Financial assistance measures available to students with permanent disabilities include:

• Recognizing previous assessments of permanent disability. Students do not have to send in documentation repeatedly.
• Treating all borrowers with permanent disabilities by eliminating time restrictions on forgiveness of loans issued from 1995 to 2000 (risk-shared loans).
• All Canada Student Grants, including the Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities and the Grant for Services and Equipment for Student with Permanent Disabilities.

What’s available while in study?

• Up to $210 per week in loans for full-time students (you have to be enrolled in at least 40 percent of a full course load).
• An extended eligibility for loans of up to 520 weeks of study to accommodate a reduced course load.
• Canada Student Grants which you may be eligible to receive including:
  • $2,000 per school year for students with permanent disabilities, as assessed by their province or territory of permanent residence.
  • Up to $8,000 per school year for the Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities. This grant covers exceptional education-related costs associated with a student’s disability.
  • $250 per month of study for full-time students from low-income families.
  • $100 per month of study for students from middle-income families.

What’s available after study?

• For borrowers with permanent disabilities experiencing difficulty making loan payments:
  • The Repayment Assistance Plan for borrowers with a Permanent Disability (RAP-PD) for borrowers who are having difficulty making loan payments.
  • The Permanent Disability Benefit for borrowers who have a severe permanent disability that prevents them from working. Borrowers who qualify for this benefit will have their loan forgiven.

Am I Eligible for Loans and Grants?

See the detailed eligibility criteria at the Canada Student Grants Page.

Answer the following questions to determine if you can be considered as having a permanent disability:

• Do you have a functional limitation caused by a physical or mental impairment?
• Does this limitation restrict your ability to perform daily activities necessary to study at university or college level, or to get a job?
• Is that functional limitation expected to remain with you for all your life?

To be eligible for support for people with permanent disabilities, you must:

• be considered as having a permanent disability by your provincial or territorial student financial aid office, as defined by the Canada Student Loans Program;
• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a protected person who has been accepted or is enrolled in a degree, diploma or certificate program that runs for at least 12 weeks at a designated educational institution;
• be enrolled in at least 40 percent of a full course load (for full-time funding) or be enrolled between 20 percent to 39 percent of a full course load (for part-time funding). However, if you are studying between 40 to 59% of a full course load, you can choose to be considered a part-time student.
• be a permanent resident of a province or a territory that issues Canada Student Loans (the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Quebec operate their own student loan programs. Contact your student financial assistance office for more information.);
• demonstrate financial need;
• maintain satisfactory grades; and
• pass a credit check if you are 22 or older and applying for a Canada Student Loan for the first time.

Your eligibility for most Canada Student Grants is assessed automatically when you apply and qualify for a Canada Student Loan through your province or territory of permanent residence.

Visit How to Obtain Government Student Loans for more information about applying for a loan.

If you want to see how much you could receive in loans, try the Student Financial Assistance Estimator.