If you meet the eligibility requirements below, your tuition and eligible fees charged by your school could be waived so you do not have to pay them.

Note: In some cases, your school may not be able to waive an eligible fee and may require you to pay it up front. Furthermore, not all schools will be able to reimburse eligible fees paid upfront by individuals who are not current students at the school (e.g. application and transcript fees). Please contact your school to confirm their process for waiving and reimbursing eligible fees for both current and prospective students.

Provincial Tuition Waiver Program eligible fees

Category	Examples	Notes
Mandatory fee	Registration fee Archiving fee Student License Fee Student Association or Alma Mater Society fee Graduation Application Fee	Costs associated with admissions and enrollment in programs that must be paid by all students at the institution to complete or enroll in a program or course
Assessment fee	Entry Assessment Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition English Language Assessment	Costs associated with assessments that are delivered by the institution to support a student in enrolling or progressing in a program or course
Administrative fee	Application fee Transcript Request fee Criminal Record Check Verification of Enrollment fees*	Costs required by the institution to support a student in enrolling in a program or course *Verification of enrollment fees will be covered only when required to access or progress in a program or course
Additional fees	Program Supply Fee Medical Insurance Fee** U-Pass fee**	Fees that are required by the institution in order for a student to progress or enroll in a program or course. In this category the fee must be charged to all students and billed directly to the student from the institution along with tuition. **Medical insurance and U-Pass fees charged directly to the student by the institution will be covered by PTWP under this category when a student is unable to opt out. Costs that are required for a program but are not billed directly by the institution to the student (e.g. book costs, computer costs) as well as extraordinary costs associated with optional study abroad programs (e.g. accommodations, meals, airfare) are excluded from this category.

All fees listed above must be submitted by the post-secondary school to StudentAid BC through the formal Provincial Tuition Waiver Program institution financial reporting process. If the fee was paid upfront by the student, it may be eligible for reimbursement. Please contact your institution to confirm their process for waiving and reimbursing eligible fees.

To be eligible for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program, students must be studying full-time or part-time, below the graduate level, at a B.C. public post-secondary school, the Native Education College or an approved union-based trades training provider (see below for a full list of eligible schools, including more information on eligible courses and programs) and:

• Adopted through the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) or Indigenous Child and Family Service Agency (ICFSA); or
• Formerly in the B.C. Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Child in Home of Relative Program; or
• Currently or formerly in any B.C. MCFD or ICFSA Legal Status (either while living in B.C. or while placed by MCFD or an ICFSA on an Interprovincial Placement Agreement [IPPA]) at the time you turn(ed) 19 or for at least 24 months (730 days) (consecutive or accumulated in any combination).

Eligible programs and courses:

The Provincial Tuition Waiver Program covers a wide range of post-secondary courses and programs of study, below the graduate level, including:

• Courses leading to a citation, certificate, diploma, or degree
• Apprenticeship and trades training
• Continuing education courses and programs, including personal and professional development (credit or non-credit)
• Unclassified/qualifying studies

Programs and courses that are not eligible:

Masters, PhD, post-graduate, and aviation courses or programs (i.e. pilot training), as well as Adult Basic Education and Accessible Education and Training, are not eligible.

Eligible Post-Secondary Schools

B.C. public post-secondary schools:
British Columbia Institute of Technology	Northern Lights College
Camosun College	Okanagan College
Capilano University	Royal Roads University
Coast Mountain College	Selkirk College
College of New Caledonia	Simon Fraser University
College of the Rockies	Thompson Rivers University
Douglas College	University of British Columbia
Emily Carr University of Art and Design	University of Northern British Columbia
Justice Institute of British Columbia	University of the Fraser Valley
Kwantlen Polytechnic University	University of Victoria
Langara College	Vancouver Community College
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology	Vancouver Island University
North Island College	Native Education College
Approved union-based trades training providers:
Construction and Specialized Workers Training Society	Pile Drivers, Divers, Bridge, Dock & Warf Builders Local 2404
Finishing Trades Institute of BC (D.C. 38 Joint Trade Society)	UA Piping Industry College of British Columbia
Electrical Joint Training Committee	Sheet Metal Industry Training Centre
Floorlayers Union Local 1541	Trowel Trades Training Association
IUOE Local 115 Training Association

Transferring to a different post-secondary school

If you are an approved tuition waiver student and wish to transfer to another eligible post-secondary school, you do not need to reapply.

To have your provincial tuition waiver transferred to a different eligible post-secondary school contact StudentAid BC by email at tuitionwaiver@gov.bc.ca advising of your intent to transfer to a new school.

In addition, contact the financial aid office at your new post-secondary school and let them know you have an approved provincial tuition waiver in place. The receiving school will work with you to provide the necessary information (such as program, start date, and receiving schools information) to StudentAid BC to complete the transfer.

For applicants with exceptional circumstances

StudentAid BC has discretion on a case-by-case basis to approve exceptions to standard Provincial Tuition Waiver Program eligibility criteria related to time in care, legal status, or in a comparable agreement under Indigenous Law through a review of exceptional circumstances.

An individual can request a review of their circumstances when they believe their time in care calculation is incorrect, their experience in government care is not represented in the legal statuses listed in the program eligibility criteria, or they were in a comparable agreement under Indigenous Law. The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills may require specific supporting documentation on a case-by-case basis. All other program eligibility criteria must be met.

To be considered for a review of exceptional circumstances, an individual must either submit their Provincial Tuition Waiver application through an eligible school, or submit an application for an eligibility check to tuitionwaiver@gov.bc.ca. Once the application outcome is received, a request for a review of exceptional circumstances may be submitted to tuitionwaiver@gov.bc.ca.

 

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Learning for Future Grant

The Learning for Future Grant provides an annual grant of $3,500 per program year to students who meet the eligibility criteria for the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program to assist with additional education related costs not covered by the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program (e.g. textbooks, computers, supplies, etc.). For more information, please see the Learning for Future Grant webpage.