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The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) is now available for students!

 The CESB is a relief fund targeted at Canadian students who are without work and have fallen through the cracks of the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) and Employment Insurance (EI). If you are a qualifying student, you can receive up to $2,000 per 4-week period in relief funding from the government until August 2020.

The CESB is for post-secondary students, recent post-secondary grads, AND high school graduates going into post-secondary.

There’s a lot of information to get through, but the Government of Canada’s website has made a simple, interactive site to navigate some of the questions you’ll have. Here’s a general breakdown of the information:

“The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) provides financial support to post-secondary students, and recent post-secondary and high school graduates who are unable to find work due to COVID-19.”

• you are unable to work due to COVID-19
• you are looking for, but cannot find work due to COVID-19
• you are currently working during the COVID-19 pandemic, but your income from employment and self-employment has been $1,000 or less (before taxes) during the 4-week period you are applying for

So be sure to note that you do need to be actively seeking out employment if you are able to work.

There are 4-week eligibility periods with a specific start and end date (you apply for one eligibility period at a time). The funds available per eligibility period is:

• $1,250 for each 4-week period, or
• $2,000 for each 4-week period, if you have dependents* or a disability*

*See website on what’s considered a disability and who can be claimed as a dependent.

Post-secondary students can apply for all four eligibility periods:

• May 10 to June 6
• June 7 to July 4
• July 5 to August 1
• August 2 to August 29

If you are a graduating high school student with a plan to attend post-secondary education, you also qualify for certain eligibility periods.

The CESB is only available to eligible high school students who:

• completed or expect to complete high school, or received, or expect to receive their high school equivalency in 2020
• applied for a post-secondary educational program that starts before February 1, 2021

If you complete high school:

• before June 7, 2020, your high school completion date must be before the start of the first eligibility period you are applying for
• after June 7, 2020, you can only apply for 2 eligibility periods, starting from the July 5 to August 1 eligibility period

Still not sure if you can apply? Check through the list on the CESB website to see where you fall.

Currently the CESB is limited to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and protected persons studying in Canada and abroad.

We’ll also do our best to help out financially!

SBC also has scholarships and bursaries available to students.

Academic Entrance Scholarships (AES) are awarded to incoming students based on High School grades. All students will automatically be considered for this scholarship upon application to SBC. No need to apply separately!

Entrance Bursaries (EB) are awarded to incoming SBC students who demonstrate financial need. We have simplified the process for first year students so you just have a single application to fill out for all your Financial Aid funding. Deadline to apply for the EB is August 1 (fall semester).

Returning Student Bursaries (RSB) are awarded to returning SBC students who demonstrate financial need.

As a response to COVID-19, the Manitoba Government has promised to double the Manitoba Scholarships and Bursaries Initiative (MSBI)funding for the 2020-21 academic year.

This means SBC has significantly more funding available in the Entrance Bursary and Returning Student Bursary. So, don’t miss out on applying for one of these bursaries this summer by August 1!

We also have a list of tips on financing your education.

We know that COVID-19 has been tough on everyone. We’re here to do our best to answer your questions about it all! Information changes often, but one thing is certain: we at SBC will continue to pursue our mission of empowering you to follow Jesus, serve the church, and engage the world.

If you’re interested in knowing more about studying at SBC, be sure to attend our Virtual Campus Visits to join us live for an hour while we introduce you to SBC, the people that make up our community, and how you can apply for fall!