Calculated Need: Educational Costs and Resources

How we calculate your assistance amounts

Both the provincial and federal student assistance programs consider the following resources when calculating your assistance amounts:

• parents and step-parent(s) income (dependant students only)
• spouse’s income, if any (married/common-law students)
• spousal support payments, if any (single independent students)
• RESPs or other investments in the student’s own name
• pensions
• employment insurance or income assistance amounts
• training allowances/funding for the study program that are being provided by another organization

Nova Scotia Student Assistance also considers:

• the student’s own pre-study and study-period earnings
• scholarships or bursaries - the first $1,800 ($900 if the program is shorter than 24 weeks) of these are exempt from the calculation. Some need-based bursaries may not be exempt

The Canada Student Financial Assistance Program also considers:

• a fixed-rate contribution
• scholarships or bursaries - the first $1,800 of these are exempt from the calculation. Some need-based bursaries may not be exempt
• as of 2018-2019, all federal grants are calculated using the family income eligibility threshold table

Total educational costs. These include:

• tuition, textbooks and mandatory school fees (your school supplies this information to us)
• the cost of travelling back and forth to classes from where you’ll be living, to and from your family home and basic living expenses, if applicable (you do not need to estimate or document these amounts)

Travel and living expenses are determined using the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program guidelines that are applied equally to all students in the province.

Costs that are not considered are:

• discretionary income spending such as vehicles, home renovations, cottages, consumer goods, etc.
• for students with a disability or with a permanently disabled dependant or spouse, other expenses may be allowed

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 to 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.