services to support students
The Students’ Union offers services to our members that support our advocacy goals of making post-secondary more affordable and accessible for students at Vancouver Island University.
Financial Resources
Annually, VIUSU provides significant financial support to students through bursaries, grocery cards, and endowment awards.
To access this bursary and scholarship funding, complete your online scholarship, award, and bursary profile within your student record (under the Finance tab). This will allow you to apply for upcoming awards. The deadlines to complete your profile are October 30th and March 30th. For more information, visit VIU Scholarships, Awards, and Bursaries.
For general financial aid questions or to find out about options for short-term emergency support, students can email financialaidinfo@viu.ca.
Discounted Transit Passes
NOTE: We no longer sell individual bus tickets. Students are now required to load a UMO card with a cash balance. UMO cards can be picked up at our office at no charge, and can be loaded following the steps on the BC Transit Website
The Students’ Union sells monthly and semester transit passes. Students can pick up their passes in the VIUSU office.
Semester passes are sold for $170 in September, January, and May and are valid for 4 months.
30 day passes are available at any time and are valid 30 days from the day it is activated/first used.
There are also individual tickets available for $2.25 each or a sheet of 10 for $22.50.
The Good Food Box
We’ve partnered with Nanaimo Foodshare to bring affordable nutritious food to campus every week through the Good Food Box Program. Nanaimo Foodshare reduces the cost of healthy food by buying direct from farms and wholesalers and having an awesome team of volunteers pack and distribute hundreds of Good Food Boxes each week! The VIU Students’ Union serves as a pick-up location for your order. The Good Food Box is available to all students and community members. Learn more by watching this video.
The Breakfast Bar
Stop by our office for a bowl of cereal and coffee or tea for free. We know that being a student comes with many costs so this breakfast program was launched to help with food security on campus. Available during our office hours from 9:30am-3:30pm.
Student Discount Program
A discount program designed to help students save money on services and experiences. The Deals App is managed in partnership with student unions across BC through the BCFS and is a benefit of membership. Download now.➚
Copying + Faxing
The Students’ Union provides photocopying and faxing services for students a discounted rate. Students can also receive faxes at the Students’ Union Building for FREE. Colour photocopying is also available.
Handbook + Dayplanner
By working with other members of the BCFS, who collectively print thousands of books every year, we are able to get the best deal possible, to ethically produce the handbook and dayplanner for our members at VIU.
Buy & Sell Used Textbooks
We recommend selling used textbooks on the VIUSU app or the VIU TEXTBOOKS: BUY/SELL/TRADE Facebook page - both currently active and valuable services.
Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund
VIUSU is proud to provide funding for students who are presenting at academic conferences through this Fund. If you are presenting at a conference you should apply through VIU's Research and Scholarly Activity Office.
Project 529 Bike Registration
You never want to think about what would happen if your bike were stolen, but by registering your bike with Project 529➚ you'll help law enforcement across BC know it's your bike when it is located. You’ll also have access to all of the information needed for a police or insurance report.
Portable Jumper Cables
The Students’ Union provides a free jump-start service on the Nanaimo Campus. Just bring your ID to the Students’ Union Building (193) and you can borrow our jump-start kit. This could save you as much as $50 for a tow truck to do the same.