.
- 4 Once all additional documentation is received, or the deadline has passed, you will receive a Final Decision Letter through your Student Account for Part-Time Students.
What can I do if my appeal is denied?
You can request that your appeal be reviewed by the Appeal Committee.
Appeals will be denied by StudentAid BC when
- You fail to provide necessary documentation
- Your circumstances do not meet the criteria
If your appeal is denied, and your appeal issue was included in the list of policy and criteria that are eligible for an appeal, you may request that your file be presented to the Appeal Committee for further consideration. Denied appeals are not automatically referred to the Appeal Committee for consideration.
The Appeal Committee includes students, financial aid officers, a member from the public at large, and a non-voting representative from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. The Appeal Committee meets, as needed, based on the referral of cases. The Appeal Committee considers all documentation and makes recommendations that are subject to the final approval of the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills or their designate.
Please check StudentAid BC's home page for the date of the next Appeal Committee meeting.
Learn more about the StudentAid BC Appeals Outcomes for 2022/23.
Appeal Categories for Part-Time Students
Select an appeal category from the menu below to review the Appeal Criteria and download the appropriate Appeal Request Form. We recommend you download and open the form using the latest version of Adobe Reader.
Appeal Categories 2025/26
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
If you are a part-time student who withdrew or failed to successfully complete your studies while receiving StudentAid BC funding, you will have a restriction placed on your file and will not be eligible for further funding until you have successfully completed one self-funded semester at a designated post-secondary institution.
Appeal Criteria
You can complete one self-funded semester at a designated post-secondary institution, or you can appeal your scholastic standing if you were otherwise on track to successfully complete your program, and one or more of the following criteria has impacted your ability to study:
- Medical illness or injury
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- Other exceptional circumstance
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
Appeal Criteria
You can submit an appeal request to repeat your course when you have passed a course but did not obtain the grade required to proceed to the next level in your program of post-secondary study.
Note: You are not eligible for financial assistance if you are repeating courses solely to improve your grades.
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
Appeal Criteria
If you were denied B.C. student loan funding due to a previous bankruptcy that included B.C. student loans, you may appeal the denial if you can demonstrate that:
- There were exceptional circumstances leading to your bankruptcy, such as medical reasons or marital breakdown
- You filed for bankruptcy during your study or non-repayment period and you are continuing in the same program of study in which you were enrolled in at the date of bankruptcy or bankruptcy-related event
- If student loans were involved in the bankruptcy, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program has provided clearance for your receipt of new loans
- If student loans have been repaid or discharged, you are a good credit risk. Credit risk is determined by the reason for bankruptcy, your efforts to rehabilitate your credit and that your studies warrant further investment
- If student loans were not involved in your bankruptcy, the debts have been discharged or that a trustee has stated they will not place any claim or your student loan
Note: If your Canada student loan is in default or was involved in your bankruptcy, you must contact Canada Student Financial Assistance Program to receive clearance for further funding. For more information on your federal loans, please contact the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514 and ask to be transferred to the Case Review Unit of the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.
Appeal Criteria
You may submit an appeal request if one or more of the following criteria caused you to not meet the required submission deadline to receive funding before your study period end date.
- Medical illness or injury;
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- Layoff, strike, lockout, or other reduction in earnings beyond your control
- Other exceptional circumstances
Appeal Criteria
You can submit an appeal request if your request for rehabilitation of your defaulted B.C. student loan has been denied and you meet one of the exceptional circumstances listed below:
- You have made every reasonable effort to rehabilitate your loan
- You have experienced exceptional
circumstances which reasonably impacted your ability to make the equivalent of two consecutive monthly payments and/or your outstanding interest payment, such as:
- Medical illness or injury
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- A dependant with a permanent disability
- Layoff, strike, lockout or other reduction in earnings beyond your control
- Divorce
Appeal Categories 2024/25
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
If you are a part-time student who withdrew or failed to successfully complete your studies while receiving StudentAid BC funding, you will have a restriction placed on your file and will not be eligible for further funding until you have successfully completed one self-funded semester at a designated post-secondary institution.
Appeal Criteria
You can complete one self-funded semester at a designated post-secondary institution, or you can appeal your scholastic standing if you were otherwise on track to successfully complete your program, and one or more of the following criteria has impacted your ability to study:
- Medical illness or injury
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- Other exceptional circumstance
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
Appeal Criteria
You can submit an appeal request to repeat your course when you have passed a course but did not obtain the grade required to proceed to the next level in your program of post-secondary study.
Note: You are not eligible for financial assistance if you are repeating courses solely to improve your grades.
Deadline — Six weeks before your study period end date
Appeal Criteria
If you were denied B.C. student loan funding due to a previous bankruptcy that included B.C. student loans, you may appeal the denial if you can demonstrate that:
- There were exceptional circumstances leading to your bankruptcy, such as medical reasons or marital breakdown
- You filed for bankruptcy during your study or non-repayment period and you are continuing in the same program of study in which you were enrolled in at the date of bankruptcy or bankruptcy-related event
- If student loans were involved in the bankruptcy, Canada Student Financial Assistance Program has provided clearance for your receipt of new loans
- If student loans have been repaid or discharged, you are a good credit risk. Credit risk is determined by the reason for bankruptcy, your efforts to rehabilitate your credit and that your studies warrant further investment
- If student loans were not involved in your bankruptcy, the debts have been discharged or that a trustee has stated they will not place any claim or your student loan
Note: If your Canada student loan is in default or was involved in your bankruptcy, you must contact Canada Student Financial Assistance Program to receive clearance for further funding. For more information on your federal loans, please contact the National Student Loans Service Centre at 1-888-815-4514 and ask to be transferred to the Case Review Unit of the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.
Appeal Criteria
You may submit an appeal request if one or more of the following criteria caused you to not meet the required submission deadline to receive funding before your study period end date.
- Medical illness or injury;
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- Layoff, strike, lockout, or other reduction in earnings beyond your control
- Other exceptional circumstances
Appeal Criteria
You can submit an appeal request if your request for rehabilitation of your defaulted B.C. student loan has been denied and you meet one of the exceptional circumstances listed below:
- You have made every reasonable effort to rehabilitate your loan
- You have experienced exceptional
circumstances which reasonably impacted your ability to make the equivalent of two consecutive monthly payments and/or your outstanding interest payment, such as:
- Medical illness or injury
- Family emergency (e.g., death or injury)
- Natural disaster
- A dependant with a permanent disability
- Layoff, strike, lockout or other reduction in earnings beyond your control
- Divorce