Grants

As a student with a disability, there are three (3) grants that you may be eligible to receive: the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities, the Provincial Access Grant, and the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Disabilities.

• The Federal Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities was created effective August 1, 2009, to increase accessibility to post-secondary education for students with disabilities. This grant was previously known as the Canada Access Grant from August 1, 2005.
  
• The Provincial Access Grant was created effective August 1, 2005, to coincide with the Canada Access Grant and now the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities to help decrease student loan debt.
• The Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Disabilities was created to help support the accommodations or adaptive equipment needed by a student with permanent disabilities attending post-secondary training. This grant was previously known as the Canada Study Grant for Accommodation of Students with Permanent Disabilities.
• The PSDS Goods & Services Program was created in 2007 to help students who were not eligible for student loan to access assistive technology and disability related services.

Are you eligible?

There are four steps in determining if you are eligible for any disability grants:

1. Apply for a Nova Scotia/Canada Student Loan.



2. Obtain a medical assessment form, have it completed by a qualified medical assessor, and submit it.



3. Be notified that you qualify for disability services.



4. Be assessed as having a financial need.

Step 1

Apply for a Canada/Nova Scotia Student Loan as a student with a permanent disability. You can apply online at www.studentloans.ednet.ns.ca or pick up a copy of the application form at your post-secondary institute or by calling 424-8420 in Halifax, 1-800-565-8420 toll-free within Canada, or 424-2058 TTY (telecommunication device for the hearing impaired).

Step 2

Obtain a Medical Assessment Form for Students with Permanent Disabilities, fill out the sections A and B, and have the remaining sections completed by a qualified medical assessor. This could be your physician, an optometrist or ophthalmologist, a certified audiologist, or another person qualified to diagnose your medical condition. You can get a copy of the form online here: www.studentloans.ednet.ns.ca or request that the form be sent to you by calling 424-8420 in Halifax, 1-800-565-8420 toll-free within Canada, or 424-2058 TTY. Send the completed form to

Nova Scotia Student Assistance Office
PO Box 2290, Halifax Central
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3C8

Step 3

When we receive your medical assessment form, we will assess the medical information you have provided and let you know if you qualify for disability services.

Step 4

The Nova Scotia Student Assistance Office will assess your application for financial need. This assessment will determine what you may qualify for in grant money.