Determining your student category

There are four student categories:

• Single Dependant Student
• Single Independent Student
• Common-law / Married Student
• Single Parent Student

Your application is assessed based on your student category as of the first day of the month in which your classes begin.

For example: if your classes begin on 15 September and you will be married on 28 August, you must apply as a Married student, as your status on 1 September will be married.

Single dependant student

A single dependant student is considered financially dependent on their parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Even if your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are unwilling to contribute to your education costs, you will still be assessed as a single dependant student. This means your assessment will include expected parental contribution amounts to help cover the cost of your education. You are considered a single dependant student unless you meet the criteria for one of the other three student categories.

Single independent student

You are a single independent student if your relationship status when you start school is “single” and if you meet one or more of the following conditions:

• you have no parent(s) or legal guardian(s)
• you have been out of high school for four years
• you have had two periods of 12 consecutive months (each) when you were not a full-time student
• you are widowed, separated or divorced and are not the custodial parent of any children
• you are in foster care of otherwise a ward of a government agency

Common-law and married students (with or without dependants)

For Nova Scotia Student Loan purposes, you are considered to be in a common-law relationship if:

• you are currently living with another person in a conjugal relationship and have cohabited continuously for at least 12 months; and/or
• you have identified your status as common-law on your most recent income tax return(s)

Your spouse is expected to contribute financially toward your education. Your student assistance assessment will reflect this expected contribution, whether or not your spouse provides financial support.

If your marriage or common-law relationship ends, your student category will change to either single independent student or single parent student, as applicable. This change takes effect on the 91st day after separation. Once documentation is provided to confirm the change in status, your assessment will be updated and backdated to the date the relationship ended.

Single parent student

This category is only for single students who are custodial parents (who have primary custody of one or more children). This includes parents who have:

• legal custody and full responsibility for support
• shared custody and shared financial support (your loan entitlement will reflect how much time your children actually live with you. For example, if your child lives with you for 50% of each month, you can claim 50% of the actual childcare costs)

Even if you financially support your child, and your child visits you, your student category will not be single parent student unless you are the custodial parent.