Q. How do I determine my province of residence for StudentAid BC?

For government student loan purposes, province of residence is the Canadian province in which you have lived most recently for 12 continuous months, not including time spent in full-time post-secondary studies. For example, if you lived full-time in British Columbia before travelling to Ontario to attend university, your province of residence is British Columbia.

Is BC your province of residence?

Before determining if BC is your province of residence, you first need to assess if you're a dependent or independent student per StudentAid BC's definitions:

Dependent

Dependent students are considered by StudentAid BC to be financially dependent on their parent(s), step-parent(s), sponsor(s) or legal guardian(s). They do not qualify as Independent students. Dependent students have never been married, or do not have dependent children, or have not been out of high school for 48 months, or have not been in the labour force for two periods of 12 consecutive months. (https://studentaidbc.ca/apply/eligibility#residency) 

If you're a dependent student, your province of residence is the Canadian province where your parent(s), step-parent(s), sponsor(s) or legal guardian(s) have lived most recently for 12 continuous months. 

Independent

Independent students are regarded by StudentAid BC as being financially independent of their parent(s), step-parent(s), sponsor(s) or legal guardian(s). Independence is determined by such factors as length of time out of high school, marital status, and number of years in the full-time labour force.  (https://studentaidbc.ca/apply/eligibility#residency) 

If you're an independent student, you can only apply to one province or territory for financial aid. Applying to multiple provinces will result in restrictions, reviews, and delays in receiving funding. 

For more information, please visit StudentAid BC's Determine Your Eligibility.

Questions? Contact Financial Aid and Awards so we can assist you.