No matter how they contribute, the financial standing of post-secondary parents or spouses of Alberta students will now be factored into student loan eligibility, something that doesn’t sit too well with Calgary’s students’ unions.

As of now, Alberta is the only province in Canada that does not take parental income into account when assessing eligibility for student loans. As of the 2026-27 school year, the province will align with other jurisdictions by reinstating parental income as a factor, said the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education in a statement.

“Post-secondary education is a shared responsibility between government, students, and families,” the statement reads.

“At the same time, Alberta recognizes that not all students can rely on family support. Students facing exceptional circumstances can access several options, including applying for independent status in cases of family breakdown, requesting financial hardship reviews, or submitting appeals where parental or stepparent support is not available.”

Alberta stopped taking parental income into account in 2012. Tala Abu Hayyaneh, Students’ Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU) Representation Executive Council President, said the return to a traditional needs-based aid model will only make the already intimidating world of post-secondary education tougher on students.

“We were the only province in Canada that does not require spousal or parental contributions to factor into how much the student receives (in loans). So, now let’s say you are in a high-income household, you are still living with your parents, you’re 18, fresh out of high school, even if your parents decide not to contribute a cent towards your education, the government still sees your parents income as a reason to not fund you, although your situation might be completely differently than that,” she said.

“In the past, not factoring in parental or spousal income was an amazing thing, because that was one less barrier for students entering post-secondary. Now the government has deliberately said that we are going to add an additional barrier to education by requiring your parents’ or your spousal income to count into how much we are willing to fund you, which is effectively, in my eyes, as a student leader who has been in the game for a long time, a cut to Student Aid.”

Prior to Budget 2026’s release, which included the loan changes, student unions across Alberta were briefed on upcoming changes. When asked why the loan changes were coming, Minister of Advanced Education, Myles McDougall, told student leadership that, as the other provinces already do, taking parental income into account will be a good fit for Alberta, Abu Hayyaneh said.

“One analogy that came out of that meeting that was proposed by a student leader is that if everybody was running towards the cliff, would you also jump with them?” she said.

“That was really striking to hear.”

Though the minister told student leadership the funding that would’ve gone to loans will not be moved into bursaries, scholarships and other resources, SAMRU does not see it that way.

“We see an added barrier we didn’t need. What’s glaringly clear about this budget is that more barriers keep coming,” Abu Hayyaneh said.

Concerns on either side of the city: UCalgary echoes SAMRU worries

Similarly, Naomie Bakana, President of the Students’ Union at the University of Calgary (SUUC), said that new regulations will not only financially strain students, but will also impact the province’s ability to recruit post-secondary talent.

“What has set Alberta apart is the fact that parental and spousal income was not considered in eligibility. Undergraduate students, the population that we represent, are not eligible for grants; they’re only eligible for loans. This will definitely impact students’ desire not only to study in Alberta, but desire to even attend post-secondary if they don’t even have the reasonable resources to help them out,” Bakana said.

On top of students supporting themselves through additional employment, Bakana wonders if new regulations will cause students to take longer to finish their degrees.

“Something that we may see is students taking a longer time to graduate because they have to take a break off from school just so they can earn enough money to pay their tuition. That’s the same case for both domestic and international students alike,” she said.

“We notice enrolment in universities is less and less every year, and for the students that are missed in those categories where the parental income can be seen as larger than the realities of their situation, that group of students would be heavily impacted, and I would say that’s the case for a lot of students on this campus.”

Bakana said that though demand is high, the on-campus food bank is always accessible for UCalgary students. 

“Our food bank usage is always at an all-time high, and I do foresee a change like this continuing to increase the numbers. A lot of students will have to pick up even more work; there’s a lot of mental anguish that comes with this,” she said.

“When students are entering into university they have that knowledge that ‘If I make this amount of money, the loans or the grants will be able to cover up for the loss,’ However, if students find themselves unable to receive loans, they will have to pick up more jobs, we will see a lot more utilization in our food bank.”

With regulation changes adding to other stressors, Bakana said she won’t be surprised if on-campus mental health resources are in high demand.

As elected student representatives, SUUC officials are there to voice students’ concerns, Bakana said, and will do all they can to make post-secondary education a realistic possibility for as many people as possible.

“We’re here to serve students, and we will bring up these concerns as we hear them. We are not going to stop this fight, and we want to make sure that students have the best support as they’re going throughout their journeys.”