One of the most effective ways of increasing access to higher education and reducing student financial insecurity is through government student financial assistance (SFA) programs.

Québec’s SFA program1 is an important lever for helping anyone who wishes to pursue a study project but lacks the resources to do so. The program’s objective is to ensure that financial resources carry as little weight as possible in the decision to embark on a college or university pathway (FECQ, 2020).

While based on proven principles of accessibility, Québec’s SFA program could be updated to reflect the student population’s evolution. There are three possible ways of updating the offering:

1. Reconsidering the duration of studies;

2. Better recognition and consideration of part-time studies;

3. Ensuring the complementary of financial assistance measures.

Québec’s “loans and bursaries” program

Commonly referred to as the “loans and bursaries program” (see Note 1), the latter aims to enable Québec students with insufficient financial resources to pursue their studies on a full-time basis (MES, 2021). To that end, it grants a loan at a preferential interest rate (in the form of monthly instalments) to students who apply for it, analyzing in particular:

  • Their financial contribution to studies in proportion to their means;
  • The contribution from their parents, partner or guarantor;
  • Their family situation (dependent children or not).

In addition to these contributions, expenses “normally associated with the pursuit of studies” (housing, food, clothing, transport, etc.) are taken into account in the calculation. If the loan is insufficient to cover all a student’s needs, a bursary is awarded (ibid.).

The government pays the interest on the loan taken out during studies. At the end of their studies, students must begin repaying their student debt (principal and interest) (ibid.). Repayment assistance measures, such as debt forgiveness or deferred repayment programs, are available.

Reconsidering the Duration of Studies

One way of updating the SFA program in 2023 is to review how the duration of higher education studies is calculated.

In the current SFA program, the “eligibility period” for loans is the expected duration of studies, plus 15 months. As for bursaries, the eligibility period corresponds to the expected duration of studies, plus 6 months (Gouvernement du Québec, 2021). 

Planned Versus Actual Duration of Studies

A table with six rows for each level of education and four columns including Level of Education, Expected Duration of Studies, Number of Months Eligible for a Loan and Number of Months Eligible for a Bursary. On the Vocational Training Studies row, the expected duration is 20 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 35 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 26 months. On the College Studies (pre-university training) row, the expected duration is 18 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 33 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 24 months. On the College Studies (technical training) row, the expected duration is 27 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 42 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 33 months. On the Undergraduate Studies row, the expected duration is 24 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 39 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 30 months. On the Graduate Studies row, the expected duration is 16 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 31 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 22 months. On the Postgraduate Studies row, the expected duration is 32 months, the eligibility period for a loan is 47 months and the eligibility period for a scholarship is The first 38 months.

For example, a student enrolled in a full-time pre-university study project is eligible for the SFA program based on the following guidelines:

  • Expected duration of studies: 18 months;
  • Number of months eligible for a loan: 33 months (18 months + 15 months);
  • Number of months eligible for a bursary: 24 months (18 months + 6 months).

This means that a person who wishes to be eligible for bursaries during their pre-university program must have completed the latter in two years, according to the “expected duration.”

Yet only 38% of the student population graduate from a pre-university program in 2 years (Institut de la statistique du Québec, 2019). This rate rises to 64% in three years and 71% in four years.

Therefore, it would be relevant to develop new ways of calculating the expected duration of studies, particularly at the college level, where the rate of completion for a pre-university program has been dwindling for the past ten years (ibid.).

What About the State of Affairs at Graduate Level?

The duration of studies is also an issue for graduate students. For those who have access to scholarships from granting agencies, these are of a short duration: in the province of Québec, master’s scholarships are for a duration of 2 years and doctoral scholarships fund a student for 4 years, whereas the average duration of doctoral studies is 5.3 years (Gouvernement du Québec, 2020). Doctoral graduation rates are highest when students are fully committed to their education project (Bonin, 2021), hence the importance of funding the entire duration of their studies.

While scholarships from research funds have recently been increased (Fonds de recherche du Québec, 2023), those from federal granting agencies have been in the same amount without indexation for the past twenty years, since 2003 (Laframboise & al., 2023). According to the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, current assistance for graduate students, the next generation of the scientific community, is believed to be at a “breaking point” (Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, 2023).

Such a stagnation of funding impacts the financial security of graduate students, particularly the international student population, members of historically underrepresented communities and those with dependents (Laframboise & al., 2023).

Heterogeneous Student Realities: a Case for the Part-Time Plan

There are many reasons for choosing to study part-time: vocational retraining, mental health, family situation, caregiving, etc. In the ten universities making up the Université du Québec Network, nearly 45% of all students, regardless of cycle or program type, were registered part-time in the fall 2022 semester (Université du Québec, 2023a).

In legislative terms, Québec’s SFA program has two distinct plans — “full-time” and “part-time” — which offer little flexibility in terms of interpreting current student realities.

For the diversity of educational pathways to be further considered, particularly for part-time students, the avenues listed below can be contemplated, among others :

Add exception provisions to the Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses

Objective: Include more people deemed to be full-time students who are studying part-time, according to criteria to be determined. 

Risk: The multiplication of special cases and the considerable complexity of managing the SFA program.

Amend the Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses

Objective: For instance, make the program more flexible to allow part-time students to obtain bursaries.

Risk: Reinforcing a “utilitarian” view (Del Rey, 2010) of higher education, according to which studies are essentially preparatory training for the labour market and which puts forward an “incentive logic” (Leclerc & Sachs, 2020) to push for full-time work during studies.

The issue on the merits is: which foundation — full-time work or full-time study — should be favoured as part of an SFA program?

The Québec program currently provides financial assistance to students who wish to carry out a study project but lack the financial resources to finance it. The weight of studies is thus more important in the trade-off between the time spent working and studying (Bouchard St-Amant & Fortier-Martineau, 2021).

Indeed, in some cases, assistance amounts are progressively reduced according to earned income, which can reduce the incentive to work. On the other hand, if the SFA program provided assistance to working students, it would no longer be redistributive (Bouchard St-Amant & Morin, 2021).

Therefore, improving the SFA program is complex. This involves taking into account the working student population, while providing financial support for those who are less fortunate and wish to focus entirely on their full-time studies.

Ensuring the Complementary of Programs and Measures

In addition to being provided by Québec’s SFA program and provincial and federal granting agencies, financial assistance can also come from higher education institutions themselves. However, rather than being cumulative, some scholarships prevent students from benefiting from government programs, to the detriment of students in a precarious financial situation. Beyond a certain amount in scholarships from an institution or organization, the calculation of government financial assistance is negatively affected. Different rules at federal and provincial levels also complicate the situation.

Better coordination of financial assistance from all levels of government and from different organizations and institutions is an important step toward a systemic approach to student financial assistance.

Over and above the initiatives of the various governments in place, a systemic vision of student financial assistance would offer some level of protection to the student population against ad hoc programs that are dependent on government policy orientations. While scholarship initiatives benefit some students — e.g., the Québec Perspective Scholarship (Université du Québec, 2023b) — they could be considered on a long-term basis and designed to take into account the diversity of student realities, not strictly current labour market needs.

Other scholarship programs are based on a different vision – e.g., the need for labour force in targeted programs – than that of the SFA program, managed by the ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur and founded on access to higher education institutions for the greatest number of students (see the box “Loans and Bursaries” program in Québec above). 

Four interlocking puzzle pieces are surrounded by arrows that form a circle with Information flow written. The top left-hand piece reads Québec government student financial assistance programs. The top right-hand piece reads Scholarships from foundations or other institutions or associations. The bottom left-hand piece reads Granting agency scholarships. A note below the figure specifies that the granting agency scholarships concern the following: SSHRC, NSERCC, FRQNT, FRQSC, FRQS and CIHR. The bottom right-hand piece reads Other government programs and bursaries. A note below the figure specifies that other government programs and scholarships include Perspective Scholarship, PAAS Réussir, FAPSR, LLP, etc.

Finally, a systemic vision of student financial assistance should be based on strong communication among higher education stakeholders: ministries, government levels, institutions, and so on. Information on student financial assistance must be disseminated by and for all individuals involved in student success, and not just in the institutions’ financial assistance departments. A person responsible for internships, for example, should be aware of the remoteness allowance offered to students. Similarly, psychological counselling services should be able to support a student by assessing their level of financial distress and the various support options available.

Courses of Action for an Updated and All-Encompassing Financial Assistance Program

For Persons in Charge of Financial Assistance in Institutions

  • In the process of updating student financial assistance, consider both the heterogeneous realities of students and the respective weight of studies and work (Bouchard St-Amant & Fortier-Martineau, 2022).
  • Focus on the complementarity of bursaries and scholarships at all government levels, between ministries and between institutions.
  • Prioritize a systemic approach to student financial assistance, independent of varying government visions, service reorganizations and bursary program management.
  • Explore the possibility of conducting pilot projects within the SFA program (Bouchard St-Amant, 2020) to experiment with ways of adapting to new student realities and making the program more flexible.
  • Extend the duration of financial assistance in line with the actual increase in the duration of studies (Heinrich & al., 2023).
  • Demonstrate greater transparency, clarity and coherence in bursary programs, particularly in terms of eligibility criteria.

For Institution Administrations and Members of Management

  • Increase budgets for the human and material resources used for financial assistance offices in institutions, including technical and professional staff, to meet the complex needs of the student population.
  • Consolidate the communication channels between the various sectors, departments and administrations directly or indirectly involved in student financial assistance (internship placement services, psychological services, administrative services for the international student population, etc.).
  • Designate a person to sit on the committee for success of the institution to advocate for financial accessibility as a means to give greater consideration to this determinant of success.
  • Ensure better communication between financial assistance program staff and staff managing scholarship competitions, assistance services and other forms of support.
  • Extend the range of scholarships offered by institutions by focusing on accessibility and perseverance in education (Comité intersectoriel étudiant des Fonds de recherche du Québec, 2022).
  • Conduct more institutional research on possible reforms to the SFA program, such as the impact of loans on perseverance or the relevance of the current structure for assistance (Bouchard St-Amant, 2020).

For Research Granting Agencies (Federal and Provincial)

  • Increase the number, amount and accessibility of bursaries for the graduate student population (Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, 2023).
1 For the sake of clarity, the term “Québec student financial assistance program” is used to encompass both the Loans and Bursaries for Full-Time Studies Program and the Loans for Part-Time Studies Program, which are distinct in the financial assistance legislation. The issues specific to said distinction are discussed later in this section.

References

Bonin, S. (2021). Quel est l’impact du travail rémunéré durant les études de baccalauréat ? Université du Québec. https://docutheque.uquebec.ca/id/eprint/80/1/Note_heures_trav_BAC_ICOPE_aout_2021.pdf 

Bouchard St-Amant, P. A. (2020). A literature review on financial student aid. Rapport préparé pour Statutory and Grants & Contributions Evaluation, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). 

Bouchard St-Amant, P. A. & Fortier-Martineau, C. (2022). Comparing Student Aid Programs in Canada. https://crdcn.ca/publication/comparing-student-aid-programs-in-canada/ 

Bouchard St-Amant, P. A. & Morin, H. (2021). Student Aid Reforms in Quebec: Is Changing the Clawback Rate Better than Changing the Base Grant? Canadian Public Policy, 47(3), 373‑398. https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2019-073 

Comité consultatif sur le système fédéral de soutien à la recherche. (2023). Rapport du comité consultatif sur le système fédéral de soutien à la recherche. Comité consultatif sur le système fédéral de soutien à la recherche (CCSFSR). https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/comite-soutien-federal-recherche/fr/rapport-comite-consultatif-systeme-federal-soutien-recherche 

Comité intersectoriel étudiant des Fonds de recherche du Québec. (2022). L’excellence décortiquée : pluralité, diversité et enjeux d’évaluation. Fonds de recherche du Québec. https://frq.gouv.qc.ca/app/uploads/2023/01/rapport-excellences_cie_version-publique.pdf 

Del Rey, A. (2010). À l’école des compétences. De l’éducation à la fabrique de l’élève performant. La Découverte. https://www.editionsladecouverte.fr/a_l_ecole_des_competences-9782707175410 

FECQ. (2020). Avis sur la réussite. Des solutions pour améliorer le taux de réussite de la population étudiante. Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ). https://docs.fecq.org/FECQ/M%C3%A9moires%20et%20avis/2020-2021/Avis%20sur%20la%20reussite_108eCo_Zoom.pdf 

Fonds de recherche du Québec. (2023, 27 avril). Les FRQ investissent 270,3 M$ dans les octrois 2023-2024. Actualités FRQ. https://frq.gouv.qc.ca/les-frq-investissent-2703-m-dans-les-octrois-2023-2024/ 

Gouvernement du Québec. (2020). Taux d’obtention d’un diplôme universitaire.  Baccalauréat, maîtrise et doctorat. Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur. http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/enseignement-superieur/universitaire/Taux-obtention-diplome-univ-Methodologie.pdf 

Gouvernement du Québec. (2021, 14 septembre). Respecter la période d’admissibilité. https://www.quebec.ca/education/aide-financiere-aux-etudes/prets-bourses-temps-plein/conditions-admissibilite/periode-admissibilite 

Heinrich, C., Carruthers, C. K. & Ecton, W. G. (2023, 11 janvier). College students who work more hours are less likely to graduate. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/college-students-who-work-more-hours-are-less-likely-to-graduate-196183 

Institut de la statistique du Québec. (2019). Vitrine statistique sur les jeunes de 15 à 29 ans – Éducation. Institut de la statistique du Québec. https://statistique.quebec.ca/vitrine/15-29-ans/theme/education 

Laframboise, S. J., Bailey, T., Dang, A.-T., Rose, M., Zhou, Z., Berg, M. D., Holland, S., Abdul, S. A., O’Connor, K., El-Sahli, S., Boucher, D. M., Fairman, G., Deng, J., Shaw, K., Noblett, N., D’Addario, A., Empey, M. & Sinclair, K. (2023). Analysis of financial challenges faced by graduate students in Canada. Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 1‑35. https://doi.org/10.1139/bcb-2023-0021 

MES. (2021). Renseignements sur le Programme de prêts et bourses. Gouvernement du Québec. http://www.afe.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/AFE/documents/Publications/AFE/PUBL_Aide_votre_portee_2021_2022.pdf 

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Université du Québec. (2023b). Les Bourses Perspective Québec selon l’enquête ICOPE 2022. Université du Québec. https://www.uquebec.ca/reseau/fr/medias/communiques-de-presse/bourses-perspective-quebec-1-personne-sur-5-choisi-daller-luniversite-ou-de-sy-inscrire-temps-plein-selon-une-etude