Paying for your Education

You've done your homework, researched post-secondary educational options, and know exactly where you're going to study. Next, you need to figure out how to pay for it. What are your options for loans, bursaries and scholarships? Find out more by exploring this section. 

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There are many options for financing your education or training. These can include:

• Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) that was contributed to in your name.
• Parental contributions.  
• Your savings, or income from part-time or full-time jobs earned either before beginning and during your studies.
• Student loans from the provincial and federal governments.
• Bank loans or student lines of credit.
• Earnings from apprenticeship and co-op education programs.
• Grants, bursaries, and scholarships.
  • Get awarded money in the form of a scholarship for your high grades, community service or other achievements.
  • For students from lower income families, a bursary is money you can apply for that doesn’t need to be paid back. They are provided by post-secondary institutions, government programs and private donors.
  • Similar to a bursary, grants are money awarded based on a specific set of criteria (such as ethnic background or area of study). 

It Pays to Stay

Are you from Nova Scotia? It makes a lot of financial sense to stay here for your post-secondary education. And with so many college and university choices around the province, you can still get away from home. Consider these financial benefits:

• You can apply for Nova Scotia bursaries and grants.
• Travel expenses to visit home are much less and you can go more often.
• Many schools outside Nova Scotia have higher tuition for out-of-province students.
• The Nova Scotia government offers loan forgiveness to students who stay here to study, which could be worth $20,000.