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. If you’re not sure which category to choose, visit the Determining your student category page.

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

Residency for single dependent students

As a single dependent student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if any one of the following conditions applies to you:

• your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) 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 or guardian works outside of Nova Scotia, you are considered a resident of the province where the family home has been maintained for 12 consecutive months
• your custodial parent(s) or legal guardian(s) must have resided in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the first day of the month in which your classes begin. Where no custody agreement exists, this requirement applies to the parent or legal guardian with whom you normally reside
• you remain in Nova Scotia to begin or continue your post-secondary education after your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) relocate, provided they resided in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months prior to their move
• Nova Scotia is the last place your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) lived for at least 12 consecutive months before moving to another country

Residency for single independent students

As a single independent student, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia if one of the following applies:

• you have lived in Nova Scotia for at least 12 consecutive months, and this is the most recent province in which you resided. During this 12-month period, you must not have been a full-time student
• you previously established residency in Nova Scotia as a single dependent student, and you have not lived in another province for 12 consecutive months since then, except while attending as a full-time student

Residency for married/common-law students

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
• 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
• 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)
• your spouse was a resident of Nova Scotia when they were 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 students

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
• 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
• 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 and Royal Canadian Mounted Police

If you or a family member is 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