10 October 2023 2:44
UPDATE: I applied for Manitoba Student Aid the first week the applications opened for this academic year. It is now October, my institution cannot provide any more tuition payment extensions and I am STILL waiting for my funding to be disbursed. Can't get ahold of anyone from MSA. I am now having to pay a hefty late tuition fee, all because MSA can't keep up with the amount of applications and disburse funds on time. My funds were set to be available on August 31. It is now October 17, still no signs of it. Very disappointing and frustrating.

Please update your website to make it at least functional. It takes at least an hour to load past the log in screen, and then to actually click through to get to what you need, takes even longer. Information on this website is important, and often needs to be accessed by certain deadlines. Having the website crash every five minutes makes it really hard to use this service.
28 September 2023 22:20
Absolutely horrible experience. Would recommend applying at least 6 months in advance because they clearly cannot handle the volume of applications. By the time they actually process your loan you will either had to have paid tuition on your own or be kicked out of your institution. Also do NOT send more than one document in the same envelope because they will throw the other ones out and fail to inform you upon doing so, leaving you wondering what happened for months.

Additionally, the website is an eyesore, both functionally and aesthetically. It crashed 24/7 without reason. Needs a MASSIVE overhaul. Could be a great opportunity for a team of student interns whom you could pay peanuts and would be happy to do it. There is no excuse, it just simply needs to be better. Do better.
27 July 2023 13:39
I honestly think this is the worst website I've ever had the displeasure of using. Have fun trying to connect for hours on end only for it to disconnect you for inactivity because it's taking too long to load. Having an online service that is this poor in 2023 is downright pathetic. Get it together and fix your servers.
20 July 2023 13:51
Absolutely the worst website and staff I’ve ever come across. The website never loads and the staff never answer the phone, are rude, unhelpful and unknowledgeable.
17 July 2023 18:00
Bro make a new website that can handle a huge amount of users that use the website at the same time, your website is trash, it's time to update it omg
03 July 2023 17:25
TERRIBLE waiting times on phone! I even called when they just opened.lol.does not help at all.
30 April 2023 0:31
Even though my address has been updated with the federal government, the provincial government, CRA, National Student Loans, and MANITOBA STUDENT AID'S OWN SYSTEM, they still found a way to send my tax information to my previous address in Ontario. I've been back in Manitoba for 7 months. Congrats MSA, you have truly outdone yourselves.
14 April 2023 20:08
They have the worst communication of all time. If at all possible, try finding a different means of financial aid. It's clear Manitoba Student Loans is only out to make a profit off of you.
04 April 2023 20:10
MSA website is quit slow, and hang for hours to sign in to the account. Need to improve the service. This is kind of waste of taxpayers money!
01 April 2023 11:08
I have worked in call centers similar to student aid and I got to say this is truly the worst support system I have seen. Racist and they hang up on you and one actually insulted me when I called back the second time and got the same "customer support" person. Hire better staff this is a headache to deal with
24 March 2023 18:33
More than 6 weeks submit the application, going to get penalty from my school. Still loan amount was not disbursed. Calling to student aid for more than an hour, no body received. Need to improve the services in MSA.
28 February 2023 23:08
I would give 0 stars if that was an option. Manitoba Student aid is a sick joke. I have been trying to get my loan application processed since August 2022. They don't answer the phone, the website only works half the time, and if you go there to explain that you need your funds, THEY LITERALLY DON'T CARE. They can't even be bothered to pretend to care. This is why everyone in the public sector HATES GOVERNMENT WORKERS. I went there in desperation two weeks ago on a Friday, watched all the staff in the back go home at 2 pm. What a kick in the face. This department is a joke. Our government is a joke. Way to crush the disadvantaged even further than you already have, Stefanson.
25 February 2023 6:56
This place was always a brutal institution. But since the integration with the federal NSLSC last summer, things have ground to a hault processing wise. I can only assume they’ve cut staff as the doors will probably shutter April 2023 or there after.

Ive fully left my phone on hold for like 2 hours and I think by the 2.5 hour mark disconnects.

Ive had some want some real life catch-22s dealing with them. (One time while waiting for funding I had my application canceled because I wasn’t registered in any winter courses. And I had been de registered because I hadn’t received funding.

09/22 I’ve tried to come in to speak to someone but I’ve encountered security telling me, “no one is upstairs today! ” Even as I watch the employees go by with their badges. And I only came to the office cause someone had actually emailed me which blew my mind in itself
16 February 2023 8:02
Nothing new to the previous reviews but I just wanted to say I called right at 8: 30am and waited for 1.5 hours only to be sent to a voicemail box without asking for it. I’ve been dealing with this for years during my undergrad and shocked they STILL haven’t gotten the situation sorted out.
08 February 2023 23:49
Every semester has been a nightmare dealing with them. This time MSA tried to blame my school for not verifying my course load and when I called my school, they informed me they confirmed on Jan 3rd. After telling this info to MSA (3x), someone asked their supervisor about it and said it's their system that's slow and there's nothing they can do about it. Yesterday I received an email from them, and I tried to log in, but their website log in is down.
03 January 2023 6:22
Waited for over an hour only to be hung up on. They lost an email and I wasn't funded and now my university has a hold on my account. With the stress of school and now this is too much. I can't believe how incompetent this service is, it seems to have gotten worse after Covid.
22 December 2022 5:06
Absolutely appalling service! It is November 17th and I’m still waiting for funds, and tuition payment!

I’m absolutely disgusted with the lack of care seen from MSA towards students, and their deadlines. I had to take on extra work to pay my own tuition this year, which has caused me to do terribly on my midterms. I got the amount in on time, but my classes are seriously lacking attention.
11 November 2022 10:50
Their 1 star rating at the moment is even too high. They give students the run around for months, you can never contact anyone by email or phone, and because of their incompetence multiple students are facing financial hardships due to funds not being released. Their processing and wait times are abhorrent. To treat students like this is a disgrace. The province of Manitoba MUST better this system for future students, because it is absolutely archaic at the moment.
08 November 2022 16:58
I was thinking that we could gather altogether and perhaps file a lawsuit or receive a settlement for the students against student aid because ever since I dealt with student aid I had nothing but undue hardship including mental, physical and emotional stress not including falling behind in school to a point where I had to drop courses or take low grades. Definitely does not help my degree including the fact student aid only funds your first degree plus one year which is absolute nonsense because who can really take on 5 university courses a term especially in this day and age. And, do not forget about bills, rent and food. This is ridiculous how students are being treated!
07 November 2022 0:09
I agree with everyone else about giving MSA zero stars! Seems like they do not care about the students and its just terrible. Still waiting on receiving my funding and its halfway through the semester. They're impossible to get a hold of. (I've tried many many times) They are leaving students helpless. I suggest to anyone thinking about applying for Manitoba student aid, think again.
28 October 2022 0:52
I am not someone who usually writes reviews, but I'm at the end of my rope here. I am a student doing an exchange and require student aid money in order to sustain my cost of living while abroad and without a job. I submitted my application at the earliest possible moment I could (which was delayed thanks to system issues on their end) and they processed all of my documentation. On the website it says that I have funds that are available for release after August 30th. Well, it's October 12th and my tuition is due in 10 days and they have yet to pay me out a single cent of the money that I was approved for. I tried calling them several times, and both times the call just immediately dropped. When I did get through, they stated that their phones lines are closed on Tuesday. I am stressed out beyond belief about this and don't know what I'm supposed to do about this. This company is making it impossible for students to pay their tuition on time, they don't communicate with us at all, and leaves all of us stressed and anxious. It is absolutely abhorrent that they are continually putting students in this position. I have never had so much trouble with a government institution before. They deserve zero stars.
22 October 2022 3:21
I've been trying to get a hold of student aid for weeks and even if you call them as early as 8: 30-9: 00 you still can't get a hold of them. I'm counting on student aid to help me with my finances for school and for rent because I can't afford to work and manage my schoolwork so worrying about finances has been taking a toll on my mental health and it seriously doesn't help that everytime you reach out to student aid to call all they say is that they cannot answer at the moment and to send them an email which they will never answer because I sent emails last month and still I haven't receive any reply for any of them.
I applied last July it was processed then they requested for documentation which I sent right away, I've been constantly checking the website for processytimes and although it keeps updating the dates my file is still waiting to be processed. I have 2.5 months left for this term and I still haven't pid my tuition and I am drowning in bills because the help I was counting on is not coming and the people I was hoping to help me can't be reached. This is such a ridiculous situation you don't even deserve the one star rating if I could post this without having to rate one star I would've.
20 October 2022 17:11
Very difficult to reach and incredibly slow processing times. I applied mid-august as the processing time was claimed to be 12 days. I'm still waiting to see any funds in October. My tuition was due September 7th.
03 June 2022 12:24
Wish I could give 0 Stars - They take FOREVER to get back to you. Expect an hour-long wait or more if you call them.
31 May 2022 1:06
They should just get rid off the phone line. Dont even waste tax payers money on your phone bills if 90% of calls are not answered and pretty much everybody has to go in person to ask a question.
Thank you so much.

Update: offices closed for general public due to COVID-19 and documents have to be submitted hardcopy in a dropbox during office hours. Why cannot we do it online?
16 May 2022 17:51
In short:
Service is great
Accessing said service very poor
make sure you have time during the day, you'll need it.

My Experience:
Speaking for myself, all the staff that I have talked with are wonderful, they're very helpful and answered all my questions.
I do however take issue with the extremely unusual long wait times, I've called a few times and have had times where I've been on hold for +60 mins only for the actually call to last less than 15 mins and that's only if someone does answer. There have also been times where I've called and waited the hour plus for the line to tell me that all the lines are busy, no ones available to answer my call at the time and I'm to leave a message, they'll call back, and to not leave multiply messages which as that'll result in a longer call back time.
Which is strange because when I call back second time choosing a different option, be on hold for less than 45 or so and someone answers.
The most frustrating part is that they close the line an hour before the end of day time but, I'm guessing that this is because of the long wait time you'll need to talk to anyone.
10 May 2022 1:30
If I could give them less stars I would. Nothing but problems with them. When I was paying my loan off I set up pre paid payments that happened everything month. They would always call me and say they never got the payment. Now I can’t get into my account and I’ve been on hold for a long time. They need a help line where u can go to ask questions and or at least tell u ur wait time. Not just have a robot telling u random things. Not very happy with them. They are very frustrating
02 May 2022 22:35
The staff at Manitoba Student Aid are very helpful, the guy I spoke with helped me as best as he could promised me he would have someone call me back. When they called back - it was after business hours- the woman was kind, looked up the information I needed-reviewed my file-and promised they would send a confirmation to my school. I received my funds and more - I made a mistake on my application and she figured it out for me-I actually received more $! Bonus!

The staff are great- the process is frustrating- the time you wait to talk to someone is long- they don’t have a lot of staff on the phones from what I gather- I had to wait for a long time- but in the end I received grants and Manitoba bursaries- the loans don’t have to be paid back while I am in school-another bonus!

I’m giving the staff 5 - they deserve it!
10 March 2022 9:02
Not impressed, this system needs an overhaul. I applied in October/November 2021. My funds were supposed to be released December 28th 2021, It's February 4th and STILL NOTHING! My school has asked me over and over for my payment. I need supplies for my classes that I can't get. I had to borrow money to buy my books when classes started and you can't even get through on the phone. My E-mail was never answered. They make you to wait on hold for an hour and 20 minutes just to leave a message. That was even 2 days ago and still haven't received a call back. What are the students without family supports supported to do? First it was a website issue causing 3 weeks delay and now they are having a registration confirmation issue causing up to another 3 weeks delay? This is so unacceptable.
04 March 2022 11:04
Applied back in November, still haven't recieved anything. Called and asked and they said I forgot to sign something and they'd mail it out. I have yet to receive this and it's been over a week. I haven't been able to get any supplies. None of my emails or calls have been returned. They say they are doing everything they can to accommodate students but they haven't done anything but leave us high and dry.

My tuition is due next week and I cannot afford it. This is ridiculous as I applied MONTHS ago and was told they'd contact me if I was missing anything. (I even called the next day to confirm if my forms were all there and correct and was told they were so that adds to the confusion of why I had to call weeks later to find out what the hold up was.) So I don't know what form is even missing. I live literally 5 minutes from the building. It should not take this long.

This is an extremely unorganized mess and they've pretty much abandoned all students.

Students deserve justice, this is absolutely ridiculous.

Hire more staff! For God sakes.
10 February 2022 22:26
It's been 5 months since I applied for a loan and I STILL HAVENT GOT THAT LOAN! After Waiting AT LEAST an hour on the phone for them to answer, they keep telling me that they are working on that and that the loan should arrive at around a specific date. It doesn't. They keep telling me that every time I call for status.
29 January 2022 23:26
Processing times take forever and waiting times for calls are absurd. Need more staff to lessen these processing periods. Debit agreement has been waiting for processing for about a month already.how long does this need to take.hire more staff for gods sake
27 January 2022 11:47
Incompetent persons who work there, they do not even look at the file but answer the question in general. I hate this province because of these people who are there to help you but put you in misery
25 January 2022 14:32
I think the workers must be over worked here and you need to hire more staff, i handed in all my paper work everything is processed but my direct deposit form for a few weeks now i check it everyday its very frustrating.maybe there is only one person entering all these forms, idk but better service would be amazing being a student is already stressful, live alone trying to secure funds. This needs to be made into a smoother process.
19 January 2022 3:31
If i could give less stars I would. Why are they only open during school hours, what a joke. Kinda hard to figure out your loans when your in a class.
16 January 2022 15:33
Don't bother. In 2 years of studying and 6 terms, I was provided money ONE single term. After two years of investigating, I found out they lost my documents and just decided not to ever tell me about it. Thanks for the waste of time and source of credit card debt you are to my family and I, Manitoba student aid!
13 December 2021 6:38
Doesn't pick up their phones. No contact as no funding has come by, 3 weeks past tuition due date. Awful service and incompetent replies lead to many students without the necessary funding for not only schooling, but for dorm necessities.
10 December 2021 16:44
Just needed to change my banking information as I've switched banks recently. Emailed and got no response thus far. Tried calling, was on hold for 35 minutes only to be forced to leave a voice-mail. Prompt said it would take 2-3 business days to call me back. Should just be able to change your banking information on the website like every other place. I don't live near the office at all, so this is a huge hassle.
24 November 2021 14:33
The only smooth part about my application process was filling in the online application, though the website is extremely slow, sometimes to the point of not working at all, and very outdated.

My biggest issues, is that they lost my paperwork, and then sent me incorrect paperwork to replace it. I sent this back to them, and they took forever to let me know that they had sent me the wrong forms. I sent them the correct paperwork, and since then have not heard from them.

I have e-mailed, and it took almost 2 months to get a response from them. Their reply was generic and did not address any part of my e-mail to them, not helpful in the slightest. I've tried e-mailing and calling them on several occasions and have not received any form of communication. The one time I got through the hold, they hung up on me before I finished saying hello.

I have been waiting for my student grants, bursaries, and loans of over $6,000 for SEVEN MONTHS due to their lack of care for students.

I was relying on my grants to help me support myself while being in school full time. I have gone without necessities because of MB student aid's disregard for the importance of doing their jobs correctly, taking proper care of important documents, and responding the students reaching out for help.

MB student aid, you should be ashamed.
18 November 2021 21:53
Took them almost a month just to reply to a simple email of mine. I tried calling to get in contact about another issue and I was put on hold for nearly 2 hours. I just gave up on calling them. No choice but to go in person for terrible service yet again where there's only 2-3 people working.
21 September 2021 6:16
The Student Aid Process is easy and ultra convenient via the website. However, calling to talk to a representative to ask questions is not. This is probably the worst customer service i have received in some time. I had my headphones in and was put on hold for 20 minutes (not complaining about the hold part). When the lady had answered she asked if i had her on speaker phone, and rudely demanded that i take her off the speaker phone right away. I thought it was because she couldn't hear me and apologized. I was explaining my situation and she interrupted me and demanded that i get to the point. When she had answered my question is was a one word reply. I understand being rude to people if they are yelling at you, which is not okay. However, being rude to someone that is just asking questions is out of line, disrespectful and harassment.
11 September 2021 4:33
Although the wait times are sometimes long, I find the individuals who helped me very quick and efficient. They answer any questions I have. I just recommend you apply early and call 2-3 weeks to make sure your application in processed.
21 August 2021 3:13
I would rather gouge my eyeballs out than attempt to contact MB student aid. This service is a nightmare. Why is it so difficult to get any of my information. The phone prompts are an endless loop of useless information. Let me talk to a person, or include everything on mysao account; Like last payments, how much, applications … like a banking app!?
11 August 2021 2:25
Wait time was pretty crazy, about 45 minutes so make sure you have time set aside if you are looking to call. When they did pick up the lady helping me was very helpful and kind! My questions were answered quickly and with obvious knowledge.
05 March 2021 9:33
Both numbers that they list are no longer accepting any calls so there's no number to contact them.
15 February 2021 8:07
They cite contacting repayment counsellors to make payment arrangements but don't in fact have them any longer. "Two of us work in repayment and we're very busy, there are no repayment counsellors anymore and those letters are auto-generated" was the verbatim response two months after I called to have my dieing wife's payments put on hold, provided a letter outlining her diagnosis and prognosis, and six months of both our banking to prove she hasn't worked. Two months later after communicating her palliative status to them they still threaten us with form letters written from an era when they had repayment counsellors. My wife is literally at death's door and they're sending her threatening letters.
06 January 2021 11:20
Always on the phone for more than 2 hours before getting assistance, customer service representatives are not sure what they are doing. The information is not consistent. Someone will tell you something and another person saying something totally different. I have had two situations where I applied and sent in my applications on time and still had to pay for my tuition fee and that was on last minute. Why offer this service and it is not reliable. It’s hard being a student while trying to maintain a part time job much less a full time job. I am saying this to say when I have to pay for my tuition fee it is costly and sometimes I don’t even have the money to pay and my school will not allow me to take other courses if I have outstanding fees owing. That is why I have to use this service. Manitoba Student Aid needs to do better in providing reliable and efficient service to its customers. Management needs to intervene immediately. It cannot continue like this. This is nonsense!
15 November 2020 13:21
I WAITED FOR AN HOUR ON THE PHONE. AND I WAS JUST HANGED UP ONE! I CALLED AGAIN FOR AN HOUR AND HANGED UP AGAIN! WORST STUDENT AID EVER SUPPORT EVER! PLEASE HIRE MORE PEOPLE, TO HELP STUDENTS!
09 November 2020 15:30
Was on hold for 41 minutes. When they picked up I asked what I could have covered while I go to school like childcare. He rambled with a very heavy accent I don't recognize from around Manitoba so it was reasonably difficult to decipher (especially with the slurring in between words) and then before I could ask my next question once I figured out what he said he hung up on me. Totally unprofessional.
28 April 2020 23:30
Reps are rude on the phone. I hate having to talk to these people as they can be passive aggressive at times.
22 March 2020 19:37
Awesome place to wait 2 hours on hold to try and speak to someone. Even better when you have to do it 3 times a day!
18 March 2020 17:59
They advise you to "apply early, " but don't make applications for any given term available until on or after most school's deadlines to provide proof of funding. Please fix this. It is a huge and unnecessary added stress on students.
16 March 2020 2:12
Lived in BC for the past half year, and AB in the six years prior to that, and the difference in how public services work is astonishing compared to MB. Feel bad for the staff at MB Student Aid as they are likely underfunded and understaffed, but the wait times are terrible when compared to BC or AB. Likewise, while the staff have largely been friendly and helpful, the website is largely devoid of important information and/or extremely difficult to navigate.
14 March 2020 9:13
Absolutely the worst. I wish you could rate zero stars. Minimum wait time is 30 minutes every time you phone them. Everyone is rude and ignorant that works there. Customer service is absolutely awful.

Just a horrible company to try and deal with. Website is from the Stone Age. Desperately need to update their system.
06 March 2020 22:00
Website needs a little updating and i'm sure they could use more staff in September and January but overall i'm satisfied with the MB Student loan program! Best of all, no interest on MB loans!
15 February 2020 23:07
After waiting on hold for an hour they will disconnect you and you have to start all over again.
17 January 2020 13:40
Every time I apply to an academic program it is not eligible for coverage. I need to move provinces in order to attend my University of Choice. I loved away from Manitoba once and I wish I stayed away. Nothing here works, from the parking meters to the student aid so frustrating
11 November 2019 11:17
I've been trying to call them for weeks and it wont even ring. It keeps saying the line is busy. When I go down to the office, I have to sit for an hour because they seem to be very under staffed.
09 November 2019 17:46
Terrible terrible place. Can never get through to them ever. 3 years I didn't hear from them and just now they are threatening to collect my gst and tax refunds. Just awful place to deal with.
25 October 2019 11:56
Horrible.if you call MB student aid your waiting for 30+ min.if you email them no reply for days.if you you have a job and work durring business hours goodluck trying to get a hold of anyone from student aid.you literally have to book of work just to physically go there to get your questions/concerns resolved.when you get there expect to expect to wait for 30min + again.ridiculous system
24 October 2019 11:55
The worst. Take forever to get ahold of them. They never know what they are doing. Applications take forever. Just the whole thing is a mess with a hugeness lack of organization.
03 October 2019 18:25
Every time I call, the line is busy. I wasn’t even put on hold. I was very frustrated with their service.
28 September 2019 10:42
I literally can not think of any place on earth that provides a worse service and communication than this place for over 10 years with zero improvement. I would give it zero stars if it were possible without hesitation.
07 September 2019 21:06
They send out a "reminder" of your upcoming repayment plan ending only a week before it ends and you have to reapply otherwise you are essentially screwed.

I understand I should know when it's coming to an end, but it's on the shady side that they remind you with very little time to reapply. Their calling hours are the same hours as most people's typical work days. So it's pretty difficult to get a hold of someone while you're working and that's not considering the ridiculous wait times.

Good luck to you if you end up forgetting your password. You'll be locked out for 24 hours and unable to log in without calling. You get 3 chances to get it right.
15 August 2019 13:17
I got the funds but the waiting time to talk to someone is tooooooooo long as long as 1 hour and even if someone picks up the phone finally they act as if they cannot hear and they hang up which means now you have to call again and wait for another hour for someone to pick up your call and talk to you. It is so difficult to get hold of someone if you have a doubt or want to ask about the status of your application. They must really do something to improve this.
05 July 2019 7:42
Zero stars. Disorganized, purposefully misleading, staff consistently unavailable, impersonal service, inaccurate correspondence, ineffective communication. They have wasted an unbelievable amount of my time due to their incompetent service.
16 April 2019 2:10
They failed to update and maintain credit updates effectively tarnishing your credit even if you started paying them back 5 months ago. Very unprofessional.
29 March 2019 7:16
The staff are excellent, and are very helpful, the wait time is not too long, the staff are friendly and polite and respectful.
20 March 2019 22:58
In one month I called MSA twice and got two contradictory answers. I had some changes to my course load, so I called MSA and after 30 minutes of waiting, the lady assured me that I can just change my profile information if needed to, while telling me impatiently that she can't walk me through the process or provide further details because she needed to tend to another call. So later this month when my registration paperwork was done with the university I tried to change my course load and it wouldn't work, I called MSA again and another lady told me that I have to reapply and warned me of the deadlines. The approval process is already slow enough to endure, now it's delayed even more because their staff is unprofessional. I was in Winnipeg when I called MSA the first time, by the time of the second call I have already gone back to Ontario for the new semester, had I gotten the actual, valid information the first time I could have printed and dropped off all paperwork much easier, now I'm not even true if Canada Post can deliver standard mail in this weather
10 March 2019 19:11
Don't even think of going to uni and using student aid if you're not 10000% sure of what you want to do. I went in, unsure, experimented with different classes, failed some. And now I'm denied student aid cause my grades aren't good enough. It took me 2 and a half years to find out what I liked, and what I wanted my degree to be. And now I can't even get it because I was denied aid. Absolutely soul crushing.
23 February 2019 4:16
I probably will not use manitoba student aid in the future. I received a large amount of money for my courses in the beginning of september (before the add/drop period) and was happy about it, but then they found out that I wasnt a full time student (I was 6 credits short!) because I dropped a course and couldnt get into another cause it was too full. So now all the money I received is turned into a loan, instead of grants and bursaries which I was allowed to have. In january I will have to pay for my courses on my own, its not too expensive but still Its not fair: (I was so frusterated with them.
I fully believe that all post-secondary education should be free for everyone. I hope someday in the future this will be a reality.
29 October 2018 11:16
Manitoba Student Aid denies funding on the basis that funding was received for summer courses which were later dropped before the VW. Their policy is such that a student given funding and dropping below the minimum course load would face a penalty of a non-funding period for 12 months of future application. The VW date by definition is the date before which tuition fee would be returned if a student should decide to drop the course. An appeal must be made. That is MSA’s side of the story. We all know how appeals are handled in Manitoba public systems if you have ever made one. Here is the truth.

The student is aware of MSAs relevant policies. The “received” funding was not received by the student, it was given directly to the university for tuition costs and remained in their hand when courses were dropped (before VW date). Therefore the only responsibility of the student is to inform the university Student Aid department that the money should be returned to the MSA office. As the student has not received any money personally and can prove this, they have no further responsibility. The student did not touch the money nor did they receive it in their bank account. The student has responsibility spoken to the university informing them that the money should be returned and goes to the next step.

The student spoke to MSA asking what should be done about the situation. MSA representative told the student these word exactly “you may still be eligible when the money is returned to MSA from the university, to continue receiving aid unless a letter is sent out informing the student that they must do an appeal to continue receiving funding. The student must wait for this letter before making an appeal. ” You can already guess that no letter was received, the student applied for aid, the online application was processed with no indication that funding would be withheld. The only indication that something was amiss, was an online notification from the Student Aid website, weeks later, saying that “an application document was returned as incomplete. ” Does this statement specifically give an indication to the student that their application has been rejected and that their account is on a penalty period?

The student called MSA to figure out what was going on and was finally informed that their application was on a penalty period and that they must do an appeal. The student informed MSA that it was the responsibility of the university to return the funding to MSA after the courses were dropped and that MSA held the responsibility to remove the penalty since the proper steps had been taken. The MSA representative said these words exactly “the funds were released, it doesn’t matter, you knew the consequences, you will have to do an appeal. ”

This is obviously an act of negligence to the tune of misinformation and MSA staff not understanding their own policies and giving students false information, and neglecting their duty by not informing students about the status of their application. Is it MSAs policy to withhold funding from a student for “receiving” funding that they did not actually receive with proof and backing from the university itself? Can we raise some awareness?
31 August 2018 16:17
It's so distressing knowing I have to deal with these guys while I'm studying out of province. They've lost documents, filed documents in OTHER PEOPLES FILES, and when they call you back instead of waiting in queue for service over the phone, they've hung up on me every time. The emails they send me don't match my SAO account, and the staff don't seem to care at all about your questions. I had to wait 2 extra months last year to get my funds because of their mistakes. I wish there were other options.
0/5

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