Flanked by the Atlantic on the East, Nova Scotia is a densely populated, prosperous and beautiful maritime province of Canada. But all the touristy attributes aside, another factor that makes residing in this province even more appealing is its education system. The post-secondary education program of Nova Scotia is second to none and to facilitate more student participation, there is a slew of student aid programs in place.
If you are about to graduate from high school and are nervous about your college or university prospects, or you are looking to make a transition from the workforce back to academics, you can rest easy knowing that Nova Scotia province has got you covered.
With a wide range of programs and scholarships to encourage students such as Nova Scotia Student Grant, Nova Scotia Student Loan, Nova Scotia Student Scholarships and Nova Scotia University Student Bursary, getting a college degree has never been easier. So without further ado, let’s delve into these provincial student aid schemes in greater detail.
The grants offered by the province are combined with loan programs, although the latter needs to be repaid with time. Here are the three prominent grant programs in place by the government of Nova Scotia:
A resident of Nova Scotia who has applied for any of the premier universities for a full-time course can receive this grant. The grant amount would, of course, depend on an income threshold defined by the province, and applicants will receive a part of their loan as a grant, which they need not repay.
If you have a permanent disability and require some manual or technical assistance to continue post-secondary education, then this highly useful grant could provide a hassle-free college experience for you. Be it a tutor, scribe or a plethora of technical aids, all expenses for these services will be taken care of by the grant.
High-need students with dependants, which means students whose calculated need is more than $275/week of study, are eligible for this grant. Students can get a maximum of $20/week of study through this grant.
As mentioned before, the loan program works in tandem with the grant program for full-time students. Any citizen of Canada and a resident of the province can avail of a maximum loan of $ 200 per week of study. The allocated loan amount is determined by the financial need of a particular student.
In order to promote diversity and equity in post-secondary education, the province also has a plethora of scholarships in place dedicated to Nova Scotian students of African descent. If you belong to this category, then make careful notes about the following scholarships:
An amount of $1800 will be provided each academic year to students who are pursuing a course in a community college or are working towards a degree in trade school.
Performing Arts Award:
If you are more inclined towards the fine arts such as dance, music or theatrics and are pursuing a relevant degree in a college, then you could be eligible for an award of $1000 as a scholarship amount.
Post-Secondary Award:
Geared towards African students, the Post-Secondary Award also takes into account their excellence in academics, community service, or athletics, and selected students are awarded $2500 during their first academic year and subsequent years.
Teacher Education Scholarship:
With a sum of $5000 as a reward, the selection process is equally stringent, consisting of exceptional scholastic achievement, their plans to develop their community, and of course, applicants must be pursuing a B.Ed degree.
University Entrance Scholarship:
For the high-flying high school students of African descent, who excel academically as well as in other departments, a sum of $4500 is offered when joining a university right after graduation.
Nova Scotia University Student Bursary is another excellent program for students who have completed their high school education in Nova Scotia and are pursuing post-secondary education in the province as well. An amount of $1283 would be provided for students irrespective of the full-time, part-time or correspondence status of their course, as long as they have received a student loan from the province.
It is likely that you may not fit in any of the above criteria but still wish to study in a university at Nova Scotia. Fret not, for there are other options like Federal Student Loan, Federal Student Grant, Federal Student Scholarship and Federal Student Bursaries that you can look into. So keep applying and keep your eyes open for application deadlines, and before you know it, you will be pursuing the course of your dreams without worrying about the monetary aspects.