N.S. government offers one-time grant to ease cost of textbooks for post-secondary students

By CityNews Halifax Staff

The Nova Scotia government announced it is giving post-secondary students a break on the costs of going to school.

In a release, the provice says nearly 12,000 students at universities and colleges in Nova Scotia are eligible for a new grant of $1350 that will not have to be repaid.

The aim of the needs-based grant is to supplement the cost of textbooks.

The one-time grant will cost the province $16.2 million, available because of savings within the student assistance program this year.

To be eligible, post-secondary students must be Nova Scotia residents receiving provincial student assistance or those who would have qualified for provincial assistance if not for a temporary increase in federal assistance this year.

Eligible students don’t have to apply and will be notified through their MyPATH account with the grant to be deposited automatically into the bank accounts in January or halfway through their study period.

The move is being praised by Students Nova Scotia, with executive director Georgia Saleski saying the grant will provide “immediate assistance” to many students.