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 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. Repayment will begin 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.
• 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 must be submitted at least 45 days before the study period ends and can take 4-8 weeks to process.

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

Full-time students must apply through Manitoba Student Aid's MySAO account.

Part-time students must submit a paper application. Visit our Part-Time Student Aid page for more details and to access the application form.

See Am I a full-time or part time Student? section below to determine your registration status.

Additional details can be found on MSA's What information do I need? page.

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.

Manitoba Student Aid requires that students submit all online applications and all required information no later than 45 business days before the end of term. For paper applications (e.g. the "Second Full-Time Application in the same Year Form"), the deadline is 60 business days before the end of term.

• Fall term only: mid-October
• Winter Term or Fall/Winter terms: mid-February
• Spring term: as soon as possible (some courses are less than 45 days long)

If MSA receives your application after the cut-off, we cannot guarantee that they will approve your application on time. Our recommendation is to apply for funding as soon as the MySAO application is open or as soon as you have registered for part-time studies.

MSA's Where do I start? page has the most current information regarding the cut-off dates. 

Generally, government student aid programs do not release funding 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 is equal to 60%

• Fall/Winter session - 18 credit hours is equal to 60%, but you must have 9 credit hours minimum in each term to maintain eligibility.

• Spring condensed session (6-9 weeks long) - 6 credit hours is equal to 80%

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

100% course load is 15 credit hours in each term.

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%)

Your are a part-time student if you have between 20% to 59% of a full course load.

If you are a student with a disability, see "I'm a student with a permanent disability. How many credit hours do I need to be full-time" below

For Graduate master's 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 if they register in at least 40% of a full course load.

• Fall or Winter term only - 6 credit hours is equal to 40%

• Fall/Winter session - 12 credit hours is equal to 40%, but you must have 6 credit hours minimum in each term to maintain eligibility.

• Spring Condensed session (6-9 weeks long) - 3 credit hours is equal to 40%

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

100% course load is 15 credit hours in each term.

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.

Approval for a reduced course load for Manitoba Student Aid's purposes is done through the MSA application. This is not the same process as registering with Accessibility Services at UW.

You are a part-time student if you have between 20% to 39% of a full-course load as a student with a disability. 

Check MB Student Aid's FAQs for students with disabilities.

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.

See "When do I apply?" section for when the application cycles open?

If you are registered and taking courses at another institution during the academic year for credit towards your UW degree on Letter of Permission (LOP), you must present proof of registration to the Awards & Financial Aid Office. We need to manually add your registration costs. You must submit a statement to the Awards office (similar to our term statement available on WebAdvisor) that includes the following for each course on the LOP: Email the completed documents to awards@uwinnipeg.ca. 

• the institution name
• the academic year/term
• the course name
• the credit hours
• the start and end dates
• the cost

Email the completed documents 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 appeals and required documentation.

We cannot see nor access your MySAO (My Student Aid Online Account). You must do this independently or contact Manitoba Student Aid directly.

Go to MySAO to log into your existing account.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of what you can do on MySAO:

• Check the status of your application
• Get a list of pending required documentation
• Update your personal information
• Update your course load
• Add or amend your UW student ID
• Download your T4A slip

Check with the Awards and Financial Aid office before dropping a course. We can review your schedule and let you know if dropping that class would impact your MSA assessment. Remember, you must maintain full-time registration to remain eligible for full-time funding. 

When a student falls below the required full-time course load, student aid will reassess their application Typically, reassessments result in overaward. An overaward is any funding students received in excess of a student's assessed eligibility. Overawards 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 Appeal Form and guidelines.

You must update Manitoba Student Aid through MySAO, 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. We cannot request additional funds on your behalf until you update MSA of your additional course

Update your course load through MySAO. Click "Change My Information," choose "my Course Load" and specify the year you are updating, then click "Next." 

You may appeal an assessment. You must complete a Request for Appeal Form.

Talk to your academic advisor for help completing this form.

Once Manitoba Student Aid is ready to release your funding, they will send a confirmation of enrolment 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 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.

You must meet the fee payment deadline dates established by Financial Services even if you rely on Government Student Aid funding to cover your tuition. Students must apply for Government Student Aid on-time (at least 4-8 weeks before the start of class).

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, grants can be sent to UW to cover your outstanding tuition and fees, except for the Manitoba Bursary and Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities, which will be sent to you directly.