Grants Not Loans

Campaign victory update!

In Budget 2020, the BC government announced the creation of an up-front, needs-based grants program called the BC Access Grant. The BC Access Grant will be $41 million annually, which is projected to assist 40,000 students each year.

Goals:

• Increase grants to $100 million per year!

STUDENTS NEED GRANTS, NOT LOANS

BC is the only province that offers neither up-front grants, nor forgivable loans. Instead, the government offers a series of boutique grants and repayment assistance programs that are available to small pockets of the population. With no comprehensive system of grants, BC provides the lowest amount of non-repayable financial assistance in the country. BC needs a student grant program to level the playing field and help all British Columbians access the education they need to succeed.

Up-front grants relieve financial pressures that students face while in study, and enable students to focus more on being successful in their classes, rather than worrying about how to make the next semester’s tuition fee payment. Further, the assurance provided by up-front, needs-based grants addresses debt aversion, a factor that limits those from low- and middle-income backgrounds from enrolling in the first place.