Financial aid refers to funds that students access to help pay for their studies. There are different forms of financial aid: 

• Repayable: Various government and private loans and line of credit programs are offered to students enrolled in post-secondary studies. 

• Non-repayable: For most students, this comes from a mix of different types of aid offered by governments, organizations and York. 

• Scholarships, awards, bursaries (see bursary), prizes and fellowships.

• Savings and assets that are focused on covering post-secondary expenses. In Canada, this includes Registered Education Savings Plans and the Lifelong Learning Plan that is tied to Registered Retirement Savings Plans.

Some financial aid programs are set up to support particular program (academic)s or groups of people. Some examples include: 

• Graduate funding packages offered to full-time graduate students in research-based programs at York;

• Financial aid for Indigenous students;

• United Nations education grants offered to staff members with children in full-time studies.