Both the provincial and federal student assistance programs consider the following resources:
Nova Scotia Student Assistance also considers:
Canada Student Financial Assistance Program also considers:
Family Income Eligibility Threshold table
Family Size |
Gross Annual Family Income (Lowest threshold) |
Gross Annual Family Income (Highest threshold) |
1 |
$30,600 |
$62,113 |
2 |
$43,275 |
$86,880 |
3 |
$53,001 |
$103,677 |
4 |
$61,200 |
$114,017 |
5 |
$68,424 |
$123,571 |
6 |
$74,955 |
$132,647 |
7+ |
$80,960 |
$140,484 |
Total Educational Costs. These include:
Travel and living expenses are determined using the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program guidelines that are applied equally to all students in the province.
You can view the Need Assessment Table for Student Living Allowances and other education expenses on the Employment & Social Development Canada website
Costs that are not considered:
Calculated Need
For both government student assistance programs, the calculation is the same.
Total Educational Costs – Total Resources = Calculated Need
If you do not have enough resources available to you meet your total educational costs, then your assessment will show that you have a Calculated Need.
Eligible students receive student assistance amounts in the amount of their Calculated Need, up to the program’s maximum funding amounts. In some cases, the maximum funding amount may not be enough to meet your need, however, the program’s funding limits cannot be appealed.