Apply to the Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) program as a part-time student

You may receive up to $10,000 in CSFA program loans in your lifetime. Use the Student Financial Assistance Estimator to find out how much your loan could be.

You’ll need to begin repaying your loan 6 months after you’ve finished your studies.

Eligibility

As a part-time student you must:

• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a protected person;
• be a resident of a province or territory that issues Canada Student Financial Assistance;
• demonstrate a financial need;
• be enrolled in a degree, diploma or technical program of at least 12 weeks of study at a designated educational institution; and
• be enrolled in a course load that is between 20 per cent and 59 per cent of a full course load, or less than 40 per cent if you are a student with a persistent, prolonged or permanent disability.

Loan interest 

You will not have to pay interest on your CSFA program loan. As of April 1, 2023, the Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) program eliminated interest on student loans.  For more information, contact the National Student Loan Service Centre.

As a part-time student, you can receive up to $2,520 per academic year. As a part-time student with one or more dependant children who are 11 years old or younger, you can receive:

• $56 per week of study, if you have 2 or fewer children; or
• $84 per week of study, if you have 3 or more children;
• Up to a maximum of $2,688.

An academic year begins on August 1 of the current calendar year and ends on July 31 of the following calendar year.

Learn more about Canada Student Loans for Part-Time Students with Dependents.

Eligibility

When you apply for the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, you're automatically assessed for a loan and any eligible grants.

You do not need to take out a loan to get a grant. However, you must be eligible for a loan to get a grant.

If you qualify for a loan of at least $1, then you can choose:

• not to take any loan amount; and
• to only receive the grants for which you qualify.

A Canada Student Financial Assistance grant is different than a loan in that:

• you do not have to pay back a grant; and
• you may be eligible to get more than 1 grant at the same time.

When do you pay back grants?

Grants are not usually paid back. We will convert your grants to a loan if you withdraw from part-time studies.

Can you combine grants?

All Canada Student Grants can be combined with those available for students with disabilities. Apply for a grant for a student with a permanent, persistent, or prolonged disability.

Apply in the territory or province where you last lived for at least 12 months in a row, not including time spent in full-time post-secondary studies.

Apply online

1. Register or log in to the online portal; 

   Log in to Student Financial Assistance portal

2. Upload a Part-Time Application Form completed by an authorized post-secondary institution representative. 
3. Submit your completed application with the uploaded forms through the online portal. 

Appeal a Canada Student Financial Assistance loan or grant decision

Find out how to appeal a loan or grant decision.

After you apply

You'll receive your approved loan or grant funds when:

1. you’ve sent any required documents to the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC).
2. the NSLSC has confirmed your part-time enrolment with your institution.

Your loan or grant funds are deposited into your bank account:

• either on the first day of your study period; or
• once your full-time enrolment has been confirmed, whichever happens later.

Your institution may ask for some, or all, of your loan amount to go directly towards fees you owe them. If this happens, a lesser amount may be deposited into your bank account.

To contact the National Student Loans Service Centre, phone 1-888-815-4514.