Financial Aid for Post-Secondary

Getting your finances in order before you start your post- secondary journey is can be a daunting yet critical process. We have created this short 5-step video to help get you started. Once you have watched the video, here are some additional steps to consider in your planning process. We have also devised a 5-step guide Here are some additional steps to help determine your eligibility for different funding options, and also help you break down your education costs, living expenses, and communication access requirements during for your post-secondary studies and determine your eligibility for student loans and scholarships.

Step 1: Examine your Current Assets – Be sure to investigate the following potential sources of assets: Savings account, Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), Income from casual or part-time work, Family contributions. After clearly identifying the total assets that you have, you can determine how much of these total assets will go towards your post-secondary education.

Step 2: Anticipate Educational and Living Expenses – What are some anticipated costs throughout your post-secondary education aside from tuition, books and lab materials/supplies (if applicable), stationary, living costs, including food (if living away from home). For additional hearing access necessities, extra expenses may be incurred:

• Hearing Aid Batteries
• Hearing aids/cochlear implant processors – Unfortunately these devices are not covered under the Assistive Technology British Columbia grant. The devices range from $1000-3000 each.
• Other communication devices – If you are planning to live independently, you may want to consider investing in the following devices: vibrating alarm clocks (for those who are deep sleepers), bed shakers and strobe lights (to alert you when the fire alarm goes off or when someone is knocking/ringing a doorbell).

Step 3: Consider Money-Saving Tips – Some ways that you can look into cutting down the costs as much as possible:

Tuition – Check the breakdown of your tuition payment. In addition to course fees, there are other categories that you can opt out of paying. The most common one is your student medical/dental plan. Most institutions will automatically put you on a plan, but if you are already covered under another plan, there is no need to pay that fee. Speak to the appropriate department; Keep in mind that most institutions have deadlines for opting out.

Books –  On the first day of class, check if the instructor is okay with the use of earlier book editions, which tend to be much cheaper. Also, most institutions have an online website where students put up used books for sale. In the best case scenario you can save at least $150-200 on textbooks.

Living Costs – Living on campus can be more expensive, consider finding a nearby place to rent with several people that you trust. If an alternative can be staying at home, you can use the money saved for meaningful opportunities such as going on an international exchange!

Step 4: Determine if You Qualify for a Student Loan – Now that you have had the opportunity to work out your assets and expenses. It is time to weigh the both of them and see whether you have a surplus (assets > expenses) or a deficit (assets < expenses). You can then look into applying for student loans and grants. To qualify for a student loan, and therefore be eligible for a grant, you must demonstrate a minimum financial need of at least $1 (your expenses outweigh your assets). Grants are key to obtaining assistive technology that you may need for your hearing access in the classroom. While you want to make yourself eligible for a student loan, keep in mind the gap between assets and expenses. The larger the gap, the more student loan you will be given and therefore be responsible for repaying after the completion of your studies.

Let’s figure out how to ensure you are eligible for a student loan:

• Maximize your expenses – Remember to factor in the additional costs for your hearing access (e.g. hearing aids, communication devices)
• Minimize your assets – The application will ask how much financial support you will receive from parents. There is no law saying that parents must give you money for post-secondary education. You can choose to indicate that there will be no financial support from your parents, which will significantly reduce your available assets.

Note: If you are applying for a student loan, it’s important to check off “yes” to having a permanent disability on your initial Student Loan application.

You can apply for a student loan through the Student Aid BC website. Full-time students will need to create an account with Student Aid BC and will be guided through the process of applying for a loan. Part-time students can fill out and mail a loan application package found on the website above.

Step 5: Explore Grants and Scholarships – The grants listed below require the verification of permanent disability document (Appendix 8 Form) – completed by you, your audiologist, and accessibility coordinator, along with a copy of your audiogram.
Once this document is submitted along with the student loan application and your status is approved, you are automatically eligible for all the applicable grants (those checked on the Appendix 8 form). There is no need to apply for each one individually.

Available Grants
All Grants are paid by cheque unless otherwise specified. You can request a direct deposit to your bank account by filling out and mailing this form from the National Student Loans Service Centre(NSLSC).

• Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities
  Amount: $4,000* per program year (August 1 to July 31).

  *Note: The above amount has been temporarily increased for 2020/21 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities
  Amount: Up to $20,000 per program year specifically for services and equipment (e.g., note-takers, tutors, interpreters, technical aids)
  Distribution method: Cheque is sent directly to your institution and your Accessibility Advisor will ask for your signature to transfer the amount to the institution so they can pay ATBC for equipment or for captioning/interpreting services. This money is taxable.
• BC Access Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities
  Amount: Replaces the student loan amount up to $1,000 per program year (e.g., if you receive $1,000 worth of student loan, the loan is replaced with this grant)
• BC Supplemental Bursary for Students with a Permanent Disability
  Amount: $400 (part-time) or $800 (full-time) per program year.
  You could receive up to $3,800 per program year in grants and bursaries. This definitely makes it worth getting yourself eligible for a student loan.

Additional Grants with Specific Requirements:

• BC Access Grant for Deaf Students
  Assists deaf and hard of hearing students with additional costs incurred while attending post-secondary institutions where curriculum is delivered in ASL. It is currently $30,000.
  Criteria: Must be attending Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. or the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York
• Assistance Program for Students with Permanent Disabilities
  Criteria: Available for students with permanent disabilities attending public and private post-secondary institutions in BC.
  Amount: Depending on your need, up to $10,000 ($12,000 if an attendant is required at school)
  Note: This grant can only be used once all the funds from the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities have been used up. You can explore other grants on the StudentAidBC website.

Scholarships and Awards

Lastly there are scholarships and awards that you can pursue to build up your assets for your education.

• In-school & community scholarships – check with your school counselor about what is available
• Entrance scholarships – check with your institution on what is offered
• Deaf community scholarships
• Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) Scholarships
• AG Bell College Scholarship Program
• Cochlear Graeme Clark Scholarship (cochlear implant users only)
• VOICE for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Scholarship List
• BC Deaf Scholarship Trust
• Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) Scholarships Program
• National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) Awards Program
• Coast Capital Savings Youth Education Awards
• Bank of Canada Scholarship and Awards

Each scholarship will vary in terms of the amount of money awarded, eligibility criteria, application requirements, and deadline to apply.

Financial Planning

If you would like to know more about managing your finances, which is beyond the scope of this information, please feel free to email the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association BC Youth Peer Support Program as they offer workshops on this topic.