Alberta Student Aid Mid-Year Update Regarding Parental Contribution
Alberta Student Aid has updated how financial need is calculated for the 2026-27 academic year. Effective November 3, 2026, expected parental contribution will no longer be used to calculate eligibility for Alberta student loans.
Applications processed before this date that were impacted by expected parental contribution will be reassessed as described below. Student, spousal, and voluntary parental contribution amounts will continue to be included in the assessment.
The following information affects students whose applications included an expected parental contribution:
Impacted students who may be eligible for additional provincial loan funding will be notified through their Alberta Student Aid accounts.
For students whose study period ends in more than 30 days, they are to log in to their Alberta Student Aid account and navigate to “Request for Review” on the right-side menu, then select the reason for submitting a request as “Change to Parental Information”. These students are asked to submit their request for their application to be reassessed at least 30 days before their study period ends.
Students whose study period ends in less than 30 days may be unable to submit a Request for Review online. In these cases, students are to log in to their Alberta Student Aid account and navigate to “Upload Documents” on the right-side menu as they are required to submit a letter requesting a reassessment. The student must select the reason for submitting a document as “Other” in the first drop-down menu and then select 'Change to Parental Information” in the second drop-down menu. Alberta Student Aid will use this letter to initiate a Request for Review on their behalf. These students are asked to submit their request for their application to be reassessed by January 31, 2027.
Students who do not receive a notification from Alberta Student Aid are not eligible for reassessment and should not submit a Request for Review.
Alberta Student Aid will reassess each request. Any additional funding will depend on the student's individual circumstances, including eligible costs, other financial resources, and continued eligibility.
Students will be notified of the results through their Alberta Student Aid account once your reassessment is complete. Students may check the status of their request at any time by selecting Request for Review within their account.
Due to the anticipated high volume of reconsideration requests, processing times may be longer than normal.
Alberta Student Aid website will be unavailable on November 7 and 8, 2026 due to previously scheduled system maintenance. It is expected to become available by November 9, 2026.
Students can learn more about this change in the Loans and Grants Funding Guide and the Request a Review of Your Account section at studentaid.alberta.ca.
Please contact Student Funding & Accounts if you have more questions. Email: studentaccounts@oldscollege.ca or call 403 556 4677.