Province Makes Post-Secondary Education More Accessible, Affordable

Nova Scotians will have better access to post-secondary education as the province continues to invest in student assistance.

The $5.5-million investment, announced as part of the 2012 provincial budget, will enrich the grant portion of student loans and help fill the gap between the assistance available and the actual cost of education.

"The jobs of tomorrow, and many of the jobs of today, will require some form of post-secondary education," said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Marilyn More. "Over the past two years, we've invested $48 million of new funding in student financial aid to help keep education affordable and accessible for Nova Scotian students."

As part of this year's provincial budget, $5.5 million will increase the weekly assistance allowance to $170 a week. Students will also now receive 35 per cent of their student assistance in non-repayable grants.

Through ongoing investments, the province has nearly doubled the dollars received as grants from $4,080 to $8,092 for students receiving the maximum amount. Improving grants and filling the gap between assistance available and the cost of education, known as unmet need, were two main areas identified by students.

This builds on new funding last year of $42.5 million, the province's largest investment in student assistance. This included Nova Scotia's first debt cap, increases to the book allowance, more exemptions for in-study earnings and keeping tuition for Nova Scotia students at or below the national average.

Overall these improvement will help ensure no qualified student is denied access to post-secondary education as a result of financial constraints. The changes will take effect in time for the fall 2012 semester.