How to apply for Nova Scotia student aid

One application is assessed for both federal (Canada Student Loans and Grants) and Nova Scotia loans and grants (see Our Funding). Your assessment shows which ones you qualify for and how much, and those amounts are tentative until they’re finalized. Part-time students have their own page.

The official Get Ready page lists what to have, including:

• A Social Insurance Number
• A bank account in your own name, with its details
• Last year’s income tax information for you and, depending on your situation, your parents or step-parents, or your spouse (their returns need to be filed)
• Your program details, such as class hours or credits
• Information on investments or RESPs in your name, and scholarships if you know them
• An estimate of what you’ll earn before and during your studies
• Documents for other income during your studies (such as pensions, support payments, Employment Insurance or retraining funding), and disability documents if they apply to you

Also check that your program is designated for student aid funding.

1. Create a Student Assistance account in MyPATH and start an application. The Get Started page says it takes about 45 minutes online, and you can save and come back.
2. Submit it when you’re done. Your assessment time starts after you submit.
3. Right after, open your application, choose “Check Status”, and send the Tax Consent Form plus anything else it asks for. Your file can’t be assessed without the tax consent.
4. Watch your email, including spam. You get an email each time your file is updated.

The application for 2026–2027 is open now. The Get Ready page says the full-time application opens in early May, without naming a year, so check the dates on the official site. Assessment takes about 4 to 6 weeks after you submit the application and the tax consent form, so apply well before school starts. The pages we read state no final deadline, so confirm it on the official site.

• Your assessment appears in MyPATH (see Get It In). Check that your school, program and study weeks are right. Funds can’t be paid until your file matches your registration.
• If this is your first time, sign your Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA). See how to sign your MSFAA.
• Complete every item on your MyPATH task list, and report changes right away.
• If you don’t qualify, or the resources and need in your assessment don’t match your real situation, the official page says to check whether you have grounds to appeal.

Per the official Get Money page, Canada Student Loan and Grant money is paid 6 to 10 days after the release date in MyPATH, to your school, your bank account, or both. Nova Scotia loan and grant money comes later in your first term, and you can’t get it without submitting a pre-study report. If your Canada Student Loan or Grant hasn’t arrived within 10 business days of your release date, contact the National Student Loans Service Centre.

• Will my aid cover it?
• How student aid works
• Find other aid you may fit