Ashton College is a post-secondary institution dedicated to providing you with the certifications, licensing and continuing education required in the workplace. In pursuit of making quality education available to all, we honour various education loans, grants and other financial options to assist you with funding your education.
Government loans and grants are available for full-time, part-time and online programs that fall within their criteria and conditions. Private financial institutions such as banks provide financial assistance services specifically catered towards students.
Please use the drop-down options below to explore the financing options for all our program formats.
Full-time students at Ashton College may apply for provincially and federally funded student loans and grants through their provincial student financial assistance office. A single application is enough to assess you for both sources of funding.
The basic eligibility requirements are:
Some programs may have additional criteria, which you may find on the student financial aid office’s website.
All full-time Ashton College students who are residents of any province or territory except Quebec, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories may apply for any federal funding programs.
The following provinces also offer their residents some provincial funding options for full-time studies:
Quebec and Nunavut residents are not eligible for any of the federal programs, while Northwest Territories residents are eligible for the Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities and Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Students with Permanent Disabilities only.
In order to qualify for part-time student funding across Canada, the government requires students to be enrolled in a program that is 20 hours or more per week and 12 weeks or longer in length but taking 20% to 60% of that program.
At Ashton College, this means part-time versions of programs which also have qualifying full-time versions are eligible for government student funding. We have part-time versions, in-class and online, of our Immigration Consultant Diploma program and Diploma in Human Resources Management program. These two programs thus qualify for student funding.
Students must also meet these basic eligibility requirements:
As of August 1, 2014, all part-time students must apply for part-time funding programs, including federal programs, through the province in which they are resident. Some programs may have additional criteria, which you may find on the student financial aid office’s website.
Part-time Ashton College students who are residents of any Canadian province or territory other than Quebec, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are eligible for the following federal programs:
The following provinces offer their residents some provincial funding options for part-time studies:
Online programs qualify for student funding according to the same basic eligibility requirements as full-time and part-time in-class programs in most provinces. The program must be at least 12 weeks in duration. A full-time online program must contain a minimum of 20 instructional hours per week. A part-time online program must contain between 20 and 59% of a full-time program’s instructional hours per week. To qualify for full-time funding, students must show that they are enrolled in at least 60% of a full-time course load.
If student loans and government grants are insufficient to cover the costs of your education, there are many supplementary private sources of funding you may pursue. All the following options are reliable, trustworthy and frequently used by Canadian college students.
Most of the major Canadian banks offer student lines of credit. Though they have many features in common, we have compiled the following information on a few differences between the banks’ respective offerings that may be helpful to you in deciding which is the best line of credit for you.
Open-ended, amortization up to 20 years.
Prime & Variable Rate.
Open-ended, but credit line is resolving so that a set amount is available each year instead of up-front; when you receive your loan you will set up a fixed payment schedule.
Prime & Variable Rate, as low as Prime + 1%.
Open-ended, amortization up to 20 years.
Prime & Variable Rate.
Open-ended, amortization up to 15 years.
Prime & Variable Rate, as low as Prime + 1.50%.
Open-ended, amortization up to 6 years.
Prime & Variable Rate.
**HSBC has a personal line of credit option but it is not tailored for a student. Please see their website for more information.
The Vancity Credit Union provides term loans of up to $7,500 at a variable interest rate to cover the cost of taking courses to meet local standards or qualifications so you can work in your field. The Back to Work loans primarily support recent immigrants. To apply, you must prove you have previous experience in your field, whether in Canada or in another country, and plan to acquire Canadian certifications. Your assessed need will be based on your business, school or tool expenses and your savings and income. The loans are not intended to cover your living expenses. The application process is simple and quick.
Windmill Microlending is a registered charity serving newcomers since 2005. They offer microloans to help skilled immigrants and refugees continue their careers in Canada. Windmill provides microloans of up to $10,000 to internationally trained immigrants so they can obtain the Canadian licensing or training required to work in their field. The loan can pay for professional exams, training, assessments, professional association fees, books and materials, living allowance and other expenses related to obtaining the required credentials or training.
If you or your parents have set up an RRSP, RESP, and/or TFSA in the past, you may withdraw from these investment options to help finance your education. For your RESP, you may withdraw from the principal or from the collected interest, referred to as Education Assistance Payments. For your RRSP, you may deregister from your RRSP, which is taxed at your marginal income tax rate, or make a Lifelong Learning Plan withdrawal. Make sure to speak to your financial adviser before pursuing these options.
Our Admissions Office can help with your available options for financial assistance, including provincial and federal student loans, as well as private funding through banking institutions. Ashton College Admissions Officers have in-depth knowledge of various financial assistance options for Ashton students, and they are happy to walk you through the application process.