Calgary (Rajeev Sharma): The Alberta government has announced changes to its provincial student financial assistance policy, removing parental income from student aid assessments for the 2026-27 academic year in a move aimed at reducing financial pressure on students and their families.
The decision follows concerns raised by students and parents over the affordability of post-secondary education and the impact of the parental contribution requirement on access to financial assistance.
Under the revised policy, new student aid applications will be assessed without considering parental income from early November. The government will also begin reviewing approximately 21,000 existing applications in which parental income had influenced the amount of financial assistance awarded.
Advanced Education Minister Myles McDougall said the government had taken the concerns of students and families into account and decided to revise the policy to provide better financial support.
He said being accountable involves listening to public feedback and making necessary adjustments when government decisions create additional challenges for residents. The minister added that the change would help ease cost-of-living pressures faced by students and their families.
Students whose applications are eligible for additional provincial loan assistance will be contacted directly by Alberta Student Aid. They will receive notifications explaining the revised funding and will be directed to their online Alberta Student Aid portals to access further details.
The government has clarified that students do not need to submit fresh applications or provide additional documents to benefit from the policy change. The reassessment process will be handled by Alberta Student Aid, with most cases requiring a review by its staff.
Removing parental income from the assessment means provincial financial assistance will no longer be calculated on the assumption that parents are able to contribute a predetermined amount towards their children’s education and living expenses.
However, the revised policy applies exclusively to parental income. All other eligibility conditions and requirements under Alberta Student Aid will continue to remain in effect.
The move is expected to provide additional financial assistance to eligible students while addressing concerns about the affordability of higher education across the province.
