Manitoba Student Aid

You are eligible for Manitoba Student Aid funding if

• You are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident (landed immigrant) or protected person,
• You are a Manitoba resident,
• You can pass a credit check if you are 22 years of age or over and are applying for the first time,
• You have financial need.

Grants are funds you don't need to re-pay as long as you maintain your loan eligibility. Student aid offers several grants:

• Grant for full-time students
• Grant for part-time students
• Grant for full-time students with dependents
• Grant for part-time students with dependents
• Grant for students with permanent disabilities
• Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities

Loans are funds you will need to pay back, starting six months after you stop attending school full-time. 

• Manitoba Student Loans and Canada Student Loans are interest-free while you are a full-time student and during repayment.
• Please note that out-of-province loans may have different repayment and interest policies. You can visit the Out of Province Student Aid page for more information.

Applying early is always better! Full-time online applications can take 4-8 weeks to process.

• Fall/Winter session application opens in June.
• Spring/Summer application opens in mid-March.

Manitoba Student Aid has an online application for full-time students.

NOTE: Part-time students must submit a paper application. For more information and to access the application, visit our Part-Time Student Aid page.

See "How many credit hours do I need to take to be full-time?" section below to determine if you are full-time or part-time.

Your program must not be confused with your major. For example, if you are in Psychology 3-year, your program/faculty is Arts. Therefore, you should choose “Arts 3-year”.

If you are a Kinesiology student:

 If you are in a Pre-Professional Program:

Yes! You can apply even if your school has not officially accepted you – just make sure you know your school name, your program name, and your start and end dates.

Application for full-time or part-time funding must be received by Manitoba Student Aid no later than 45 days before the end of your study period.

• Mid-November for Fall term only
• Mid-March for Winter Term or Fall/Winter terms
• Check in with us for Spring term (some courses have less than 45 days in length)

If your application is received after the 45 days deadline, we cannot guarantee that your application will be approved on time. Our recommendation is to apply for funding as soon as the application form is available.

Generally, Manitoba Student Aid and Canada Student Loans do not release funds after the study period has concluded.

Most provinces, including Manitoba, require that you register in at least 60% of a full course load to maintain eligibility for full-time funding. 

For Undergraduate bachelor programs:

• Fall or Winter term only - 9 credit hours (60%)

• Fall/Winter session - 18 credit hours (60%), but you must have 9 credit hours minimum in each term.

• Spring session (6-9 weeks long) - 6 credit hours (80%)

• Spring/Summer session (10 weeks or longer) - 9 credit hours (60%)

Calculate your course load for the Fall/Winter session by dividing your registered course load by 30. Example: 21 credit hours/30 = 0.7  (70%)

Calculate your course load for a single term (Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer) by dividing your registered course load by 15. Example: 12 credit hours/15 = 0.8  (80%)

For Graduate masters programs, course load is determined by your program stream. For questions or help determining your course load, contact our office at awards@uwinnipeg.ca.

For PACE certificate or diploma programs, course load is determined by your program stream. For questions or help determining your course load, contact the PACE office at PACEregistration@uwinnipeg.ca.

Students with a Permanent Disability can receive full-time student aid with a 40% minimum course load (12 credit hours over the Fall/Winter session).

• Fall or Winter term only - 6 credit hours (40%)

• Fall/Winter session - 12 credit hours (40%), but you must have 6 credit hours minimum in each term.

• Spring session (6-9 weeks long) - 3 credit hours (40%)

• Spring/Summer session (10 weeks or longer) - 6 credit hours (40%)

Calculate your course load for the Fall/Winter session by dividing your registered course load by 30. Example: 12 credit hours/30 = 0.4 (40%)

Calculate your course load for a single term (Fall or Winter) by dividing your registered course load by 15. Example: 6 credit hours/15 = 0.4  (40%)

The Accessibility Services Office can help you submit the paperwork that student aid requires to approve you for a reduced course load.

Note: The process to receive reduced course load approval within the University of WInnipeg is different from the process to receive approval with Government Student Aid. To get approval for a reduced course load with Government Student Aid, you should talk to your accessibility advisor.

Students must re-apply for funding each session and each year they want funding.

Fall/winter is one session and spring/summer is another session. They must be applied for separately if you want funding for both sessions.

If, in addition to The University of Winnipeg courses, you are registered and taking courses elsewhere during the academic year for credit towards your UW degree on Letter of Permission, you must present proof of registration to the Awards & Financial Aid Office before your student assistance document can be authorized and released to you. Proof of registration must include the institution name, the academic year/term, the course name, the credit hours, and the cost. It can be dropped off in-person (2Ri06 - 2nd Floor, Rice Centre - 489 Portage Ave.), faxed: 204-786-8656, or emailed to: awards@uwinnipeg.ca.

• The Awards & Financial Aid Office assists all government aid agencies by confirming students' registration status when requested by the student aid branch.
• We provide general information on how to apply, how to calculate your course load and what funding is available.
• We help you troubleshoot solutions when your funding doesn't arrive within the normal processing period.
• We provide guidance on submitting appeals and required documentation.

IMPORTANT: We cannot see your MySAO (My Student Aid Online Account) or access the status of your account. You must do this independently or contact Manitoba Student Aid directly.

You can check the status of your student aid application, find out what documentation is still outstanding, update your address information and much more online! Go to MySAO to log into your existing account.

If you are planning to drop a class, we recommend that you check with our office first. We can review your schedule and let you know if dropping that class would impact your assessment. You can generally drop courses as long as you remain a full-time student in the session for which you have received funding.

When a student withdraws below the required full-time course load, student aid will reassess their application and will often add an overaward to their account. An Overaward is any funding, which is greater than a student is eligible to receive. Overawards can affect future funding.

If you drop below full time due to extenuating circumstances such as a medical illness or injury or family emergency, you may be able to appeal. Visit Manitoba Student Aid’s website for a Request for an Appeal Form and guidelines.

If you add a course, you need to let Manitoba Student Aid know, so they can reassess your file. You may be eligible for additional funds. Manitoba Student Aid only checks in with the Awards & Financial Aid office before they release a disbursement, and we are unable to update your course load regularly on your behalf.

To update your course load with Manitoba Student Aid, log into your MySAO. You can change your course load percentage to prompt a reassessment. Manitoba Student Aid will reach out to the Awards & Financial Aid office to confirm enrolment electronically. MSA will update your assessment details in your MySAO account after they have finished this process.

Once Manitoba Student Aid is ready to release your funding, they will send a confirmation of enrollment request to The University of Winnipeg.

Manitoba Student Aid only releases funds once you have submitted all your documents, and they have approved you for funding.

MSA automatically sends the University of Winnipeg funding to cover your outstanding tuition and fees. They deposit any remaining funds in your Canadian bank account. You can use these for books, supplies transportation and living costs.

We recommend that you allow your student aid funding to cover your tuition instead of paying out of pocket. This could avoid duplicate payments. Payments can take up to 7-10 business days to arrive at the university after Manitoba Student Aid or Canada Student Loans releases them.

If you rely on Government Student Aid to pay your tuition, please note that you must still meet the fee payment deadline dates established by Financial Services.

NOTE: If your first disbursement does not cover your required tuition fee payment in full, you will have to pay the remainder by the fee deadline date to avoid late fees.

Yes, everything but the Manitoba Bursary and Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities can be sent to The University of Winnipeg if you owe tuition and fees.