These grants are geared toward students from low-income families; the Canadian government recognizes low-income families as households who spend a larger portion of their income on food, shelter and other necessities than most families. For the 2009-2010 academic year, the low-income family threshold was between $35,000 and $41,000 per year for a family of four, depending on the territory of the family's residence. According to Canada's governmental CanLearn website, students of full-time multi-year programs of at least a two-year duration at designated post-secondary schools are eligible for this grant. This government grant offers $250 per month or up to $3,000 per academic year for each year of undergraduate study. Students must continue to meet eligibility criteria to receive the grant money.
This Canada Student Grant presents a similar loan to the CSG for low-income families, scaled to the needs of students from middle-income families. The CSGP defines middle-income families as earning between $65,000 and $80,000 per year for a family of four, depending on the family's territory. Like the CSG for persons from low-Income families, eligible students must attend full-time multi-year programs on a least a two-year track at designated post-secondary schools. Unlike its sister grant, this grant awards students $100 per month of study or up to $1,200 per academic year as long as students continues their undergraduate studies and meet requirements. Like the CSG for low-income families, grant amounts are fixed and any student eligible for a Canada Student Loan is also eligible for either of these Canada Student Grants.
As its title suggests, this grant targets students with dependent children. To be eligible, students with dependents must come from low-income families and attend degree, diploma or certificate programs for a minimum of 12 weeks within a 15-week period. Dependents must be under twelve years of age when the student's study period begins, though the government makes exceptions for dependents with a disability. As long as grant recipients maintain post-secondary studies and meet eligibility requirements, this grant provides $200 per month of study per dependent child. Like other CSGs, the grant's amount is fixed. The CSG for Students with Dependents may be combined with other CSGs to meet an individual student's assessed needs.