Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions

Find relevant contacts at the bottom of the page here.

Students planning on taking a post-secondary program at UCN can do a payment plan option through UCN Finance, apply for a bank or student loan, or seek sponsorship through their local Manitoba Jobs and Skills Development Centre. Indigenous students have the option to seek sponsorship through the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, Métis Employment and Training or the Education Authority in their community. Students should keep in mind that when applying for sponsorship, some conditions may apply and consultation with the potential sponsor is highly recommended. Check out the full list of funding opportunities online at: www.ucn.ca/funding. Students can also apply for awards, bursaries and scholarships; although this is not an immediate source of funding, applying for awards throughout the academic year can help alleviate some financial stress.

Students wanting more information on payment plan options can see Bonnie Needham, Finance Officer – Revenue/Receivables in Office 122. Bonnie can also be contacted via email at: bneedham@ucn.ca or by telephone at: (204) 627.8522.

The Manitoba Student Aid application opens for UCN students at the end of June. Students planning on attending full-time (60% of course load in each term/40% for students with permanent disabilities as approved by Manitoba Student Aid) can apply online at: www.manitobastudentaid.ca.

Students wanting to know the types of questions they will be asked or what they will need before filling out their Manitoba Student Aid application, can go online at: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/msa/applying-for-student-aid/what-information-do-i-need.html to download a checklist of the information required to submit an application. Students can also see the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre to get a copy.

Course load refers to the number of registered course credit hours. For a student to be considered full-time, they must be registered/enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load in a term. To do the calculation, see the following two examples:

Example 1: Bachelor of Arts Student
Total Registered Course Credit Hours for Fall Term: 9
Maximum Program Credit Hours for Fall Term: 15
Calculation: (9 divided by 15) multiplied by 100 = 60%
Bachelor of Arts student is enrolled in a 60% course load for the Fall term.

Example 2: Office Assistant Student
Total Registered Course Credit Hours for Winter Term: 17
Maximum Program Credit Hours for Winter Term: 17
Calculation: (17 divided by 17) multiplied by 100 = 100%
Office Assistant student is enrolled in a 100% course load for the Winter term.

Students can view their program cost sheet online at: https://ucn.ca/estimate-cost/cost-sheets/ to see the course credit hours for their program.

Yes, students attending part-time need to print and fill out a part-time paper based student loan application. Part-time applications can be found on the Manitoba Student Aid website online at: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/msa/forms.html. Students are required to fill in their portion of the application before forwarding it to the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officer will fill in the school’s portion of the application, and then submit it to the appropriate student financial assistance office. Part-time students need to maintain between 20% and 59% of a full course load for the entire academic year/20% to 39% for students with permanent disabilities as approved by Manitoba Student Aid.

Yes, students do no need to be accepted in a program before they apply for a student loan, however, they need to know the name of the school they are attending, the program they plan on taking and the start and end dates of their program.

Yes, students who are sponsored can still apply for a student loan. Students must indicate on their online student aid application that they are seeking financial support from another funding source.

Government student loans are interest and payment free as long as a student is attending full-time (60% of course load in each term/40% for students with permanent disabilities as approved by Manitoba Student Aid). Also, Government student loans offer additional assistance that does not have to be paid back such as grants, bursaries and awards.

Yes, students who have not lived in Manitoba for 12 consecutive months prior to the start of their study period, would apply for a student loan through their home province or territory. Students needing Program Information forms filled out, are to fill in their portion of the form and then contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre.

Yes, students can apply for a student loan up to 2 months before the end date of their program. The process can take a few weeks so everyone is encouraged not to leave it until the last minute.

There is no need to worry. The Financial Awards Officer responsible for The Pas Campus and Regional Education and Training Centre locations, works along with the Academic/Accessibility Resource Officer at each main campus, to ensure the Canada Student Grant paperwork is filled out for all UCN students at all locations.

No, students who are returning to school full-time (60% of course load in each term/40% for students with permanent disabilities as approved by Manitoba Student Aid), who have received a student loan for a prior year of studies and who will not be applying for a student loan for the current academic year, are required to see the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officer will assist with the necessary paperwork for a student to maintain an interest-free/payment-free status.

Students planning to drop a course are recommended to contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officer will review the student’s situation and let them know if dropping a class would impact their student loan.

Students are required to contact their provincial or territorial student financial assistance office to let them know there has been a change in their financial situation.

Depending on which UCN location a student is attending, the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre will be the person who confirms their enrolment with the provincial or territorial student financial assistance office for which they have applied.

Students wanting their tuition deducted from their student loan, and sent directly to UCN to cover their tuition must speak with the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre to make these arrangements.

Students should first check their online student loan account to make sure the “paid to institution” amount shows on their account. Students are asked to print a copy of this record, and provide it to the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre so proper follow-up can be done. Students are asked to keep in mind that it takes a while for their tuition payment to be issued by the provincial or territorial student financial assistance office and received on their student account at UCN; this process is not immediate and UCN may have just not received their tuition monies yet.

Yes, the Financial Awards Officers cannot complete a student loan confirmation of enrolment for a student if the student is not registered for classes. Student loan students are encouraged to make sure they are registered in all their classes early, so there is no delay in confirming their enrolment and receiving their student loan monies.

Yes, students taking a course through another institution on a letter of permission, are required to provide the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre with the following:

• name of institution
• name of course
• course code
• credit hours
• textbook costs
• total tuition/course related fees

No, the Financial Awards Officers receive paperwork generated by each provincial or territorial student financial assistance office for student loan confirmation of enrolments. This specific paperwork is what is required to be filled out by the Financial Awards Officers to confirm enrolment.

Students needing help with their student loan application and/or who are experiencing technical difficulties with their online student loan account, are to contact their provincial or territorial student financial assistance office. Students, who are not sure how to find their provincial or territorial student financial assistance office contact information, can find it online at:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/education/student-aid/grants-loans/province-apply.html.

Students applying for a student loan through Manitoba Student Aid can email manitobastudentaid@gov.mb.ca or contact Manitoba Student Aid via telephone at:

In Winnipeg: (204) 945-6321
Toll-free (Canada and the USA): 1-800-204-1685

Students who are having trouble getting help and cannot resolve their issue after contacting their student financial assistance office, should see the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. Students are asked to bring with them any correspondence they may have between themselves and the student financial assistance office.

Students should first contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre to find out if their program has been approved for student aid. Depending on the type of program a student is enrolled in, the program may not be eligible to be approved for students to get a loan.

No, student loans are not available for Adult Education and/or Career Preparation programs.

Students are asked to printout the documents and contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officer will provide assistance in filling out the documents, and will also assist in forwarding the documents to the appropriate student financial assistance office.

Students who have applied for a student loan are required to keep checking their online student loan account, this is where students are notified of the status of their application and/or if they have qualified for a loan.

Yes, students who have been approved to receive student aid, can print out their notice of assistance/assessment from their online student loan account, and provide a copy to the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. A deferral form will be filled out to allow the student to start classes without having to pay their tuition at the start of the term, and students will be allowed to get their textbooks from the UCN Bookstore.

No, the Financial Awards Officers provide UCN Finance with an up-to-date list of confirmed student aid students. UCN Finance uses this list to ensure student loan students are not charged any late payment fees. Students are asked to keep an eye on their UCN student account, if they are charged a late payment fee in error, they are to immediately notify the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre.

Yes, students will need to submit a new application at the start of each academic year. Students enrolled in a university program, who are wanting to take spring term courses, will have to submit a new application for the spring term as well. Students, who are unsure if the program they are taking will require them to apply for a spring term loan, should consult with the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre.

Yes, students who have received a student loan and were eligible for additional assistance such as grants, bursaries and awards through their student loan, will be issued a T4A. Students are required to check their online student loan account in February to print a copy of their tax slip, as T4A tax slips are issued every year for income tax purposes. In some cases, T4A tax slips are mailed to the address your student loan provider has on file.

The Financial Awards Officer responsible for The Pas Campus and Regional Education and Training Centre locations confirms apprenticeship loans for all UCN students at all locations.

Students needing help to complete external award requirements and/or to collect their high school awards for their post-secondary studies, can speak with the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officers are available to assist students with this process, and to ensure monies are released to students or their UCN student account to pay for their post-secondary studies.

There are various types of awards, bursaries and scholarships available to UCN students throughout the academic year. All award, bursary and scholarship criteria and application forms can be found online at: www.ucn.ca/awards. Since some awards have very specific criteria, students are encouraged to read the award information carefully.

In addition to displaying award, bursary and scholarship criteria and applications on the awards webpage, the Financial Awards Officers do their best to make sure UCN students are notified of upcoming award deadlines. All UCN students are notified via their UCN student email account and regular posts are made on the UCN Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships Facebook page online at: https://www.facebook.com/universitycnawards/.

Students having difficulty understanding award, bursary and/or scholarship criteria are encouraged to contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre. The Financial Awards Officers are also available to assist all students with filling out their award applications.

To be considered full-time for a UCN award, a student must be enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load per term — or 40% for students with permanent disabilities, as approved by UCN Accessibility Services.

Students needing a copy of their unofficial transcript can email info@ucn.ca for instructions on how to access it.

Yes, students are required to provide a copy of ALL unofficial transcripts when they are applying for UCN awards.

Students needing a confirmation of enrolment letter, returning student letter and/or official transcript can see the receptionist at The Pas or Thompson Campus; direction will be provided as to how to obtain these documents. The receptionists in The Pas and Thompson can be contacted via telephone at:

The Pas Campus: (204) 627-8500 or Toll-free: 1-866-627-8500
Thompson Campus: (204) 677-6450 or Toll-free: 1-866-677-6450

Students wanting proof of program costs for an award or for sponsorship purposes, can get a copy of their program cost sheet online here: Cost Sheets

No, students must submit a complete award application package, including all required supporting documents as outlined in the award application checklist.

Award winners are announced on the UCN Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships Facebook page which can be viewed online at: https://www.facebook.com/universitycnawards/. Student award winners are announced/identified by their student numbers. If an award cheque is not claimed within a certain time frame, the Financial Awards Officer responsible for the award winner’s Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre will contact the student via email or telephone to make arrangements to have the cheque mailed, delivered or picked up. Current and/or past award winner pictures are also posted on the UCN Awards, Bursaries and Scholarships Facebook page. This option is available to all UCN students at all locations. Students who have won awards and would like their picture posted, are encouraged to contact the Financial Awards Officer responsible for their Campus/Regional Education and Training Centre so that the necessary arrangements can be made.

All award, bursary and scholarship applications for UCN are reviewed and winners are selected by the UCN Awards Committee. The Committee is comprised of a maximum of thirteen members and includes college faculty members, university faculty members, the Financial Awards Officers, a student member, two members at large, the Dean of Students and one Elder. Committee members are from various UCN locations.

Yes, students who have won awards, bursaries and/or scholarships from UCN will be issued a T4A tax slip. T4A’s are mailed to award winners at the end of February for income tax purposes. Students are encouraged to make sure UCN has their up-to-date mailing address to ensure tax slips are mailed to the correct address.

Sponsored students who wish to confirm their sponsorship paperwork is complete can email accountsreceivable@ucn.ca.

Students needing a confirmation of enrolment or paperwork filled out for their Trust Fund, Registered Education Savings Plan, Survivor Benefit, and/or bank loan, etc., are required to contact the Associate Registrar at UCN in The Pas or Thompson. Students are expected to fill in their portion of the paperwork before they forward their documents to the Associate Registrar for signing. Students wanting to be transferred to the Associate Registrar in The Pas or Thompson can call:

The Pas Campus: (204) 627-8500 or Toll-free: 1-866-627-8500
Thompson Campus: (204) 677-6450 or Toll-free: 1-866-677-6450