Student Loans
Learn how government student loans can help finance your education at SAIT.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a student loan, you must be a Canadian citizen, have permanent resident status, or protected person status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Students enrolled in full-time programs are eligible for both provincial and national student loans. If you are a part-time student (20-59% of a full-time course load), then you may apply for a part-time student loan. For more information on eligibility and the loans available, visit Student Aid Alberta or Canada Student Loans. For more detailed info please see the Student Aid Alberta Funding Guide.
Apply for your student loan
Applications for the 2022/23 academic year are open now
Apply now to make sure your loan is processed as soon as possible, you don't have to be accepted to SAIT to apply for funding.
- If you're an Alberta resident, visit Student Aid Alberta to apply for a student loan.
- If you’ve lived in Alberta for less than 12 months prior to the start of your program, you must apply for student loan funding from your province of residence.
Applications usually open in June for the upcoming academic year. If you need help applying for an Alberta student loan, contact our funding advisors.
Full-time students
To be eligible for student loans, you must meet and maintain the minimum requirement for full-time status. This means you must be registered in at least 60% of the program credits (usually 9 credit hours per week) for each semester you had indicated on your loan application.
Dropping a course may affect your student loan
If you're making changes to your schedule, make sure you're maintaining full-time status. If your status changes to part-time, any applicable tuition fee refund can be refunded directly to the student and should be paid back to the loan borrower (i.e. Student Aid Alberta or Canada Student Loan).
Please Note: your student loan borrowers will be notified of the following changes.
- When you drop from full-time to part-time status.
- When you cancel prior to starting your program.
- When you withdrew from the program.
Part-time students
You are considered a part-time student if you are registered in 59% or less of a full course load in post-secondary studies.
Eligibility for part-time students is based on your income, which also looks at your spouse/partner's income if you are married when calculating family income.
If you are uncertain of your status, check with your advisor to see how many courses you need to be enrolled in to be considered to have full-time or part-time status prior to applying for a student loan.
Getting your student award letter
After your loan application is processed, you'll receive a Student Award Letter from Student Aid Alberta. It explains how much money you'll get for the academic year and when and how you'll receive it (for example, as a Canada Student Loan, Alberta Student Loan, grants, etc.).
If you receive less money than requested on your loan application, you may appeal your assessment by completing a request for reconsideration form.
Paying tuition with your student loan
If you've applied online through Student Aid Alberta and are approved for a student loan before the tuition payment deadline, SAIT will electronically confirm your full-time enrolment and request that payment is sent directly from Student Aid Alberta. This means that your tuition payment deadline will be deferred until your loan disbursement date.
- We’re unable to confirm your enrolment if you’re enrolled in less than 60% of a full course load – consider applying for a part-time student loan.
- Log in to mySAIT to find the amount we’ll receive – this is called the Remit to School Amount.
- If the remit to school amount is less than your total tuition balance, you must pay the remainder by your tuition deadline.
How to use your student loan to pay your tuition fees
- Log on to mySAIT.ca and select the myStudent tab
- Click on Account Summary by Term located under My Finances
- Select Student Account located under the Account Information heading
- Choose Account Summary to find the accurate account balance
- Log in to mySAIT
- Go to the myStudent tab and choose Student Awards and Financial Aid in the Finance menu
- Choose View My Student Aid, then continue to see the details of your student loan
The Remit to School Amount is how much money will be paid to SAIT. Ensure this is equal to the amount owing in your account summary. If the amount to be remitted is lower, you'll be responsible to pay the difference.
The Disbursement Date is when your tuition will be sent to SAIT. Your tuition payment deadline will be extended until your loan disbursement date.
- Compare your account balance to the remit to school amount.
- If the tuition portion being sent directly to SAIT is not enough to cover your tuition balance, you will need to pay the difference on or before the tuition payment deadline.
- Please do not overpay your tuition. If you have concerns over your loan disbursements contact the Office of the Registrar.
- Check your student loans portal for your student award letter and two Master Student Financial Aid Agreement (MSFAA) forms.
- There will be one form for your Alberta loans and one for Canada loans.
- Fill out, sign and date both forms — submit each through the appropriate student loans portal.
Out-of-province students
If you've been approved for a student loan in a province other than Alberta, make sure you've emailed a copy of your student award letter to Office of the Registrar.
The student award letter explains how much money you'll get for the length of your loan, payment dates and how you'll receive it (for example, as a Canada Student Loan, Saskatchewan Student Loan, grants, etc.). We'll need this information to defer your tuition payment until your loan disbursement date. Tuition deferments are usually given until the end of the add/drop period for your program.
Find more information about applying for student loans on your province’s student aid website below:
- British Columbia
- Nunavut
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- New Brunswick
- Prince Edward Island
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Quebec*
- Northwest Territories*
- Saskatchewan
- Nova Scotia
- Yukon
*For Northwest Territories and Quebec student loan students please note that during the loan process we are not able to request tuition to be directed to SAIT, and as such, no tuition deferment will be completed.
Full-time students
To be eligible for student loans, you must meet and maintain the minimum requirement for full-time status. This means you must be registered in at least 60% of the program credits (usually 9 credit hours per week) for each semester you had indicated on your loan application.
Dropping a course may affect your student loan
If you're making changes to your schedule, make sure you're maintaining full-time status. If your status changes to part-time, any applicable tuition fee refund can be refunded directly to the student and should be paid back to the loan borrower (i.e. Student Aid Alberta or Canada Student Loan).
Please Note: your student loan borrowers will be notified of the following changes.
- When you drop from full-time to part-time status.
- When you cancel prior to starting your program.
- When you withdrew from the program.
Part-time students
You are considered a part-time student if you are registered in 59% or less of a full course load in post-secondary studies.
If you are uncertain of your status, check with your advisor to see how many courses you need to be enrolled in to be considered to have full-time or part-time status prior to applying for a student loan.
Make sure to review your province’s eligibility rules for part-time students.
Getting your student award letter
After your loan application is processed, you'll receive a Student Award Letter from your provincial student loan provider. It explains how much money you'll get for the academic year and when and how you'll receive it (for example, as a Canada Student Loan, Provincial Student Loan, grants, etc.).
If you receive less money than requested on your loan application, contact your provincial student loan provider to discover your next steps.
Paying tuition with your student loan
The information below does not apply to loans Northwest Territories and Quebec. If you’re funded through either province, you will need to pay your tuition prior to the tuition deadline for your program’s start date – review payment options to find our approved online payment methods.
If you've applied and are approved for a student loan through your province online before the tuition payment deadline, SAIT will electronically confirm your full-time enrolment and request that payment is sent directly to us. This means that your tuition payment deadline will be deferred until your loan disbursement date.
- We’re unable to confirm your enrolment if you’re enrolled in less than 60% of a full course load – consider applying for a part-time student loan through your province.
- Log in to mySAIT to find the amount we’ll receive – this is called the Remit to School Amount.
- If the remit to school amount is less than your total tuition balance, you must pay the remainder by your tuition deadline.
How to use your student loan to pay your tuition fees
- Log on to mySAIT.ca and select the myStudent tab
- Click on Account Summary by Term located under My Finances
- Select Student Account located under the Account Information heading
- Choose Account Summary to find the accurate account balance
- Log in to mySAIT
- Go to the myStudent tab and choose Student Awards and Financial Aid in the Finance menu
- Choose View My Student Aid, then continue to see the details of your student loan.
The Remit to School Amount is how much money will be paid to SAIT. Ensure this is equal to the amount owing in your account summary. If the amount to be remitted is lower, you'll be responsible to pay the difference – review payment options to find instructions to pay through one of our approved methods.
The Disbursement Date is when your tuition will be sent to SAIT. Your tuition payment deadline will be extended until your loan disbursement date.
- Compare your account balance to the remit to school amount.
- If the tuition portion being sent directly to SAIT is not enough to cover your tuition balance, you will need to pay the difference on or before the tuition payment deadline – review payment options to learn more.
- Please do not overpay your tuition. If you have concerns over your loan disbursements contact the Office of the Registrar.
If you're registered in a Red Seal trade apprentice program, there are many loan and grant options available:
- Alberta Student Aid Grants and loans
- Canada Apprentice Loans
- Canada Apprenticeship Incentive Grants
- and more available through the tradesecrets website
Prior to your loan or grant being confirmed, you must first register and pay for your courses within your apprentice program. Read more on Paying for Your Apprenticeship for tuition and fees, financial tips and more.
NOTE: When you apply for an Alberta student loan, please ensure to select Apprenticeship as the program name then select your specific trade as the specialization and/or major.
Tuition overpayments
If you've paid SAIT more money than you owe, a credit balance will appear on your account.
- All credits resulting from an overpayment will not be refunded.
- This will be applied to tuition for your future terms.
- If you’ve been approved for a student loan, we recommend waiting to make payments until after we confirm your loan – this will happen just before your tuition payment deadline.
Review our refund policy for full refund eligibility.
Additional key contacts
For more information on your Alberta or Canada student loan or if you are having difficulty making payments to your loan(s), please get in touch with the corresponding service center immediately to find your options for help.
National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC)
1.888.815.4514
NSLSC Toolbox
Alberta Student Aid
1.855.606.2096
Alberta Student Aid Repayment Guide
For students with out-of-province loans, please refer to your province's student aid website for more information.