Apply for your loan as early as it’s available so you know where you stand and have time to return your Master Student Financial Aid Agreement (MSFAA) before you need your money. Each summer, the new application for the following academic year becomes available, usually in early to mid-June. You must use the application that matches your study year.

Remember that you must apply for your loan through the province where you lived for the most recent 12 months while not at college or university.

It is a good idea to listen to this webinar that will orient you to student loans - it's fairly up to date (as of November 2019): Student loan orientation webinar by Finastra

 

What information do I need to apply?

If you apply for an Alberta loan online, most of the required information will display on the application once you select your institution and program. After you correctly enter the institution and program name and select your study period from the drop-down menu, the maximum amounts for tuition, fees and books will be displayed. You may request less than the maximum but not more.

You will also need:

  • your social insurance number
  • your Alberta student number
  • line 15000 of your most recent tax return
  • (if applicable) line 15000 of your parent’s or spouse’s most recent tax return

 

Out-of-province and part-time study students

If you are an out-of-province student or using a paper application, you will need the above information. You will also need your program-related costs, which are available on the appropriate Lethbridge College program page.

Dependents

If you are a dependent student applying for an Alberta student loan, you will need information and signatures from your parents if you would like to be considered for federal grants.

If you are applying in another province, you must provide parental information and signatures if you are considered a dependent by your province.

What do I do when I receive my MSFAA?

The first time you are approved for full-time funding, you must complete your Master Student Financial Assistance Agreements (MSFAAs/Loan Agreements) before any funds can be issued. There are two separate MSFAAs: Canada MSFAA and Alberta MSFAA.The MSFAAs are generally one-time agreements; however, you will need to sign new MSFAAs if you had a break in full-time studies of more than two years, or you received funding through another province/territory. Note - failure to complete these forms will result in your funding being stalled; you will not receive any funds until these are processed.

Alberta MSFAA

Alberta students need to process both the provincial and the federal MSFAA through an electronic process. Log in and follow the instructions provided.

Canada MSFAA

The Canada MSFAA must be completed electronically. Login to your Student Aid account and check your inbox for a letter with instructions and a link for this process. You will need your Social Insurance Number, your banking information, and the Canada MSFAA number provided on the letter.

What if I feel that I didn’t receive enough?

You can appeal your assessment by completing a request for reconsideration form or writing a letter. Be sure to specify what you are asking to be changed or an amount that you would like to be considered for – using the form will prevent you from forgetting any necessary information.

Keep in mind that there are maximums for living, tuition, fees and books; if you exceed these, it is unlikely that you will be awarded any additional funds unless you can prove exceptional circumstances with the necessary documentation.

Most provinces now allow you to upload your documents and request a reassessment online. Check your province's student aid website for this option. Keep in mind that the review generally takes four to six weeks, so you may need to consider other funding options while you wait for a decision.

Confirm that your loan is being sent to us

Check your lethbridgecollege.ca email. Once we confirm your loan we send you an email that same day so you know it's been done and can be aware that any additional classes/credits after that date have not been requested to be paid directly to us. 

Verify the tuition portion being sent to Lethbridge College from Student Aid Alberta

  • Log in to the Students Finance System; this could be National or your province (or both).
  • Select Payment Schedule.
  • Refer to the Tuition Portion column to see how much money will be paid to Lethbridge College.
  • Check the Date column to see when your tuition will be sent to Lethbridge College.


Note: Your student account will be coded as long as sufficient funds can be sent directly to the college, so you will not have to be concerned about the deadline. Check your college email account often as we send messages to confirm that there was sufficient funding to pay your full balance (sometimes this is not the case so it's worth your while to check - also keep in mind that once we have confirmed your full-time registration and requested your fees any changes to your registration will not be captured. While you will continue to receive emails from Accounting Services for students, you can rely on our email to reassure you that you will not be de-registered. It will be from 'awards@lethbridgecollege.ca' and it will usually have been sent several weeks prior to class start. (The fact that we have requested your fees as of that date will guide you in regard to registration changes that will not have been captured.

Need help? Contact Student Aid Alberta for assistance with the Students Finance System.

Check your tuition balance at Lethbridge College

  • Log in to Self Service (under MyLC tab on the top of the College web page)
  • Select "Student Finance" and choose the term you are looking for
  • Please keep in mind that the funds from your student loan take much longer to get to the college than they do to get to you: expect that they will be applied to your account late in the month they were due.
  • Check your lethbridgecollege.ca email for an email from 'awards@lethbridgecollege.ca' and you will see that we sent you an email explaining how this works and also any details particular to you - some loans are insufficient so that would be mentioned if that were the case for you, some students have not completed their MSFAAs so that information would be in there if it applied to you and please take particular note of the date - typically about six weeks before classes begin so look back that far and note that if you added any classes after that date they would not have been included as they would not have been added to your balance owing at that time.
  • Contact us if you have questions about your loan.

 

Make sure your student loan funding covers your full tuition balance

  • Compare the tuition portion in your Student Aid Alberta account with your account balance at Lethbridge College.


Note: If the tuition portion being sent directly to Lethbridge College is not enough to cover your tuition balance, you will need to pay the difference on or before the tuition payment deadline.

If you have any questions, please contact us directly.

What if I had a loan before but don’t want one now?

If you return to full-time studies and do not apply for a loan, you will need to have our Financial Aid staff complete a provincial form or electronic portal entry to suspend your repayment status. The process or form required varies depending on your lender and must be authorized by us.

Be sure to respond to any repayment requests promptly. Leaving this until the last minute could result in you making some payments even if you are enrolled as a full-time student.

At this time, there is no federal repayment relief for part-time students.