Discounted and Free Tuition Programs for Students in In-demand Fields

In response to labour shortages in nursing, teaching, medicine and other fields, the federal and provincial governments offer discounted or free tuition to draw students to those fields. Funding comes in the form of grants, scholarships and loan forgiveness. Often, these opportunities are tied to work requirements that must be fulfilled upon graduation, such as working in underserved areas or within a specific designated occupation. Here are a few programs available across the country.

Ontario Learn and Stay Grant

Students enrolled in select post-secondary programs in Northern, Southwestern and Eastern Ontario can have the cost of their tuition, compulsory fees, books and any other educational costs covered by the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Eligible programs include practical nursing, paramedics and medical laboratory technology. In exchange for the funding, upon graduation students must work in the same region they studied in for at least six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.

Saskatchewan Student Loan Forgiveness Program for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners

Nursing and nurse-practitioner graduates in Saskatchewan can get up to $20,000 of the provincial portion of their student loans forgiven over five years. In exchange, they must work for a year in one of eight designated communities—or any community with fewer than 10,000 people. 

B.C. Loan Forgiveness Program

Graduates working in in-demand occupations, such as physiotherapy and midwifery, can apply to have up to 20 per cent of the provincial portion of their student loans forgiven annually for up to five years. To qualify, they must work for a designated amount of time at a publicly funded health facility in an eligible underserved community. Alternatively, graduates in eligible occupations, such as speech-language pathology or occupational therapy, qualify for the loan regardless of where they work in B.C., as long as they are working with children.

Canada Student Loan Forgiveness 

Doctors, nurses and teachers are among the 17 eligible professions that can apply to have the federal portion of their student loans waived. In order to receive the benefit, they are required to work in an eligible rural community or a population centre with less than 30,000 people for a year. 

Ministerial Scholarship Program for Nurse Practitioners in Quebec

Registered nurses in Quebec who want to pursue advanced studies to become specialized nurse practitioners can receive $60,000 or more under this program. In return, recipients must commit to working 6,000 hours in an institution or health and social services centre in an underserved region within Quebec’s Health and Social Services network after graduation.

Northwest Territories’ Health and Social Services System’s Bursary Program

The Northwest Territories’ Health and Social Services System’s Bursary program supports Northwest Territories students pursuing post-secondary education in health and social services fields including nursing, social work, medicine and other health-care professions. Amounts range from $2,500 per year for diploma programs to up to $10,000 per year for medical degree students. Recipients are required to sign a return-of-service agreement committing to work for five to 12 months, depending on their program,  within the Northwest Territories health-care system after graduation.

Prince Edward Island Debt Reduction Grant Program

PEI residents who graduated from any postsecondary program no more than three years prior can apply to reduce up to $3,500 of debt per year on the provincial portion of their student loan.