MAINTAINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY

Once you have been approved for post secondary education assistance, you must maintain your eligibility for continued assistance.
A summary of how to maintain your eligibility follows:
Semester Contacts and Required Documentation
Regardless of whether you are approved for full time or part time funding assistance:
  • It is mandatory for you to make at least one contact per semester with your Post Secondary Funding Advisor to discuss your education progress. 
  • You are also responsible for providing required documentation such as your tuition fees, course enrolment and progress reports to the GRPSEO by the established deadline dates.
  • You are responsible for keeping the GRPSEO informed of how you can be reached (telephone, current mailing address and e-mail address).
Your funding may be suspended if you are not in compliance with any of the above.

Full Time Status 
If you have been approved for full time funding assistance then you must maintain your full time student status as defined by both the post secondary institution that you are attending AND at least the minimum definition of full time study established by the GRPSEO for your level of study.

Acceptable Academic Performance
Each year there is increasing demand for post secondary funding assistance.  In order to remain eligible for continued post secondary funding assistance, both full and part time students must maintain an acceptable level of academic performance in terms of specific program requirements and in terms of the minimum requirements set by the GRPSEO. Also, if the post secondary institution that you are attending determines that you do not meet the academic requirements necessary to continue in your program of study then education funding assistance will be discontinued.

Any course that is not successfully completed or does not result in credit for the student’s diploma or degree is considered a failure and can result in academic probation as well as Priority 7 being assigned by GRPSEO. Either situation can negatively impact a student’s funding prospects given the fact that overall requests for funding always exceed available funds. Also, see the section on overpayments/academic suspension as there are financial implications for failures.

Keep in mind the following:

a)   a failure of a course that runs over two semesters (eight months) is regarded as two failures (one per semester),
b)  incompletes are counted as failures unless this status is due to an error by the institution,
c)  withdrawals are counted as failures unless you have been able to enrol in an additional course, of equal credit value, within the same academic semester to substitute for the withdrawal,
d)  deferrals are considered a failure.

When a Level 1 or 2 student has 3 failures in an academic semester, Priority 7 and academic probation is assigned by the Post Secondary Funding Advisor.  If there are 2 failures in an academic semester then academic probation is assigned.  

Progress Reports
A progress report is required at the end of each funded academic semester. Your Post Secondary Funding Advisor reviews your progress report to determine if you have achieved acceptable academic performance. If courses were not successfully completed, an overpayment will be assigned to your file. The deadlines for receipt of these progress reports are:

  • February 1st for the Fall Semester (September to December)
  • May 1st for the Winter Semester (January to April)
  • October 1st for the Spring/Summer Semester (May to August) 

The progress report may be a grade report or record of achievement or unofficial transcript from your school student information account.  For Master and Ph.D. students, a progress report may not be available. A letter of good standing from your faculty (Department Chair or Head) indicating that you have successful academic performance to date is required.  Failure to provide a progress report will result in education assistance being suspended.