Published May 19, 2026

Starting August 1, 2026, if you are planning to go to a private college or university, there are important changes you need to know about. These changes affect the money you can receive through StudentAid BC and the federal Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.

These changes apply to the 2026/27 school year. If you are already receiving student aid for 2025/26, you may still be able to receive funding.

What this means for your student aid funding

• If you plan to study at a Canadian private school outside of BC — You will not be eligible for BC provincial student loans or grants if you go to a private school in another Canadian province. You may still qualify for federal loans and grants.
• If you plan to study outside of Canada — If you go to a private, for-profit school outside Canada, you will not be eligible to receive provincial or federal loans and grants.
• If you would like to apply for accessibility grants — You will only be able to receive BC provincial accessibility grants if you attend a public post-secondary school in BC. If you choose to go to a private school or study outside of BC, you will not be eligible.

Important Note: If you already received funding from StudentAid BC in 2025/26, you may still qualify to get the same support until you finish your program or until July 31, 2029, whichever comes first. To be eligible, you must stay in the same program at the same school.

Canada Student Grant

The eligibility criteria for the Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students (CSG-FT) are changing – pending approval of Canadian federal regulations. Starting in the 2026/27 school year, you will only be eligible to receive this grant if you attend:

• a Canadian public school,
• a Canadian not-for-profit private school, or
• a labour market priority program at a Canadian for-profit private school: Nursing, Early Childhood Education, Dental Hygienist, or Paramedic

This change will only impact the Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students. The eligibility criteria for all other federal grant programs will stay the same.

Key takeaways

These changes mean that if you choose a private or international school, you may receive less student financial aid than if you choose a BC public school. Before choosing where to study, take time to check with your school:

• Is your school in BC, another province, or another country?
• Is your school public or private?
• If your school is private, is it for-profit or not-for-profit?

These details will affect how much funding you can receive through StudentAid BC.

To see how much funding you can receive next school year, make sure to get your application in early when the StudentAid BC system opens for 2026/27 applications at the end of June.