Island Advantage - Needs-Based Bursary

If you are a PEI resident attending either UPEI, Holland College, Maritime Christian College, or Collège de l'Île, you may be eligible for the Island Advantage: Low and Middle Income Needs-based Bursary (Bursary).

When combined with the Canada Student Grant for Full-Time Students (CSG-FT), your cost of tuition may be fully covered.

How do I apply?

To find out if you qualify for this bursary, you must apply for a student loan. Your income will be assessed as part of this process and you will be advised if you are eligible for this bursary. The award(s) may be credited directly to your school account in the fall and/or early in the new calendar year, i.e. the award may be split up into two payments.

For more information on award dates, please see our Timetable for Loans, Grants, & Bursaries.

How do I determine if I am eligible?

To receive the Bursary, you must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• You are a student who meets PEI residency requirements as stated in the provincial student loan criteria;
• You are a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident as defined by subsection 2(1) of the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or a protected person within the meaning of subsection 95(2) with a valid Social Insurance Number;
• You are enrolled in a full-time, post secondary education at either UPEI, Holland College, Maritime Christian College, or Collège de l'Île, leading to an undergraduate degree, certificate, or diploma:
• Your total family income for the previous calendar year ( January 1- December 31) must be less than the income cut-off amount listed in the following table:

Note: This sliding scale is based on the same scale used to calculate the CSG-FT.

How much money is available from the Bursary?

If you are eligible, you may receive up to a maximum of $121.15 per week of study. For a traditional 34-week program, this would amount to $4,119.

The exact value of the bursary is determined by a single progressive threshold. The size of the grant gradually decreases as your family income increases, with the rate of reduction varying by family size.

At its maximum, the bursary can equal the CSG-FT, but is limited to an amount that when combined with the CSG-FT, does not exceed the fixed tuition cap. For 2023-24, the fixed tuition cap at UPEI is $6,835. The fixed tuition cap at Holland College and  Collège de l'Île varies due to a wider range in tuition costs, as follows:

Contact

Student Financial Services
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE  C1A 7N8

Office Address:
176 Great George St., Suite 212
Charlottetown, PE

Telephone: (902) 368-4640
Email: studentloan@gov.pe.ca