Canada Federal Student Loans

Canada student loans represent the main financial aid for post-secondary students that need to pay for their college studies. The programs are designed for permanent residents, citizens and protected persons. Full-time students can receive interest-free loans for the complete period of their studies. Canada student loans are also provided to students with permanent disabilities or to those that follow doctoral programs. In order to determine what kind of program you may have access to, it is important to determine the extent of the studies as well as the length of the education. Take the following example to understand how things stand.

For instance, most Canada student loans cover a maximum of 400 weeks for graduate degree programs. But if one needs to follow a BA, an MA and a PhD, the period will be significantly longer, somewhere around 11 years of academic studies. According to this calculation system, lots of graduate students will not longer be eligible for loans. At the end of the 400 weeks period, the student has to start repayment for the full-time studies.

With Canada student loans, repayment starts the moment they are no longer students. Some other obstacles related to post-secondary education can be faced by applying for grants as a form of supplementation for the loans. The assessment of needs is usually made before the approval of the loan. One single student is limited to a certain debt extent. Thus, normally, Canada student loan can provide around $210 per week for full-time education. The sum does not exceed $4,000 for part time studies. The province of residence may however allow access to further assistance in the form of grants.

As for repayment, the beneficiaries of Canada student loans can choose between a fixed interest rate or a floating interest rate. Many people face difficulties when it comes to repayment, but there are some solutions that could improve your situation. You can apply for an interest relief when you are currently unemployed or have a too low income. The interest relief is granted for a period ranging between 6 and 30 months. Another solution is the debt reduction in repayment that brings the monthly rate-plus-interest at an affordable level on the basis of the family income.