We understand that financial issues can impact directly on your studies; therefore, financial planning is an important part of assuring academic success at University.  We can provide you with the information and support that you need.

Student Loans
The Director of Financial Aid and Student Counselling, Bernadette Kehoe, can help you navigate the student loan system. Remember to ask for help early in the process so problems can be resolved before they become critical.

Help is also available through the provincial student assistance office at (902) 424 8420 or www.studentloans.ednet.ns.ca, and the National Student Loans Service Centre (NSLSC) at (888) 815 4514 or www.canlearn.ca. Interest relief information is available through NSLSC as well.

Financial Aid
The University maintains a financial aid program to assist full-time undergraduate students who are unable to meet the full cost of their educational expenses from other sources. Grants are awarded primarily to assist students encountering situations from unanticipated financial need. Small financial aid grants are normally given only once or twice during a student's attendance at the university.

Eligibility for Assistance
All full-time undergraduate students (eg., students registered for at least 9 credits of undergraduate course work) are eligible to apply for assistance. In certain exceptional circumstances, students carrying fewer than 9 credits of course work may qualify for assistance. In order to qualify for assistance a student must be able to demonstrate that he/she has exhausted all other reasonable sources of income and that he/she still has financial need. Other sources of income include the Canada Student Loans Program and when applicable its American counterpart, reasonable contributions from parents and guardians, scholarships, bursaries and earnings from part-time work. Students who may obtain funds from one or more of these resources but who choose not to do so will normally be considered ineligible for assistance. Applicants should submit documentation verifying their application for Canada Student Loan or its foreign counterparts, and the amount of loan and bursary assistance granted.

How to Apply for NSCAD Assistance
In order to apply for assistance, students are required to list their anticipated expenses and anticipated resources for the complete period of their application on an "Application for Financial Assistance Form". It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that sufficient information is received to judge whether financial need exists. Therefore, any exceptional circumstances in a student's situation should be explained in an attached letter. Students seeking further information on NSCAD's Financial Assistance Program should contact the Director of Financial Aid and Student Counselling.

Interim Loans
It is the university's policy to grant interim loans only in the event of immediate need to students who can verify that sufficient funds are forthcoming from a resource (eg. Canada Student Loan, parental contribution, etc.), to cover that amount of the loan and who have no other source of interim support. Students are responsible for demonstrating need and specifying the resource in question on an Interim Loan Application form which is available in the Student and Academic Services Office. The usual maximum loan is $200 or $300 but in cases of extreme emergency, this limit may be increased. Interim loans are usually to be repaid within a three-month period and/or prior to the subsequent registration period. The availability of interim loans is conditional upon the availability of funds in the financial aid budget for loan purposes. Any student experiencing an emergency situation is encouraged to see the Director of Financial Aid and Student Counselling.

Scholarships
The university awards about $100,000 annually to students, with more than 90 internal scholarships and bursaries available per academic year. External funding can also top $100,000 per year, with outside scholarships such as the Harrison McCain Scholarships in memory of Marion McCain, the Canada Graduate Awards, and other financial aid options.

Our travel subsidy committee approves applications for about $12,000 per year in travel subsidies for individual and class study trips. Many students also receive student loans, direct grants and work bursaries.

NSCAD University offers a number of internally offered scholarships to current students.  Most internally offered scholarships require at least one full time semester of study before qualifying for an application.  Applications are always made available in the first 6 weeks of the winter semester in the Office of Student and Academic Services and online and are for awards offered in the following Fall semester.  Additionally, Travel Subsidy applications are available during the first month of each semester for travel related to courses or academics within the same semester.

Contact Bernadette Kehoe, Director, Financial Aid and Student Counselling (902) 494 8130, nscad.ca. For general inquiries, consult our directory.