Indigenous student support

Persons identified as Indigenous Peoples. This includes those who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit).

Email a copy or picture of both sides of your ID or documentation to acrec@athabascau.ca. Our Academic Records department will record this on your student record. You will receive an email informing you that your record has been updated and your future registrations will have the 10% automatically deducted upon registration.

Athabasca University follows the Government of Canada's guidelines for acceptable proof of ancestry.

First Nations (Status)

A copy/photo of the Secure Certification of Indian Status or Certificate of Indian Status is accepted.

Sample Secure Certificate of Indian Status:

Sample of Certificate of Indian Status:

First Nations (non-status)

Proof can include documentation that demonstrates Indigenous kinship as defined by their nation or community. A letter from a recognized Indigenous community organization or nation is acceptable. This letter needs to confirm a kinship relationship exists with a First Nation or Indigenous group.

Metis

Each province has their own ID card, below are some samples:

British Columbia

Alberta

Saskatchewan

Ontario

Inuit

Inuit beneficiary card with NTI number: :

Please allow 1-2 weeks from receipt of the documents for your records to reflect this update. It is important to note that the reduction cannot be applied to courses until this verification is completed and you have received confirmation.

This tuition discount can only be applied at the time of registration. If you wish to receive the discount, do not register until you have received confirmation that your documents have been recorded on your student file. AU is not able to provide refunds for courses that you have registered for prior to this verification being complete.

If you have questions or need guidance with this process, please contact indigenous@athabascau.ca.

The 10% discount is applied to the tuition portion of your course fees. AU course fees include other non-tuition fees (such as course administration and technology, course materials, and student union and alumni fees) that will not be discounted. The Indigenous Student Fee page can provide more detail and a breakdown of tuition and non-tuition fees.

The current discount is only approved for Canadian Citizens living and studying within Canada. If you are an Indigenous person temporarily living or working outside of Canada, please contact indigenous@athabascau.ca for support and consideration.

The 10% deduction is applied to the tuition portion of all undergraduate courses. It cannot be applied to Challenge for Credit courses.

At this time, the 10% tuition discount has only been approved by the Athabasca University Board of Governors for undergraduate courses.

Yes. To receive the 10% discount, Athabasca University requires submission of ID, which was not previously requested when you self-declared your Indigenous ancestry.

Athabasca University has several awards and bursaries for Indigenous learners. You can explore these opportunities here. For further support and resources, visit the Nukskahtowin website.

No, once we have confirmed receipt of the ID on the student file, we delete the copy of the ID. As a result, you may be required to provide a copy of this ID again if you apply for student awards and bursaries or other Indigenous services with AU.

If you have met the requirements, provided ID, and your record has been updated, then yes, the discount will apply, and your sponsor will be invoiced for the discounted amount.

If you have met the requirements, provided ID, and your record has been updated, then yes, the discount will apply, and our SFA team will report the reduced amount to the government for loans.

You can find more information about various support for Indigenous learners here.