Government Student Financial Assistance
In Canada, student financial assistance (also known as student aid, or student grants/loans) is available from the federal and provincial/territorial governments. There are two main forms of assistance available: loans and grants. Student loans must be paid back whereas grants, in most cases, do not need to be repaid.
Applying For Student Financial Assistance
You apply for government student assistance in your home province even if you are planning to study in another province. Government student assistance is intended to help you pay for your education. The amount of assistance available will depend on your personal and family situation and can only be determined after you have submitted an application.
Contact Us
Student Awards and Financial Aid
Office: Administration Humanities, Rm. 108
University of Regina
3737 Wascana Pkwy
Regina, SK
S4S 0A2
safa@uregina.ca
1-306-585-4591
Book an Appointment
What Are The Benefits?

Benefits of Government Student Financial Assistance
- Interest free while you are a full-time student
- No payments required while you are a full-time student
- You do not need to have a co-signer or collateral
- A portion of your loan may be forgiven
- You may also be considered for non-repayable funding such grants and bursaries

Student Financial Assistance Programs
Saskatchewan Student Financial Assistance
Other Provincial Financial Assistance Programs
US Student Funding
Residents of the United States may be eligible for funding through programs such as Veteran Affairs and Sallie Mae.
- Sallie Mae offers private student loans for American citizens.
- The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs offers opportunities for veterans, service members and family members to utilize their GI Bill benefits towards their UofR tuition.
Financial Assistance Frequently Asked Questions
Check your province's website for any additional steps you may need to take when applying for interest-free status.
- Income - pre-study and study period
- Assets - RESPs/Investments
- Parents or spousal income
- Dependents
- Scholarships
- Previous years income tax assessment.
For Saskatchewan applicants: once your application has been reviewed, you will receive an assessment letter and a Master Student Financial Assistance Agreement (MSFAA). You are required to complete the online MSFAA. Your confirmation of enrolment will then be sent to our office electronically for us to confirm your status as a student. If the funding is confirmed you should expect to receive your funds within 10 business days. Note: you will not receive any money prior to your start date.
For example: Your funding is processed and confirmed by your school on August 15. You will not receive your first disbursement until the start date of August 30.
You need to contact the provincial office handling your student financial assistance and let them know you have changed the credit hours you are registered in. They will update your file and reassess you based on this new information. Please note that the Student Awards and Financial Aid office reviews your registration regularly and also reports changes to your status to your provincial office.
There are two possible outcomes for this:
- Overpayment: if you drop a class, this could reduce your monthly disbursements or the amount of your next assistance
- Additional funds: if you have added a course this could result in additional funds for you (if you are not at the maximum amount already).
Any tuition credit resulting from dropped courses or tuition taken in excess of your actual tuition amount may be returned to you. Please contact our office so we can investigate your particular situation and let you know if we can refund the excess funds to you or if it must be sent back to National Student Loans Service Centre.
If you are planning to drop a course it is highly recommended that you contact Student Awards and Financial Aid office (safa@uregina.ca). We can review your schedule and let you know if dropping that course would result in a possible discontinuation.
Important: a discontinuation counts as a 'strike'. After two 'strikes' you have to wait a year before you can get financial assistance again. More then two 'strikes' could result in you waiting even longer for financial assistance. A 'strike' happens if you withdraw or drop below full time status during your study period. A 'strike' could also happen if you aren't successful in passing a certain percentage of your courses. Usually at least 60% of a full course load year must be passed.
For example: if you are taking three courses each term- this is considered 60% of a course load - you must pass all courses to be considered successful. If you are taking five classes each semester - this is considered 100% and you would have to pass at least six out of ten of these classes to be considered successful.
Any tuition credit resulting from a discontinuation is sent back to National Student Loans. If you have applied for two semester financial assistance and have discontinued from your studies in the Fall term, we will send the tuition we have taken for the Winter term back to National Student Loans. You will need to re-apply for new financial assistance for the Winter term if you plan to return to study.
- University of Saskatchewan: please send an email to safa@uregina.ca and include your name, your U of R ID number, your U of S ID number, the courses you are taking, the number of credit hours, and the start and end dates of these courses.
- Any other post-secondary institution: please send an email to safa@uregina.ca and include your name, your U of R ID number, the name of the institution, a proof of your registration at the other institution showing the courses you are taking, the number of credit hours, and the start and end dates of those courses.
- Request a Letter of Permission (LOP) from your faculty/college
- Ensure that your faculty/college has registered your LOP on the U of R student information system
Additionally, there is a maximum amount we are able to request to be directed to the University of Regina. If your tuition and fees are higher than this amount, you are responsible for paying the difference. It is your responsibility to monitor your student account and ensure that all tuition and fees are paid on time.
It all depends on whether you will be registered in part-time studies or full-time studies.
Full-time Studies: "Full-time studies" is defined as registration in a minimum of 60% (40% for students with a disability) of a "full course load" for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Part-time Studies: "Part-time studies" is defined as registration between 20-59% (20-39% for students with a disability) of a "full course load" for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks.
Full-course Load: A "Full-course load" is the maximum number of credit hours that a student can register for each term.
Undergraduate students
Fall/Winter: For an undergraduate student to be considered full-time they need to be registered in a minimum of 9 credit hours in each term (6 credit hours for students with a disability). In the Fall and Winter terms, a full-course load for an undergraduate student is 15 credit hours each term. You must meet this requirement in each term of your study period, we are not able to average your registration across multiple terms.
Spring/Summer: There are multiple parts of term during the period between May and August which have different start and end dates. You must ensure that your entire length of study does not have more than a 3 week break between terms.
The study period must be a minimum of 6 weeks in length to be eligible for government student assistance.
On your student aid application, you will indicate the first day of the first part of term, and the last day of the last part of term for the course(s) you will be taking from May-August.
For Saskatchewan student assistance students: once our office has confirmed your registration, you will not be able to change your loan dates. Please ensure that when you apply for a loan you are confident in your course selections. Out of Province students may have more flexibility depending on how the government aid works in your province. Please check with our office before making any changes.
Graduate students
Graduate students please refer to the minimum registration requirements listed on the Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research website regarding full-time and part-time registration. Graduate studies does not reduce the minimum course load requirements for students with a permanent disability.
Part of Term | Start Date | End Date | Undergrad Minimum credit hours required to be full-time | % of Course Load | DRCL Reqmt | % of Course Load |
Grad Studies (Min req't & DRCL) |
Grad Studies % of Course Load |
Weeks of Study |
1 | May 2 | Aug 19 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
4 | May 2 | June 23 | 6 | 100 | 3 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 7 |
7 | July 4 | Aug 24 | 6 | 100 | 3 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 7 |
10 | May 2 | Aug 6 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 4 | May 2 | Aug 19 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 7 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 19 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 4 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 19 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 7 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
4 & 7 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1 & 4 & 7 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
4 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 6 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 14 |
4 & 7 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
7 & 10 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |
1, 4, 7, & 10 | May 2 | Aug 24 | 9 | 75 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 60 | 16 |