Appeals / remedies - Student Financial Assistance

If you are dissatisfied with the services you received or disagree with a decision rendered in your Aide financière aux études file, a variety of remedies are available to you that guarantee impartial treatment.

For example, you may be able to update information you previously provided, such as:

• Your civil status, the fact that you earned a university degree or 90 credits in a university program, your living expenses, your medical expenses or your income
• Your educational institution, program or student status
• Your family status

You can make these changes in any of the following ways:

• Fill out a Declaration of Change in your on-line file
• Use the appropriate paper form to submit a Declaration of Change.
  • You will need to fill out a Declaration of Change form (PDF 149 Kb) if you applied for financial assistance under the Loans and Bursaries Program.
  • If you applied to the Loans Program for Part-Time Studies, you should instead use the Part-Time Studies Loan Application Update form .
• Once you have filled out the appropriate form, mail it to the following address:
  Aide financière aux études
  1035, rue De La Chevrotière
  Québec (Québec)  G1R 5A5

Has your mailing address changed and is no longer current?

We need to know! Please update the information in your on-line file .

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the services provided by Aide financière aux études, you are entitled to file a complaint with the Bureau des recours.  Complaints are handled with diligence, remain confidential and do not appear in your file.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of reasons that could justify filing a complaint:

• Accuracy of information
• Staff courtesy and/or confidentiality issue
• Quality of service and/or processing time when it exceeds the deadline;
• Availability of telephone services
• Availability of publications and/or forms.

On line

Use the Complaint form .

By telephone

1-844-714-2281, toll-free throughout Québec

By mail

Bureau des recours de l’Aide financière aux études
Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur
1035, rue De La Chevrotière
Québec (Québec)  G1R 5A5

If you believe that a decision rendered by Aide financière aux études does not comply with the Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses and its Regulations, you have a maximum of 3 years to request a review under Section 43.1 of the Act. Before requesting a review, carefully read the notice of decision you received from Aide financière aux études. You may be able to resolve the matter yourself by submitting missing documents or other information that could change the decision. If the deadline for submitting your documents has not yet expired, you can add them to your file to have it reassessed.

To appeal a decision, contact the Aide financière aux études "Bureau des recours". Your request will be examined impartially and fairly. If warranted, a request to correct your file will be forwarded to Aide financière aux études. We will send you written notice of our decision.

Your request must be made in writing using the Request a Review form (PDF 129 Kb) and include all of the following information :

• Your name
• Your mailing address
• Your Permanent Code
• The reason for your review
• Copies of all documents you submitted to Aide financière aux études that relate to your review

Digital transmission

You may send us your document by means of the option “ Upload a document on a voluntary basis,” as set out in the Digital Transmission section of our website.

There are a host of advantages to uploading your documents right into your online file :

• Limiting the chance of mistakes occurring due to the step-by-step real time document validation process
• Secure transmission of your personal information
• Faster processing of your file
• It’s environmental friendly!

Other way to submit your document

Mail

If you are unable to transmit your request digitally, please mail it to the following address :

Révision 
Bureau des recours de l’Aide financière aux études
Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur
1035, rue De La Chevrotière
Québec (Québec)  G1R 5A5

The Examination Committee for Exceptional Cases issues waivers for exceptional situations that compromise the pursuit of studies and are not anticipated in the normal course of student financial assistance.

You may apply to the Examination Committee for Exceptional Cases if you find yourself in one of the following situations that could compromise the pursuit of your studies:

• You no longer qualify for student financial assistance programs because you have reached the maximum number of months of eligibility or authorized debt limit.
• You believe that the amount of financial that was granted is insufficient to allow you to continue your studies.

In either case, you will need to demonstrate the exceptional nature of your situation or the additional and unforeseen expenses that you must incur during the award year that are not anticipated in the student financial assistance plan.

Firstly, you need to read the Exceptional Case Application Guide (PDF 424 Kb). You should also seek the opinion of your school’s student aid office to ensure that you have all the help you need in preparing your request.

Once complete, your request should be mailed to the following address or faxed by the manager of your school’s student aid office:

Secrétariat du Comité d’examen des demandes dérogatoires
Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur
1035, rue De La Chevrotière
Québec (Québec)  G1R 5A5

Unless special circumstances apply to your file, you will receive an answer to your exceptional case application within two to three weeks of the Committee’s next meeting. The Committee’s meeting schedule is listed in the Guide.

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