Government of Quebec Funding for Students with Disabilities

This page contains information about:

  • Your Student Financial Aid File
  • Loans and Bursaries for full-time studies
  • Loans for part-time studies
  • Allowance for special needs – adults
  • Scholarships
  • Sources for further information

Summary of key points

  • You can use your student financial aid file to apply for Quebec financial assistance programs or send applications by mail
  • For loans and bursaries for full-time studies, you will first receive a loan based on your assessed financial needs, and if the loan is insufficient to cover your needs, you may receive a bursary
  • For both full-time and part-time loans and bursaries, you have up to 30 days after your last month of in the current school year (which runs from September 1 to August 31) to apply
    • Apply before the start of the school year if you want your financial assistance in time for the start of the school year
    • For full-time loans and bursaries, you can usually apply as early as May for the upcoming school year
    • For part-time loans, you can usually apply as early as June for the upcoming school year
  • Full-time or deemed full-time students studying outside of Quebec may be eligible for loans and bursaries, but students completing part-time studies outside of Quebec are not
  • The Allowance for Special Needs Program provides financial assistance for the types of support necessary for pursuing your studies that are not reimbursed under other programs
  • To apply to the Allowance for Special Needs Program, you must meet with the person responsible for integrating persons with disabilities at your educational institution who will then evaluate your situation, determine the types of support you require, and provide necessary information and documentation to submit an application
  • The deadline to apply to the Allowance for Special Needs Program is up to 60 days following your last month of study in the current school year
    • You can apply before the start of the school year

Student Financial Aid File

You can use your Student Financial Aid File to apply for the following programs:

  • Loans and bursaries for full-time studies
  • Loans for part-time studies
  • Allowance for Special Needs – Adults
  • Scholarships for trainees
  • Quebec Perspective Scholarships
  • Deferred repayment
  • Repayment of student debt by pre-authorized debit

Loans and Bursaries for full-time studies

The Loans and Bursaries Program enables students to pursue full-time secondary school level vocational training, college or university studies when they do not have the financial resources.

For complete, detailed information, see the Loans and Bursaries for full-time studies main navigation page.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have refugee or protected person status
  • be considered a Québec resident
  • be enrolled in an educational institution and a program recognized for the awarding of financial assistance; refer to list of eligible programs for full-time loans and bursaries
  • be a full-time student or be deemed a full-time student
  • respect your eligibility period (number of months you can receive financial assistance)
  • respect your debt limit (maximum loan amount you can obtain)

You could be eligible for financial assistance even if you are studying outside Québec, either in another Canadian province or abroad. However, you must meet the criteria for students studying outside of Québec.

Assessing Financial Need

If you are eligible, your financial needs will be assessed. You will initially receive a loan that you will have to repay at the end of your studies. If the loan is insufficient to cover your needs, you may receive a bursary that you will not have to repay. If the loan is sufficient to cover your assessed needs, you will receive a loan only.

The financial needs assessment is based on:

  • your income
  • your eligible expenses
  • your family situation
  • your level of education
  • the income of your parents, your sponsor or your spouse, depending on the case

Any change in your personal situation during the year (e.g., new spouse, change in your income), must be reported immediately, as it could change the amount of financial assistance to which you are entitled.

You can use the Assessment Simulator to determine the financial assistance that could be awarded to you.

The Process

To complete your application, you need the following information:

  • Your permanent code
  • Your social insurance number
  • The codes for your financial institution and your program of study
  • Your income or an estimate of your income for the year (January 1 to December 31)

Applications are not renewed automatically; you must submit an application for each year of study

Application Timeline:

  • To receive your financial assistance in time for the beginning of the school year (which runs from September 1 to August 31), apply before the start of the school year
    • You can usually complete your application starting in May for the upcoming school year
  • You have up to 30 days following your last month of study in the current school year to submit your application
  • You have 45 days to send all required documents
  • Analysis of your application will begin once all required information and documentation has been provided
  • All required documents or changes in your situation must be sent no later than December 29 following the end of the school year

During your full-time studies:

  • you do not repay any amount related to your loan
  • the government pays the interest on your loan for you
  • you may apply for loans and bursaries each year, as long as you are eligible for the Program

After your full-time studies:

  • you could get 15% off the amount of your loan if you complete your studies within the prescribed period
  • you will automatically have 6 months before you start repaying your loan
    • during this period, you can pay the interest or add it to your loan
  • you benefit from an interest rate offered by the government
  • you are entitled to a non-refundable tax credit (tax reduction) for the interest you pay on your loan

View the repayment of a student loan webpage for information about repaying full-time and part-time loans.

Loans for Part-Time Studies

The Part-Time Education Loan Program provides financial assistance in the form of a loan per term of study. For complete, detailed information, view the Loans for Part-Time Studies main navigation page.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have refugee or protected person status.
  • be considered a Québec resident.
  • be in part-time student and not deemed to be in full-time studies – part-time studies means taking courses that correspond to the following number of hours or credits:
    • secondary school to vocational training: 76 to 179 hours
    • college: 76 to 179 hours
    • university (Undergraduate, Master’s, Doctoral): 6 to 11 credits
  • be enrolled in an educational institution and a program recognized for the awarding of financial assistance; refer to list of eligible programs for part-time loans
  • respect the eligibility period (14 periods of studies)
  • respect the debt limit ($8000)
  • respect the eligibility threshold, which is determined by your income and that of the person contributing to your studies

You are not eligible if you are in one of the following situations:

  • You are an auditor (i.e., taking courses without being admitted to a program
  • You are studying outside Québec
  • You are between 2 periods or terms of full-time studies
  • Your school fees (application fees, registration fees, tuition fees, etc.) and childcare expenses are paid by another body or ministry during the term for which you are applying

The assessment of financial assistance for part-time studies is based on:

  • your family situation (number of dependent children, if applicable)
  • your studies (level of studies, number of hours or credits)
  • the location of your educational institution

The Process

To complete your application, you need the following information:

  • Your permanent code
  • Your social insurance number
  • The codes for your financial institution and your program of study
  • Your income or an estimate of your income for the year (January 1 to December 31)

Applications are not renewed automatically; you must submit an application for each year of study

Application Timeline:

  • To receive your financial assistance in time for the beginning of the school year (which runs from September 1 to August 31), apply before the start of the school year
  • You can usually complete your application starting in June for the upcoming school year
  • You have up to 30 days following your last month of study in the current school year to submit your application
  • Analysis of your application will begin once all required information and documentation has been provided
  • No documents will be accepted after December 29 following the end of the school year

View the repayment of a student loan webpage for information about repaying full-time and part-time loans.

Allowance for special needs – adults

The Allowance for Special Needs Program is intended for you if you have a major functional disability or another recognized disability. It allows you to benefit from various types of support related to your disability (e.g., specialized services, paratransit services, housing allowance, material resources) that are necessary for pursuing your studies in:

  • secondary school, in vocational training
  • secondary school, in adult education
  • college
  • university

The Program awards you financial assistance only for the types of support that are not reimbursed under other programs.
More information on the following forms of support offered by the program:

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or have refugee or protected person status
  • be a person considered as a Québec resident
  • be admitted to a recognized educational institution and study at the secondary school, vocational training, adult education, college, or university level
  • be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits or 76 course hours per study period or term or a minimum of 20 course hours per month
    • if this is not the case, only specialized services and transcription in Braille will be reimbursed

Types of disabilities

A major functional disability is recognized if it is permanent and significantly limits academic activities. It can be:

  • a severe visual impairment
  • a severe hearing impairment
  • a motor or organic impairment that causes significant and persistent limitations

The other recognized disabilities are:

  • limited hearing capability (minimum threshold of 25 decibels)
  • paralysis
  • paresis
  • language or speech impairment

These disabilities must be diagnosed by a healthcare professional and be recognized by the Program.

Applying

You can find more details about applying for the Allowance for Special Needs Program on the submitting an application webpage.

You have up to 60 days following your last month of study in the current school year to apply. However, you can apply before the start of the school year (September 1 to August 31).

Your application is not renewed automatically; you must submit a new application for each year of study. Usually, the person responsible for integrating persons with disabilities at your educational institution must also fill out a recommendation for each study period or term

The process:

  • Important: Before making an application, you must meet with the person responsible for integrating persons with disabilities at your educational institution
  • They will evaluate your situation and determine the types of support that will compensate for your disability and are necessary for you to pursue your studies
    • In some cases, the educational institution already offers them
  • If the educational institution does not already offer the supports, they will verify if you are eligible for the Program
  • They will then make a recommendation, which you must include in your submission
  • They will also give you a list of documents to provide and forms to complete
  • Once these steps have been completed, you must apply for an allowance for special needs in your Student Financial Assistance File and include the necessary documents
  • To complete your application, you need the following information:
    • Your permanent code
    • Your social insurance number
    • The codes for your financial institution and your program of study

You can submit the application and required documents in your or send them by mail. If you choose to mail them, send them to the following address:

Allowance for Special Needs Program
Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur
1035, rue De La Chevrotière, 20e étage
Québec (Québec), G1R 5A5

You can also find information on when and how you will receive your allowance.

Scholarships

The following webpages provide information on the different scholarships provided by the Québec government:

For More Information

Sources:

Related:

Last Updated: 2023-08-31