Student Loans, Grants and Scholarships

Does my Family Qualify as a Low or Middle Income Family?

The Canada Student Loans Program uses two standard measurements of income to determine eligibility for full-time student grants and part-time student loans and grants for students from low- or middle-income families:

  • Low-Income Threshold: Low-income thresholds are levels below which a family of a given size will devote a larger share of income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than that of an average family.
  • Middle-Income Threshold: The middle-income threshold is a measurement of the cost of living that accounts for how much money families of various sizes will need to pay for shelter, food, household operation, child care, furnishings and equipment, clothing, transportation, health and personal care, and other miscellaneous expenses.

To find out if your family qualifies as a low- or middle-income family, have a look at the following tables:

To use these tables:

  1. Select the column for your province or territory of permanent residence.
  2. Select the row for the number of people in your family:
    • If you are a dependent student, this includes you, your parents and any of your siblings who are also dependants.
    • If you are an independent student, this includes you and your spouse and dependent children, if applicable.
  3. Locate the cell where the column selected in step 1 intersects the row selected in step 2.
    • Table A: If your family’s gross income is less than or equal to the number in this cell, your family qualifies as a low-income family.
    • Table B: If your family’s gross income is less than or equal to the number in this cell, your family qualifies as a middle-income family.
Table A: Income Thresholds for Determining Eligibility for Canada Student Grants for Students from Low-income Families (Full-time and Part-time)
Valid for 2012-2013 Academic Year
Province/Territory Family Size
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 or more
AB 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
BC 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
MB 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
NB 20,061 24,973 30,701 37,277 42,277 47,683 53,087
NL 20,061 24,973 30,701 37,277 42,277 47,683 53,087
NS 20,061 24,973 30,701 37,277 42,277 47,683 53,087
NT 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
NU 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
ON 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
PE 19,937 24,819 30,512 37,047 42,017 47,390 52,761
QC 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
SK 20,061 24,973 30,701 37,277 42,277 47,683 53,087
YT 23,293 28,999 35,651 43,285 49,094 55,368 61,644
Table B: Income Thresholds for Determining Eligibility for (1) Canada Student Grants for Full-time Students from Middle-income Families and (2) Canada Student Loans for Part-time Students
Valid for 2012-2013 Academic Year
Province/Territory Family Size
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 or more
AB 44,969 62,957 75,460 84,324 91,209 96,828 101,581
BC 40,426 56,598 73,528 85,535 94,847 102,459 108,896
MB 35,994 50,391 63,110 72,133 79,137 84,860 89,696
NB 32,434 45,409 56,349 64,114 70,136 75,054 79,216
NL 32,334 45,269 56,558 65,369 72,200 77,785 82,504
NS 36,893 51,650 64,269 73,217 80,162 85,837 90,634
NT 43,769 61,277 72,020 79,644 85,557 90,396 94,478
NU 43,769 61,277 72,020 79,644 85,557 90,396 94,478
ON 42,124 58,974 73,215 83,319 91,163 97,561 102,980
PE 33,637 47,092 59,868 68,936 75,965 81,711 86,566
QC 37,025 51,836 65,513 75,211 82,743 88,888 94,087
SK 35,609 49,852 62,440 71,365 78,289 83,952 88,734
YT 43,769 61,277 72,020 79,644 85,557 90,396 94,478