Quebec loans & bursaries
Canadian citizens, permanent residents and refugees or protected persons may qualify for the Québec Government's AFE (Aide financière aux études/Student financial assistance) programs if they are deemed a resident of Quebec for student aid purposes at the time of application.
You can review the Aide financière aux études website where you will find the latest financial aid information for Québec residents.
On this page:
Eligibility requirements
Please consult AFE's website to learn more about the requirements for full-time loans and bursaries and part-time loan application.
Full-time study loans & bursaries
AFE website
Full-time vocational, college and university loans and bursaries program.
Part-time study loans
AFE website
The Part-Time Education Loan Program provides financial assistance in the form of a loan per term of study.
When to apply
Students must apply a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks before the beginning of the semester in order to receive their funding in time for the start of term.
AFE verifies all the course registrations once before the start of each term at a specific period. Please ensure that you have completed your registration before this date in order to avoid delays in your funding. We will announce the verification period via a notice on our website.
Waitlisted classes
Waitlisted classes do not appear on transcript and therefore do not count toward your credit load. If you are enrolled in Fall/Winter classes, the credits are divided equally between the Fall and the Winter semesters.
Application requirements
When filling out an application for Quebec's Loan and Bursary program, you will need:
- Concordia's school code which is 980000
- Your Program codes and
- Your definition of full-time studies
You can contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office (FAAO) by e-mailing fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca to confirm your registration to the Aide finaciers aux etudes (AFE) program.
Program code
- Consult Concordia University's program codes list to find your program code.
- If you're unsure about which code to enter, or if your program is not listed, contact us at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca.
Permanent code
- If you do not have a permanent code, you will be required to mail a paper application. The Ministère will assign you a permanent code when processing your application. The AFE will inform the student of their permanent code via a letter. The updates will be done weekly. The student should their letter before they obtain the processing result of their application for financial assistance.
- You can find downloadable forms and information on the AFE website.
- If you have already made a request for a permanent code via Concordia University, please wait until you receive your permanent code before you fill out your AFE application.
- Review information on permanent code
Confirmation of full-time or part-time status
- You can request a confirmation of enrolment via email at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca or call us at 514-848-2424 ext. 3507. Please provide us with your Concordia student ID number.
- If you have applied for a part-time loan with AFE, you will need to submit a confirmation of part-time studies form.
- Once you have filled out your part of the form, you may email it to us at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca as a PDF attachment and an advisor will fill out the rest.
Loan processing
- AFE only processes applications that are complete (i.e., that include both the form and required documents). Incomplete applications will be processed at the time of the reception of the missing document(s). Make sure that you have submitted all the necessary paperwork.
- If you have submitted a complete application, consult the AFE processing dates page. It will provide their application processing dates.
- If you have concerns about the status of your application, please send us an email at fundingyoureducation@concordia.ca.
Full-time status
Please consult AFE's website to learn more about the requirements for full-time loans and bursaries and part-time loan application.
Quebec's Aide financière aux études defines full-time-status by the number of credits for which you are registered and billed by Concordia at the close of the tuition refund period, as follows:
- Registration for the Summer session: 12 credits
- Registration for Fall session only: 12 credits or more
- Registration for Winter session only: 12 credits or more
Please note fees for two term fall/winter (/3) courses are divided in two (2) and appear in both the fall and winter sessions. If you are enrolled in a two term course, the course will be divided in two. Fees for two term fall/winter (/3) courses are divided in two (2) and appear in both the fall and winter sessions.
For undergraduate student parents
If you are a student parent with young children and you are considering reducing your course load, consider the option of being deemed full-time. In that case, you can take a part-time course load (minimum 6-11 credits per term) and still be considered full-time for student loan purposes.
Graduate Diploma Programs
A student is classified as full-time if they are registered for 9 or more credits in one term.
Master or Doctoral Programs
Students enrolled prior to summer 2022 full-time enrollment will be determined based on their status. A status can be changed from the original offer of admission.
Students in thesis-based master’s or doctoral degree programs are accepted as full or part-time students at the time of admission. These students are considered to be full or part-time according to their status at admission, regardless of the actual amount of credits for which they register. Their classification will change only if they submit a request to change their status.
A student’s status in course-based master’s program is determined on a term-by-term basis by the number of credits for which they are registered by the DNE deadline. In particular, students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in at least 9 credits per term. Students registered in at least 1 credit but less than 9 credits per term will automatically be classified as part-time for that term. Students enrolled in an internship component, project course, or if the first term of study is the summer are considered full-time.
MBA students enrolled in the Executive MBA program and the Investment Management MBA program are considered full-time students as they have to follow an established schedule of courses per term.
Master of Business Administration (MBA) program students are considered full-time if they register for a minimum of 9 credits in each of the Fall and Winter terms. The normal course load for a part-time student is 6 credits of course work per term (Fall and Winter). Part-time students will normally complete the program within three to four years. Students can accelerate their progress by taking courses in the Summer term.
Students who do not meet the normal requirements of full-time studies may be deemed as a full-time by the Quebec Government, if they are registered for a minimum of 6 credits per semester in either an Undergraduate Program, or Graduate Program and fall into one of the following categories:
