Manitoba Government Making Housing More Affordable for Students

The Manitoba government is making post-secondary education more affordable by ensuring student aid shelter allowances more accurately reflect actual housing and rental costs, Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable announced today.

“Our government is lowering costs for students, so there are fewer barriers for Manitobans pursuing post-secondary education and training,” said Cable. “We’re making sure that allowances for housing through student aid are calculated based on what housing actually costs, instead of using outdated data that shortchanged students who need it most.”

Beginning Aug. 1, Manitoba Student Aid (MSA) shelter allowances will reflect 2022 Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) rental data. To date, shelter allowances for student aid have been aligned with 1998 CMHC rental rates and updated annually based on the Consumer Price Index inflation rate. In recent years, this has not reflected true cost, as rental costs increased above the rate of general inflation.

Shelter allowances are used to calculate Manitoba Student Aid applicants’ expenses, based on their living situation and location of studies. This information is used to determine financial needs and the amount of funding awarded to applicants.

“With the rising cost of everything, additional funds towards accommodation costs will be a great help to students,” said Carla Loewen, director of the Indigenous Student Centre, University of Manitoba. “For Indigenous students who have never lived in the city before, navigating the cost of living can be challenging and daunting at first. Additional student aid will help with managing financial needs. This is a much-needed and timely change and great news for students.”

Updating the rate used to determine shelter costs brings the province in line with recent changes announced to the federal student aid program, Canada Student Financial Assistance. The federal government also plans to use 2022 CMHC data to calculate loan amounts for the 2024-25 school year. Aligning the way shelter allowances are calculated means MSA can continue to use one needs assessment to administer both provincial and federal student financial assistance.