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Financial Aid Available for Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador

by Jingwei Chen
Jobs People Do | JobsPeopleDo.com

This is the ninth article in a series of articles focusing on the financial assistance available for Canadian post-secondary students with disabilities. Each province and territory gets their own specific article in order to properly cover differences in eligibility, application process, and the amount of funding available. In this article, it is Newfoundland and Labrador’s turn to get the spotlight!

First, let’s begin with some background information. The Department of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour is the overarching entity that administers among other programs, the Student Financial Services Division. This is the financial aid program for students in Newfoundland and Labrador. The funding provided comes from both the federal and provincial governments—the advantage of this arrangement is that you submit one application and you will be considered for loans and grants from two funding sources.

This is not exactly the case for students with disabilities. You will still need to complete and submit the same application that everyone else has to, but if you are interested in the following three grants, additional documentation and applications are required. See below for specific information:

  1. The Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities

The maximum funding offered by this grant is $2000 per academic year (defined as August 1st to July 31st). Eligible applicants must have a permanent functional limitation and must have been assessed to need at least $1 in order to attend their program. Applicants may be either undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in either full-time or part-time studies, and the grant may be awarded for every single year of study. The grant may be put towards tuition, textbooks, and living costs.

This grant does not require a separate application: in the application for student financial assistance submitted to the Student Financial Services Division, you must indicate that you are a student with a permanent disability. There is however a requirement to submit a completed Verification of Eligibility Form for Students with Permanent Disability. Once this verification form has been reviewed and approved, you will never need to submit it again for each subsequent academic year and each year’s financial aid application.

  1. The Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities

The maximum funding offered by this grant is $8000 per academic year. If you are eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities, you are eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities. This grant is meant to cover costs incurred in the course of pursuing post-secondary education with a permanent disability. It is advised that before you submit the separate application required, speak to the disability counsellor or coordinator at your school to determine what resources and supports are already freely available there.

This grant requires a separate application (called the Application for Grants for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities), and please note that this application must be submitted every single year you wish to apply for this grant. The application will require you to clearly indicate the cost of the required services and equipment. In addition, relevant receipts must be provided to the Student Financial Assistance Division or possibility for future funding may be jeopardized.

  1. The Grant for High Need Students with Permanent Disabilities

With this grant, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is acknowledging that students with disabilities may have additional costs that more than what the first two grants will be able to cover. If your applications indicate that your expense estimates will exceed the maximum amounts the grants will provide, your application will automatically be assessed for the Grant for High Need Students with Permanent Disabilities. You must have been approved for funding from the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities. No maximum funding amount is given.

Post-secondary students with disabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador have three grants available for them. Make note of which require additional documentation and applications. The Student Financial Services Division has set up two separate email addresses depending on what you need. If you have a question, direct it to studentaidenquiry@gov.nl.ca. If you have documents to submit, use studentaidmailbox@gov.nl.ca. Check before you hit send!

References:

  1. https://www.aesl.gov.nl.ca/studentaid/disabilities/index.html
  2. https://www.aesl.gov.nl.ca/studentaid/apply/2018_2019/pd_overview.pdf
  3. https://www.aesl.gov.nl.ca/studentaid/faq/index.html
  4. https://www.aesl.gov.nl.ca/studentaid/changes/index.html

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