Residency Requirements

Do you qualify to apply as a Nova Scotia student?

Residency requirements vary according to student category. Choose your student category from the list below to find out more. Not sure which category to choose?

• Single Dependent Student
• Single Independent Student
• Married/Common-Law Student
• Single Parent Student

Residency For Single Dependent Student

As a Single Dependent Student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if any ONE of the following conditions applies to you:

• your parents, guardian or sponsor have lived in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months before the first day of the month in which your classes begin. If a parent, guardian or sponsor works outside of Nova Scotia, you are considered a resident of the province where the family home has been maintained for 12 consecutive months

OR

• your custodial parent has lived in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months before the first day of the month in which classes begin or, if there is no custody agreement, the parent with whom you normally reside has lived in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months before the first day of the month in which your classes begin

OR

• you remain in Nova Scotia to begin or continue your post-secondary education even though your parents move elsewhere (provided your parents lived in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months prior to moving)

OR

• Nova Scotia is the last place your parents lived for 12 consecutive months before moving to another country.

Residency For Single Independent Student

As a Single Independent Student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if any ONE of the following conditions applies to you:

• Nova Scotia is the most recent province in which you have lived for 12 consecutive months. During this time you cannot have been a full-time student

OR

• you have already established residency here as a Single Dependent Student and have not spent 12 consecutive months in another province other than as a full-time student.

Residency For Married/Common-Law Student

As a Married Student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if any ONE of the following conditions applies to you:

• Nova Scotia is the most recent province in which you have lived for 12 consecutive months. During this time you cannot have been a full-time student

OR

• you were a resident of Nova Scotia before you got married and since then have not lived in another province for 12 consecutive months while not a full-time student

OR

• your spouse is also a full-time student in Nova Scotia and one of you is a resident of Nova Scotia. Send in your applications together

If your spouse is not a full-time student and you are not a resident of Nova Scotia (you have not spent 12 consecutive months here while out of school) you may still apply to Nova Scotia for a Student Loan if:

• your spouse has worked full time in Nova Scotia for 12 consecutive months (full-time work means working at least 30 hours a week)

OR

• your spouse was a resident of Nova Scotia when he or she was a Single Dependent Student and has not lived in another province for 12 consecutive months while not a full-time student.

Residency For Single Parent Student

As a Single Parent Student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if any ONE of the following conditions applies to you:

• Nova Scotia is the most recent province in which you have lived for 12 consecutive months. During this time you cannot have been a full-time student

OR

• you have already established residency here as a Single Dependent Student and have not spent 12 consecutive months in another province other than as a full-time student

OR

• you have established residency in Nova Scotia based on your spouse’s employment here while you were married and you remain in Nova Scotia to study after the relationship ends.

Canadian Armed Forces & Royal Canadian Mounted Police

If you or a family member are employed by either of these organizations and may be impacted or displaced by a mandatory transfer, please consider the following when applying for student assistance funding:

• The aforementioned standard criteria for determining province or territory of residence will apply.
• If you have not lived in Nova Scotia for at least twelve consecutive months before the first day of your academic program, you must apply for assistance from the jurisdiction where you meet the eligibility criteria.