There are countless sources for education funding, whether they be in the form of a scholarship, a grant, loan or special fund. Below we outline the main options available to Yukon high school graduates.
Students meeting the criteria of a “Yukon Student” may be eligible for one of these post-secondary funding programs over their lifetime. To view the criteria of each, visit the Yukon Student Aid website or email Student Financial Assistance, or call 1-867-667-5929.
Funding from the Yukon Government is awarded based on the number of weeks students are in school. Typically, a semester program is 17 weeks and a year program is 34 weeks. The funding amounts are adjusted for inflation on a yearly basis. You can apply for funding as early as four months before your classes start. Deadlines for each program are available online. In order to apply for funding, students need to create an account with Student Financial Assistance here.
Note: Not all programs qualify for funding. The post-secondary institute offering the program must be accredited in order for its students to receive funding.
Full-time students enrolled at Yukon University or Alkan Air Flight Academy in a program that is three or more weeks in length are eligible for the Student Training Allowance. For the 2020-2021 school year, the funding amount is $112/week. Students with dependents are eligible for additional funding for each dependent up to four dependents.
Yukon students who have attended a Yukon high school for at least 2 years and are completing full-time post-secondary programs are eligible to apply for a maximum of 170 weeks of funding. The funding amount for the 2021-22 year is $145/week
Note: The lifetime funding available for Student Training Allowance and Yukon Grant is 170 weeks (approximately 5 years) combined.
Students receiving the Yukon Grant are eligible for $1500/year to travel to a post-secondary institute outside territory. Students from rural Yukon communities may be eligible for an additional amount of travel allowance to travel from their home communities to Whitehorse.
Yukon Grant-eligible students who choose to take full-time preparatory courses at Yukon University to upgrade their high school marks or coursework are eligible for an additional 68 weeks of funding under the Student Training Allowance program. Students who receive this extra funding are eligible to also receive the full 170-week funding under Student Training Allowance or Yukon Grant.
Yukon students enrolled in full-time and part-time post-secondary programs can apply for federal funding through the Yukon Student Financial Assistance Office. This is a needs-based program and is calculated based on total family income and expenses during school.
The Apprenticeship Training Branch of the Department of Education has funding to support upgrading through the Working Up program. This will help support students needing to upgrade without using up funds under the Yukon Grant, Training Allowance or even post-secondary funding from their First Nation as often those funding programs have a maximum number of weeks available to the student.
The Yukon Government provides Excellence Awards as an incentive for and acknowledgement of Yukon students’ school success. Students receive an excellence award of $300 for obtaining a grade of 80% or higher in each qualifying course. These monies are kept in trust for students and can be accessed for post-secondary schooling. Currently, the following courses qualify: Language Arts 10, Mathematics 10, Science 10, an additional Grade 10 course, Mathematics 11, two additional Grade 11 courses, Language Arts 12, and two additional Grade 12 courses. The Language Arts 10 courses are currently awarded $150 each for a total of $300. If they achieve 80% or higher in all ten qualifying courses, students can earn up to a total of $3000 in trust.
Note: The criteria for Yukon Excellence Awards are currently under review as Yukon Education moves to realign them with new assessment practices. Please refer to Yukon Excellence Awards for details.
Ross River Dena Council, Kluane First Nation and northern B.C. First Nations may apply to Indigenous Services Canada on their website.
All other Yukon First Nations students need to check with their First Nation to see what funding is available.
For non-Yukon Indigenous students, contact your Nation for additional funding options.
This branch primarily funds apprenticeship programs at Yukon University and institutions in Alberta. The funding they provide is broken down into categories: travel, books, transportation and living allowance.
Travel: For students travelling outside the Yukon to attend a program, one return trip a year is funded in a lump sum, either for vehicle transportation or flight. In addition, students receive $79/night for accommodation while on route if driving. Students travelling from rural Yukon communities to attend a program in Whitehorse also receive funding for travel.
Books: Students receive $200 for books.
Transportation: All students receive $20/week. Students who commute from a rural Yukon community to Whitehorse to attend post-secondary are eligible for daily funding, which is paid weekly.
Living Allowance: This varies depending on whether the student is living at home, living away from home, or maintaining a second residence while away from home.
Note: Pre-apprenticeship students are not eligible for apprenticeship funding as they are not registered as apprentices. Pre-apprenticeship students access the Student Training Allowance or the Yukon Grant.
Most post-secondary institutes offer scholarships, awards and financial assistance. Some offer entrance scholarships for students with high GPAs. Students should check with the university they are planning to attend for possible funding.
Yukon Department of Education administers four scholarships: Aviation Technology Scholarship, Canadian Army Yukon Scholarship, Yukon Art Society Scholarship and Husky Scholarship.
Students apply for these scholarships when applying for the Student Training Allowance or the Yukon Grant. Visit the Yukon Student Aid website for more details.
The following scholarships and bursaries are available from a variety of Yukon NGOs:
Several professional associations have bursaries, awards and/or scholarships for Yukon students pursuing post-secondary education in their given profession. For example, Association of Professional Engineers Yukon gives out two awards and one of these is specifically reserved for First Nations and/or female applicants, and Physiotherapy Association of Yukon gives out one bursary to a Yukoner enrolled in a Master’s of Physiotherapy. NorthwesTel offers six scholarships through its Northern Futures Scholarship Program. Three of these scholarships are reserved for Indigenous students. Also, ATCO Yukon and the Yukon Law Foundation offer various scholarships.
Financial support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. Visit their website for more details.
Indigenous Services Canada website has an Indigenous Bursaries Search Tool to discover almost 700 bursaries, scholarships and incentives from across Canada that are aimed at Indigenous students.
