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Financing Your Education Q and A (2024-06-13 19:02 GMT-6)MRU Student Awards and Financial Aid
MRU Student Awards and Financial Aid
Financial Aid: 403.440.3303 or financialaid@mtroyal.ca
Available to answer your questions about government student loans and grants
Student Awards: 403.440.6305 or awards@mtroyal.ca
Available to answer your questions about Mount Royal scholarships and awards, as well as external awards
Financial Services: 403.440.6310
If you are a sponsored student and have been approved to have your tuition and mandatory fees billed to a third party (employer/sponsoring agency - Advancing Futures/Band), you must ensure that all proper documentation is forwarded to Financial Services before each fee deadline
Cost of University
Cost of University
The cost of university ranges based on how many courses you are taking. Mount Royal students are required to pay tuition and mandatory fees each semester they are in attendance. For the majority of students, your tuition and fees for the Fall 2024 semester will be due on August 14, 2024. For some scenarios, the tuition and fee deadline is September 13, 2024 (please see the "Fee Payments" questions near the bottom of this page for more information).
Full tuition fees for Fall Semester due - August 14
Full tuition fees for Winter Semester due - January 15
Scholarships
Scholarships
Scholarships are monetary awards granted to students on the basis of academic achievement and, in some cases, extracurricular activities.
For Mount Royal scholarships, a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.2, or a high school average of 80%, is required to qualify unless otherwise specified.
Awards
Awards
Awards are monetary and/or non-monetary awards that recognize a student's achievement in a course or program that is not solely based on a GPA calculation or financial need.
A student must be in good academic standing to receive an award.
Bursaries
Bursaries
Bursaries are monetary awards granted to students on the basis of demonstrated financial need.
Emergency bursaries are given to students as a result of urgent, unforeseen circumstances that result in immediate financial need. Marks are not a consideration.
MRU Scholarships, Alberta Scholarships and External Awards
MRU Scholarships, Alberta Scholarships and External Awards
The Mount Royal General Scholarship application is open from November 1 to March 1 every year and is available on MyMRU.ca. It is important that the application is filled out completely as the student is matched to our scholarship and/or bursaries available based on that application.
Apply for the Alexander Rutherford Scholarship offered by the Alberta Government:
Alexander Rutherford Scholarship: application is available early August, through the Alberta Student Aid site.
Please note the Jason Lang Scholarship is for students in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. To be considered for this next year, students need to have completed an 80% course load (four courses in each of the fall and winter semesters) with a 3.2 GPA. The application for Fall 2025 will be available between November 1 and March 1 on MRU's General Awards application.
External awards are often posted on the Student Awards website and have a range of dates.
Alberta Student Loans
Alberta Student Loans
Most of the information below pertains to full-time students who are Alberta residents. If you are attending from out of province or are a part-time student (taking less than three courses), please contact us at financialaid@mtroyal.ca or the province in which you are from for more information.
The Alberta Student Loan application will open in June 2024. Through this application, you can apply for Alberta Student Loans, Canada Student Loans, and Grant funding.
Make sure you have these three documents ready to go before you start the application!
Your SIN number
Your Alberta Student Number (Don’t know it? Look it up here!)
Line 15000 from your 2023 tax return
Dependent students will need line 15000 from the parent/guardian income tax return to be considered for the federal loans and grants or the Alberta Low-Income grant.
Applications could take up to four weeks to process, but in most cases, this process happens in real-time, meaning if you apply today you could know today.
Agreements and Confirmation of Enrolment
Agreements and Confirmation of Enrolment
If this is the first time you have been approved for student aid, you will need to sign the Master Student Financial Assistance Agreements (for Canada loans and grants) and the Alberta Student Aid Agreement (for Alberta loans and grants).
Once approved, we will be asked to confirm that students are registered full-time and verify the student’s program, this is called a Confirmation of Registration. This Confirmation of Registration is usually done within three weeks of the start of the semester.
If loans have not been confirmed within a week before the semester starts, that could mean that the program does not match or you are not registered full-time. Please contact us if this is the case.
Grants are available to students from low and middle-income families, students with permanent disabilities or a student in special circumstances. A grant is money that does not have to be paid back unless the student’s eligibility changes.
A student considered dependent (single and has been out of high school for less than 4 years and has not been available for full-time work for 2 or more years since leaving high school) will have to fill out a Schedule 1 (Parental Personal and Financial Information) sheet. This is what they will use to determine eligibility for the grants.
Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) and The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Student Benefit Funding Opportunities
Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) and The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Student Benefit Funding Opportunities
If you have access to RESP funds, we will confirm your enrolment as soon as you are registered as a full-time student. Students can request their RESP confirmation through MyCreds, by following the instructions on this page. Keep in mind that there are a few RESP providers that have their own forms to be filled out.
The earliest we can confirm enrolment for the CPP student benefit forms is after the drop/add date of the semester. These can only be done a semester at a time.
Questions About Financing Your Education
Questions About Financing Your Education
During the workshop, students asked many thoughtful and informative questions. These questions along with their corresponding answers are outlined below.
Scholarships, Awards, and Bursaries
Scholarships, Awards, and Bursaries
Do you have any tips for successful award applications and where we can find external scholarship opportunities?
Yes, a video has been created on helpful tips to consider when applying for awards. You can apply for these awards through MRU. The university will match you with awards based on your application and you are also able to filter awards by keywords that are applicable to you. In terms of external awards, MRU updates its website with a list of vetted scholarship opportunities.
Scholarships Canada and Yconic are also great resources to find external awards.
Are first-year students eligible for MRU awards and/or scholarships?
Yes, first-year students are eligible for MRU awards but need to make sure they apply for admission by February 1 and complete the application by March 1 (before Fall enrolment). If you have missed this deadline, do not worry! You are able to apply for the following year. The next awards application opens on November 1, 2024, and closes on March 1, 2025.
How do you access the application for bursaries?
How do you access the application for bursaries?
All awards offered by MRU are accessed through one application that is opened from November 1 through March 1 annually. This includes all bursaries.
Has the first-year winners for the 2024 MRU awards been decided?
Has the first-year winners for the 2024 MRU awards been decided?
The first round of entrance selections was completed in April 2024 but there will be more selections before the end of June that are open to all years of study. Further, awards will change as students’ circumstances change so reselections can happen all the way into the fall. Please continue to monitor your Mount Royal email address.
Are there any special requirements for MRU scholarships?
Are there any special requirements for MRU scholarships?
We send out reminders to check the terms of reference of the award(s). Most awards require the student to be in full-time studies (at least 9 credits per Fall and Winter semester). If you were a full-time student when you were awarded a scholarship in Fall 2024 but then became a part-time student for Fall 2024, you would lose the scholarship and now be responsible for those funds.
Is there financial support for Indigenous students at MRU?
Yes, there are a number of awards specifically for Indigenous students. Two of these awards that we would like to highlight are the Indigenous Careers Award and the Métis Education Fund, both of which are on the MRU award application. You are also able to filter awards by Métis or Indigenous to be able to find possible awards that are best suited for you.
Can international students apply for MRU's scholarships and awards?
Yes absolutely! The deadline for the Fall 2024 award cycle had already passed on March 1, 2024, but they will open again on November 1, 2024, for next year. It is important to note that bursaries are not available for international students.
Does MRU's general scholarship application cover the spring or summer semesters?
Does MRU's general scholarship application cover the spring or summer semesters?
All awards at MRU are selected based on the previous fall and winter for a given student. Spring and summer classes are not considered.
Since the application for the Rutherford Scholarship opens in early August, how will we receive those funds if we receive the scholarship?
Students will not receive the funding from the Rutherford Scholarship until late November to early December. These funds are sent directly to the student, be sure to have your address updated when applying.
If we pay tuition and then receive scholarships, can we get a refund?
If we pay tuition and then receive scholarships, can we get a refund?
Absolutely! If you receive a scholarship through MRU, we will put the monetary value as a credit memo. If the tuition owing is more than the scholarship/bursary you will need to pay the difference. If you have paid, in October, we will release the amount of the award to you in the form of a refund, provided that your account is in good standing.
What is a first-generation student?
A first-generation student is one whose parents, guardians, or caretakers have not attended a post-secondary institution to obtain a 4-year degree.
Are awards/scholarships the same as applying for Alberta Student Aid?
Scholarships, awards, and bursaries are different from student loans. Scholarships, awards, and bursaries through MRU are funds that you do not need to pay back. When applying through Alberta Student Aid you're usually eligible for grants (money that you don’t need to pay back) and loans (money that does need to be paid back).
Loans and Grants
Loans and Grants
Do we apply for grants and loans through MRU or Alberta Student Aid?
The Grants and Loan applications are found through Alberta Student Aid, not MRU.
Who can apply for student loans? Do I only have to apply once?
Only Canadians, permanent residents, and refugees can apply for student loans. You must reapply every year, since your financial situation may change.
Do I have to apply for federal and provincial loans separately? How much funding/grants can I receive?
There is one application for federal and provincial loans and grants. The maximum funding amount that one can receive is just over $15,000 per year. If you are eligible for grants, this funding is over and above loan assistance.
Does it cost anything to apply for student loans?
Does it cost anything to apply for student loans?
No, the application is free.
When should we apply for student loans, so that we can pay our tuition by the deadline?
You should apply for student loans as soon as they open access to applications. This ensures that if there are any issues with the application, you can fix them and receive your loan in time for your tuition fee deadline (August 14). Students will likely be able to apply for student loans after June 20th, so it is recommended you do them in late June if possible.
What should I do if I haven't received my student loan by the tuition deadline (August 14)?
The student aid system knows if a student has been approved and they download that into MRU’s system in order to defer your fee payment deadline, till after the August 14 deadline. If you know you have been approved before the beginning of August or before the fee deadline, just doublecheck your MyMRU, you should see a notification that lets you know your tuition is deferred. If you do not see a deferral on your account, contact the Office of the Registrar.
Can you get both grants and student loans or are you only able to receive one or the other?
Can you get both grants and student loans or are you only able to receive one or the other?
When you apply for funding through Alberta Student Aid of any province you are assessed for federal and provincial loans and grants on one application.
Can I apply for grants instead of student loans? Is this affected if I am a part-time student?
If you're a part-time student, your application will ask “do you want to be considered for the loan?” it automatically issues the grants for the students as opposed to the loan first.
If you're a full-time student you can apply for grants, and to do that you will have to fill out the full loan application and at the very end of your application they will give you an amount that you are eligible for and how much of that you feel you need. You can leave this blank or if you only want grants, enter $1.00. Before you enter $1.00, have a look at the income threshold chart to see if you are eligible for the grants.
In a case where I am taking classes in Spring 2025, can I also apply for loans and grants for Fall 2025 to Winter 2025?
In a case where I am taking classes in Spring 2025, can I also apply for loans and grants for Fall 2025 to Winter 2025?
Good question, you should be applying for either the fall or winter only for fall and winter together. The dates of the application will be there in the application, it will be up to you to choose.
What student loan amount am I eligible for? If I pay the tuition fee before my student loan application is approved, then how is it adjusted?
What student loan amount am I eligible for? If I pay the tuition fee before my student loan application is approved, then how is it adjusted?
It depends on your expenses and your resources. You could receive up to $15,000.00 in loan funds and grants on top of if eligible.
The application is not based on whether tuition is paid ahead of time. If there is no tuition owing after you have been approved for funding then no tuition is requested and the full disbursement for that time period is sent to you. Those funds still cover the costs of tuition.
Does it make sense to do the loan/grant application if I only have conditional acceptance?
Does it make sense to do the loan/grant application if I only have conditional acceptance?
Yes, it is important to get ahead of the game, if you do not get accepted then you can cancel your funding application.
If I am in my second choice of program, and later get into my preferred program, does that affect my student loan application?
It depends on your preferred program because some of the programs have different costs. If you get accepted into a program after you apply for funding that has after you apply for funding that has higher tuition you may have to appeal your loan to receive additional funds. In any case, it is best to apply for loans as soon as possible (since there can be a bit of a wait to receive your loans) and then defer tuition fees to September or appeal your loan later on.
How can I apply for the Canada Student Grant for Students with Disabilities?
How can I apply for the Canada Student Grant for Students with Disabilities?
You can apply for funding for students with disabilities through Alberta Student Aid, but you will need assistance through the Access and Inclusion office here at MRU. Here is who to contact.
As a UEO student, what amount of time do you put in your student aid application for program length?
As a UEO student, what amount of time do you put in your student aid application for program length?
The application will give you options for program length, but this varies depending on the program you are hoping to be admitted into. For example, UEO is considered first-year for an Arts program but not for nursing. This is because all courses in Nursing are specific, and you need to follow the curriculum whereas courses in BBA you have to take GNED courses and those you can take as a UEO student.
Is the loan application process different for open studies?
In order to apply for full-time post-secondary funding, you need to be taking the course load of a full-time student (at least 9 credits per Fall and Winter semester). Being registered in open studies will only grant you funding eligibility for one year (12 months). You can receive loans while you are in open studies, but you cannot receive federal grants. This is because open studies is not a program which you can receive a credential from.
For the Bachelor of Arts Undeclared would the loan application process be different? Is the program length only one year?
For the Bachelor of Arts Undeclared would the loan application process be different? Is the program length only one year?
In a way it is different, but it is 1st year of the Bachelor of Arts program, but you will need to pick a major because you can’t be in 2nd year BA undeclared.
Is the loan application process different for academic upgrading?
We do not have funding for students who take upgrading courses.
If I am not being supported by my parents at all, what do I do for the student loans?
They look at whether or not a student is considered as dependent or independent. A dependent student is a student who is right out of high school. You are considered a dependent whether you live with your parents or not, even if you are on your own and have no contact with your parents.
To apply for Special Independent Status specific circumstances, need to exist: You can find those here.
If your parents are not supporting you financially for university-related costs, but you are technically a dependent student does that change anything pertaining to eligibility for grants?
The loan/grant application considers whether a student is dependent or independent. If you are attending MRU right out of High School, you will automatically be considered a dependent. In this case, you may not be eligible for federal grants, but you can still be eligible for loans. You can look at the income threshold chart, if your family income is too high, you can decline to apply for grants but can still get loans. Lastly, if you have no contact or support from your parents, you can apply for Special Independent Status.
If I hold Canadian permanent residency, but do not have a valid Driver’s License or Alberta ID. Can I apply for student loans?
Students that are eligible to apply for funding through Alberta Student Aid are: Permanent Residents, Refugees and Canadian citizens.
I am an international student who has been in Calgary for a year. Do I qualify for a student loan or any other financial assistance?
I am an international student who has been in Calgary for a year. Do I qualify for a student loan or any other financial assistance?
In order to qualify for a student loan, you need to be a Canadian, permanent resident, or refugee. International students can apply for MRU scholarships. These scholarships open on November 1, 2024, and close on March 1, 2025. You may also want to take a look at external awards as some may be applicable to you.
Confirmation of Enrolment
Confirmation of Enrolment
What is a confirmation of enrolment used for?
Students may need a confirmation of enrolment for RESPs, external scholarships, and/or student discounts. Anyone may need a confirmation of enrolment if they are asked to provide proof of full-time studies.
Is the confirmation of enrolment available for students with a conditional offer for Fall 2024?
Yes, if you are registered at MRU then you are able to access the confirmation of enrolment.
How do I obtain a confirmation of enrolment for the Rutherford Scholarship?
The Alberta Government wants a confirmation of enrolment for the Rutherford Scholarship, so they ask the school to confirm if a student is attending. This can happen as early as August and continues through the semester, of course, that depends on when you applied and got approved.
Fee Payments
Fee Payments
Is the tuition fee paid on an annual basis or per semester?
The tuition fee is paid per semester. The Fall 2024 semester has two fee deadlines: August 14, 2024, and September 13, 2024. You will receive an email if you have tuition owing with instructions on how to pay.
Do you have to pay for the Winter 2025 semester by August 14, 2024?
August 14, 2024, is the deadline for those who are registered for the Fall 2024 semester. Winter 2025 fees are due in January.
Other than the $400 for conditional admission, is there anything that needs to be paid before August 14th?
Other than the $400 for conditional admission, is there anything that needs to be paid before August 14th?
Tuition and fees are due August 14th for those who are registered. You should have a specific date on which to accept your offer of admission and pay that deposit.
I applied as an international student, but I got my permanent residency recently. Do I have to pay my tuition fees as an international student or as a domestic student?
You have to show proof to the office of the registrar that you are now a permanent resident. The office of the registrar will then update your status in our system. Be sure to do this before the fee deadline so that you are able to pay Canadian tuition rather than international tuition fees.
Are Aviation tuition fees due at the same time as other programs? When are the Private Pilot's License fees due?
Are Aviation tuition fees due at the same time as other programs? When are the Private Pilot's License fees due?
Registration is done through the Faculty of Continuing Education, and further information on deadlines and the registration process will be provided as places are confirmed.
How do I opt-out of student health benefits if I have coverage elsewhere?
Student health benefits are through SAMRU and paid when you pay your tuition. SAMRU has a deadline each semester to apply to opt-out. Once you show proof that you have health coverage through another source, you will be refunded for the cost of the student health benefit. The SAMRU Student Benefit Plan Office is located in the basement of Wyckham House (Z001).
Other Financial Support
Other Financial Support
How do I access my RESP?
Confirmations of enrolment can be accessed online through MyCreds. Some RESP providers request a form to be filled out instead of our confirmation through MyCreds. If you don’t know your RESP provider, talk to who contributed to your RESPs (for example, parents, family, or supporters) as they should know the company they used.
What is the best way to bring a RESP into MRU to pay for fees?
What is the best way to bring a RESP into MRU to pay for fees?
In order to receive RESP funding you will need a confirmation of enrolment through MyCreds.ca. The funds will go directly to the student so it will be up to you to pay your tuition either through online banking or credit card. See here for payment options.
How does someone apply for the CPP?
The student has the responsibility to apply for the CPP from the Canadian government. MRU will only provide the student with a confirmation of enrolment. This confirmation of enrolment is a form that you will get from CPP and is completed per semester.
Can I access financial planning at MRU?
We are not financial advisors, but there are resources to offer support on the Financing Your Education webpage. There is a list of the approximate costs in university as well as a budget calculator.
“Don't make a self-assessment of your qualifications, take the time to apply for awards” ~ Cyndi Cave
“Don't make a self-assessment of your qualifications, take the time to apply for awards” ~ Cyndi Cave
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