What is a post-secondary educational institution?
A post-secondary educational institution for the purposes of an EAP can be one of the following:
- a university, college or other educational institution in Canada designated by a provincial authority under the Canada Student Loans Act
- a university, college or other educational institution in Canada designated by an appropriate authority under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act
- a university, college or other educational institution in Canada designated by the province of Quebec under An Act respecting financial assistance for education expenses
- an educational institution in Canada certified by Employment and Social Development Canada as offering non-credit courses that develop or improve a person’s skills in an occupation
- a university, college, or other educational institution outside Canada that provides courses at a post-secondary school level and at which a beneficiary was enrolled in a course of not less than 13 consecutive weeks
- after 2010, a university outside Canada at which a beneficiary was enrolled on a full-time basis in a course of not less than three consecutive weeks
The post-secondary educational institution must only satisfy one of the criteria above to be eligible for EAP purposes. For instance, if the educational institution is not designated under the Canada Student Loans Act but is certified by Employment and Social Development Canada, it is acceptable for EAP purposes. It is the promoter’s responsibility to examine all relevant authorities to verify if an educational institution is recognized for EAP purposes.
The Canada Student Loans Program of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) produces a Master List of Designated Educational Institutions.